Lord, Lord.

In Matthew 7:15-23 Jesus tells us to watch out for false prophets and He says we can tell them by their fruit. Something we should all watch out for. But what I really find terrifying is what he tells us next. In the last half of this passage Jesus gives us a glimpse into the Day of Judgment and what He says cuts me to the very sole. He says that on that day not everyone who says to Him “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven.

I’ve read this passage many times before and it finally dawned on me that those who are addressing Him aren’t just saying “Lord”, but are addressing Him as “Lord. Lord.” It’s as if they are stuttering His name, because they are in shock over the fact that not only doesn’t He know them, but He tells them to depart from Him. They so shocked that they repeat His name as if to say “Lord. It’s me! Lord, you know me!

I took some time to look throughout scripture to note other places when a persons name is repeated. I probably missed a few, but here are some:

1. Just before Abraham is about to sacrifice Isaac The Angel of The Lord calls out to him “Abraham! Abraham! (Ge 22:11)
2. When Jacob is afraid to go to Egypt and God reassures him saying He’ll be with him He calls to him "Jacob. Jacob." (Ge 46:1-3).
3. When God calls out to Moses from the burning bush, he says “Moses! Moses!” (Ex3:3-5)
4. When God calls out to Samuel while he is sleeping he calls "Samuel, Samuel". (1Sa 3:10)
5. When King David finds out that his son Absalom, who had rebelled against him, is dead he laments “My son! My son! Absalom, my son.” (2Sa 18:33)
6. Elisha upon seeing the chariot of fire cries “My Father! My Father! The chariots of Israel!” (2Ki 2:12)
7. When Martha is all uptight because her sister isn’t helping her, Jesus says “Martha, Martha…” (Luke 10:41)
8. Knowing that Peter would say in front of everyone that he would die for Jesus, Christ says “Simon, Simon. Satan will have you and sift you like wheat…” (Luke 22:31)
9. As Jesus is looking at the city on the hill, he laments “Jerusalem. Jerusalem". (Matthew 23:37)
10. As Christ hangs on the cross he cries out “My God, My God” (Matthew 27:46)
11. Christ stops Saul of Tarsus in his tracks on the road to Damascus and he calls out to him “Saul. Saul. Why do you persecute me?” (Acts 26:14)


My point in all of this is that when I find names repeated in the bible it indicates a deeply intimate relationship. So I have to say that those who come to Jesus saying “Lord. Lord.” Not only know Jesus by His title “Lord”, but also seem to think they know Him intimately. The false prophets he tells us to avoid and the people coming to Him saying “Lord, Lord” are members of the congregation! Do you see why this terrifies me?

Thinking it through I believe that true justification comes from sustained faith and trust in Christ alone and not placing out trust solely in one moment in time where we carried out some simple “act” be it reciting the sinners prayer or even, dare I say, in baptism alone. If I place my trust in my baptism and don’t place my trust in Jesus and strive every day to obey him, then I will never bear fruit. Yes, publicly accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior and being baptized for the remission of sins is necessary, but it can’t end there. If it does end there, then I think you have displayed just enough faith to send you to hell for all eternity.