A Vessel Unto Honour

Jesus was speaking to people who believed they had a relationship with Him when He said, “Depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.”

To understand the weight of Jesus’s statement (Matthew 7:21-23), we have to look past the English word Iniquity and into the specific Greek word used: anomia. This word serves as a direct bridge between the “New” teachings of Jesus and the “Old” instructions of the Torah.

Literally, the word Iniquity means “Law-less-ness.” It does not just mean “being a bad person.” It specifically describes a state of living as if the Law does not exist or has no authority over you.

It would be accurate to alter the wording of the Matthew 7:23 to say, “Depart from me, you who act as if the Torah is not in effect.”

The people Jesus is addressing in this passage aren’t bad people by human standards. These are people who claim to have “Prophesied in His Name, Cast out devils in His Name and done many wonderful works.” By all outward appearances, they looked like “spiritual” people. However, Jesus rejects them because their wonderful works were built on a foundation of lawlessness. They were doing “spiritual” things while simultaneously disregarding the literal instructions of the Father.

In Matthew 7:23, Jesus doesn’t judge people based on their wonderful works but on their lawlessness.

If iniquity is the act of ignoring the Torah, is it possible to be very religious or spiritual while still being lawless in the eyes of Jesus?

How does this change your understanding of the phrase “Depart from me”?

Does He reject them because they weren’t nice or because they refused to be trained by the Father’s instructions?

Jesus isn’t introducing a “New” standard in Matthew 7. He is upholding the Ancient, Original one.

Jesus showed us that no amount of prophesying or wonderful works can substitute for the willful, humble obedience to the Father’s law.