Matthew Chapter 7
Matthew 7:1–2 (NKJV):
"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."
Jesus issues a strong command that addresses the spirit of judgment. The word “judge” (Greek: krinō) can refer to condemnation, criticism, or evaluation. The context reveals He is not forbidding all discernment but condemning a hypocritical, self-righteous, or harsh attitude.
Jesus had just addressed personal piety in secret—giving, praying, fasting, trusting God’s provision—and now shifts to social ethics, namely how believers are to treat others in community. Within the Pharisaical system, a key way to appear righteous was to highlight others' faults, creating a false moral superiority. Jesus exposes this as spiritual pride.
The warning is sobering: the same standard you use against others will be used against you—by both God and men. If you are merciless, do not expect mercy. If you assume the worst in others, that same assumption will be applied to you. This reciprocal standard reflects divine justice and should create in believers a spirit of humility.
Matthew 7:3–5 (NKJV):
"And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
The imagery here is striking and humorous—a speck (karphos) versus a plank (dokos). Jesus presents an absurd situation: someone with a massive beam sticking out of his eye trying to correct another person’s small flaw. This is not hyperbole without point—it is an indictment of spiritual blindness. Jesus shows that it is common for people to downplay their own sin while magnifying the sin of others.
The term “hypocrite” is used here in the same way it has been throughout the Sermon on the Mount—someone playing a role, wearing a religious mask, pretending to be something they are not. Jesus insists that genuine spiritual vision begins with personal repentance and humility. Only when the believer deals with their own sin first can they then help others.
Jesus does not forbid helping a brother with their spiritual issues; He forbids doing so hypocritically. The church is called to restorative correction (Galatians 6:1), but only after self-examination and confession. The failure to remove the “plank” results in distorted vision, unloving correction, and the likelihood of deeper division in the body.
Application and Theological Notes:
This passage does not support the modern secular misreading that Jesus demands moral relativism or unconditional approval. He commands righteous judgment, but judgment that is humble, fair, and consistent with Scripture.
Discernment is not condemned. Later in the same chapter (Matthew 7:15–20), Jesus warns about false prophets and commands believers to “know them by their fruits.”
Believers should be driven by mercy, not criticism. James 2:13 echoes this truth: “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
This text reinforces the Baptist teaching that personal holiness and accountability before God must precede any attempt to correct others. The autonomy of the local church does not imply individual isolation from accountability, but mutual edification in humility.
Matthew 7:6 (NKJV):
"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."
After warning against hypocritical and self-righteous judgment, Jesus immediately calls for spiritual discernment. While we are not to be judgmental in spirit, we are also not to be undiscerning in action. “Do not give what is holy to the dogs” and “cast your pearls before swine” are metaphors drawing from the Levitical distinction between what is sacred and profane (cf. Leviticus 10:10).
The phrase “what is holy” likely refers to sacred truths, particularly the gospel. Dogs and swine in the Jewish context were unclean animals, symbolic of those who are not only unbelieving but openly hostile to truth. This parallels Proverbs 9:8, “Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.”
This is not a command to withhold the gospel universally, for Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Rather, this is a warning against continually offering sacred truth to those who willfully mock, distort, or violently reject it. The principle is seen in Acts 13:45-46, where Paul and Barnabas said to the Jews who rejected the gospel, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it…behold, we turn to the Gentiles.”
Doctrinal application: This passage confirms that while love is unconditional, access to sacred things is not. In church life, this is why the Lord’s Supper is fenced (1 Corinthians 11:27-30), and correction must be made with discernment (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15). It also affirms the Baptist teaching of regenerate church membership—holy things are for those set apart by faith.
Matthew 7:7–8 (NKJV):
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
This is one of the most comforting promises in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus issues a call to persistent prayer, not as a one-time event but as a way of life. The verbs "ask," "seek," and "knock" are all in the present active tense in Greek, implying continuous action—“keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.”
Ask points to dependence—coming to God as children asking their Father.
Seek implies effort and desire—a longing for God’s will and presence.
Knock suggests persistence in the face of obstacles—faith that does not quit.
The three-fold promise corresponds to these: “it will be given,” “you will find,” and “it will be opened.” These promises are not unconditional blank checks. The context of the Sermon (particularly 6:9–10, the Lord’s Prayer) makes it clear that the prayer must be aligned with God’s kingdom and righteousness.
Doctrinally, this affirms that God is a generous Father who responds to the prayers of His children. James 4:2–3 says, “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss.” Therefore, this promise is given to those whose hearts are rightly aligned with God’s glory and purposes.
Encouragement for believers: God does not require intellectual brilliance, social status, or theological degrees to answer prayer. Anyone—from a child to a scholar—can knock. As Spurgeon noted, “A dumb man can knock. A blind man can knock… even a dying man can knock.” The simplicity of prayer magnifies the mercy of God.
