Matthew 7:21 (DBY)

Passage

Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he that does the will of my Father who is in the heavens.

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:19 Every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

Matthew 7:20 By their fruits then surely ye shall know them.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he that does the will of my Father who is in the heavens.

Matthew 7:22 Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied through *thy* name, and through *thy* name cast out demons, and through *thy* name done many works of power?

Matthew 7:23 and then will I avow unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, workers of lawlessness.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "says", "lord", "shall", "enter", "kingdom", "heavens", and "does". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "says" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "By their fruits then surely ye shall..." into verse 22's "Many shall say to me in that...", so "says" and "lord" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "says" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.