"Not every one that saith unto me,Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 7: 21)
Doing "the will of the Father," according to The Lord, is the only way anyone will ever enter into the Kingdom of heaven. As pointed out in the last post, even a life filled with "many wonderful works" (Matt. 7: 22) done in the name of The Lord will not assure anyone entry into the Kingdom of heaven. Unfortunately, many who have had a life filled with "many wonderful works" done in the name of The Lord will be told by The Lord, "I never knew you: depart from me..." (Matt. 7: 23) We must ponder then, how it is possible to have a life full of "many wonderful works" done in the name of The Lord only to have The Lord make the pronouncement in the end, "I never knew you."
It is evident from the words of The Lord in these verses from Matthew that there is going to be a lot of people in that day who will find it very surprising that the conduct and course of their mortal lives did not result in entry into the Kingdom of heaven. The evidence of utter surprise that they will not be quickly ushered into the Kingdom of heaven, is the argument "many" people will futilely advance at the feet of the Master that they have done many "wonderful works" in His name. In their minds, they had earned a spot in the kingdom because of "many wonderful works" done in His name. There is a critically important lesson and truth to be learned from the fact there will be "many" experiencing devastating surprise on that day.
I believe The Lord included this sad story of surprise and rejection in the record specifically to point out to us that we ought not think that every religious thing we do in our mortal lives will save us, even if we piously do "many wonderful works" in His name. Although The Lord specifically points out the claim of prophecy-ing and casting out devils in the life experiences of many in that day, He then broadens the list of claims to include "many wonderful works" done in His name.
What are the religious "wonderful works" in our lives, done in His name, that we are sure will lead to our own invitation into the Kingdom of Heaven?
If asked, most LDS folk will tell you entering into the Kingdom of heaven depends on some variation of stuff like:
- You must be baptized
- You must receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands
- You must be a member of the Church
- You must attend church meetings and be "active" in the church
- You must partake of the sacrament each week in a repentant manner
- You must be faithful in completing every church assignment and never turn down any request for church service
- You must "magnify" your callings
- Your home teaching/visiting teaching must be faithfully completed
- You must be endowed in the temple and receive all of the ordinances
- You must research and compile names of deceased ancestors and complete temple ordinances for them
- You must attend the temple frequently
- You must be married "for time and all eternity" in the temple
- You must faithfully listen to and do the counsel and direction of the living prophet and the brethren
- You must live a "good life" and be charitable to others - do unto others... and so forth
- You must "endure to the end"
This list is not comprehensive for all people, but generally, most members of the church probably believe some combination of these things will result in entry for them into the celestial kingdom. Do these things and you WILL enter into the Kingdom of heaven. When asked about doing the "will of the Father," many would say this list or some close variation of the list constitutes "the will of the Father."
Are the "wonderful works" listed above generally good? Well, yes - generally. (However, some are subject to strong critical debate, and some are not "good" at all)
Are some of the things listed above absolutely required components and necessary to enter into the Kingdom of heaven? Yes.
Are some of the things listed above absolutely NOT required for entry into the Kingdom of heaven? Yes, absolutely.
Do any or all of the items together listed above constitute "the will of the Father" as that phrase is used by the Master in the verses from Matthew? No. At least not completely or directly. Some of the items on the list are related to the "will of the Father," but only in an ancillary or "leading to" kind of way. Other items on the list are not related in any way to "the will of the Father." This is where understanding what the "will of the Father" "is," becomes critically important. All "wonderful works" done in the name of The Lord do not strictly constitute "the" will of the Father. Otherwise, if you had sufficient faith in the Lord to prophesy in His name, or cast out Devils in His name, or do many other "wonderful works" in His name such as those that appear on the list above, you could simply claim to have done "many wonderful works" throughout your life and be saved in the Kingdom of heaven without rejection at the last day. There is no implicit power to save anything or anyone in "wonderful works" done by men in the name of The Lord. This is why you may do many "wonderful works" in the name of The Lord and then be told by Him in the end, "Depart from me - I never knew you." (Matt. 7: 23)
To repeat:
Are some of the items listed above good things? Yes.
Are some of the items listed above necessary and required of us? Yes.
Are some of the items listed above NOT necessary or required of us? Yes.
Do any or some of the items listed above constitute "the" will of the Father? No.
Does the Father desire that we go about our lives doing good and "wonderful works?" Yes.
Will going about our lives doing good and "wonderful works" lead to entry into the Kingdom of heaven? No, unless we also do "the" will of the Father.
Joseph Smith the prophet of the restoration clarified specifically "the" will of the Father in his translation of one verse in the New Testament. (JST John 6: 44)
"No man can come unto me, except he doeth the will of my Father who hath sent me. And this is the will of him who hath sent me, that ye receive the Son; for the Father beareth record of him; and he who receiveth the testimony, and doeth the will of him who sent me, I will raise up in the resurrection of the just."
"The" will of the Father is simply that "ye receive the Son." In this, is entry into the Kingdom of heaven granted. And it is granted not because, or by, many "wonderful works." Instead, entry into the Kingdom of heaven is received as the Son of God is "received" by an individual. This is "the" will of the Father.
What does it mean to "receive" the Son?
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