Matthew 7:9–11 (NKJV):
"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"
Jesus presents a deeply relational illustration to describe God’s willingness to answer prayer. Using the example of a parent providing for a child, He appeals to basic human decency—even fallen people generally don’t mock or deceive their children when they are hungry. If a son asks for bread, no father would cruelly give a stone; if he asks for a fish, no decent father would give a snake.
The phrase “if you then, being evil” acknowledges the fallen nature of humanity. Even sinful human parents can understand love and generosity. So if even we, as sinners, know how to give good gifts, “how much more” will God, who is perfectly holy, give better gifts—both spiritual and physical—to those who ask.
This rhetorical device, the “how much more” argument, is found throughout Scripture and points to the superior goodness of God (cf. Luke 11:13, Romans 8:32). It is blasphemous, as your commentary rightly notes, to suggest that God is less gracious or less responsive than fallen men. Such a view distorts His fatherhood and misrepresents His character.
Theological implication: This supports a biblical, literal understanding of God's personal nature and His active goodness. Our Father in heaven is not distant, uninterested, or stingy. This verse also crushes the Deist view of a detached God and reaffirms the Baptist belief in a personal relationship with the Lord who hears and answers prayers according to His perfect will (1 John 5:14-15).
Matthew 7:12 (NKJV):
"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
This verse is commonly referred to as The Golden Rule, and it forms a powerful summary of Jesus’ ethical teachings regarding how we are to treat others. The word “Therefore” connects this command to what has just been said—because God is generous, kind, and responsive to those who ask, seek, and knock, we are to mirror that generosity in our dealings with others.
Unlike the negative versions of this principle found in ancient traditions—“do not do to others what you would not want done to you”—Jesus states it positively: “do also to them.” This shifts the ethic from passive restraint to active righteousness. It is not enough to merely refrain from evil; we are called to proactively do good.
This principle, Jesus says, “is the Law and the Prophets.” That is, it is the heart of the Old Testament’s moral teaching in relational terms. Jesus also makes this point in Matthew 22:37–40 (NKJV):
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
The Golden Rule emphasizes love, not merely legalism. It calls believers to embody God's love in action. This can only be done through a regenerated heart—consistent with the Baptist doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, resulting in a changed life. No unregenerate person can consistently fulfill this rule because it requires a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Application in the church and world: Imagine if this rule was universally obeyed—wars would cease, racism would dissolve, theft and deception would end. This is why Spurgeon marveled at its transforming potential: “What a kingdom is this which has such a law!” And yet, the fact that we fail to keep it perfectly shows our need for the gospel.
Matthew 7:13–14 (NKJV):
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
Jesus presents two distinct paths with two opposite destinations: one broad, popular, and easy, which leads to destruction; and one narrow, difficult, and unpopular, which leads to life. This is not merely a poetic illustration—it is a divine warning.
The narrow gate is the exclusive entrance into the Kingdom of God. It represents Jesus Himself. As He later declares in John 10:9 (NKJV): “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” The narrowness implies that salvation is not on man’s terms, but God's—it demands repentance, humility, and faith in Christ alone.
The word “difficult” (Greek: thlibō) conveys pressure, tribulation, or hardship. This supports the dispensational, premillennial view that the church age is marked by suffering for Christ, not ease or dominion. True discipleship is costly. As Paul said in Acts 14:22 (NKJV): “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
The wide gate and broad road are inclusive and effortless—no need for self-denial, no repentance, and no submission to God's truth. But it ends in destruction. This echoes Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV): “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
Jesus said, “there are few who find it.” This directly refutes universalism or any theology that assumes the majority of mankind will be saved. The plain teaching is that most will reject the narrow path because they love their sin (John 3:19). This is a sobering reality.
Matthew 7:15–20 (NKJV):
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Following the warning about the broad road, Jesus now exposes the danger of those who guide others toward it—false prophets. These are not obvious enemies of the faith, but deceptive ones who appear to be part of the flock. They “come to you in sheep’s clothing,” implying that they use spiritual language, wear Christian labels, and outwardly blend in.
But inwardly, they are “ravenous wolves.” They seek to devour, mislead, and ultimately destroy. As Paul warned in Acts 20:29–30 (NKJV): “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”
The method Jesus gives to detect these deceivers is simple but profound: examine their fruit. Fruit in this context refers to:
Moral fruit – Does their character reflect the fruit of the Spirit? (See Galatians 5:22–23)
Doctrinal fruit – Do they teach sound doctrine, or do they twist Scripture to suit man’s desires?
Ministerial fruit – Does their teaching lead to Christ-centered growth, or does it promote self, hype, or spiritual laziness?
False prophets can thrive for a while—but over time, the nature of the tree is revealed. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” Eventually, the spiritual DNA is exposed.
The consequence for being a corrupt tree is clear: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” This is an unmistakable reference to judgment and eternal separation from God. There is no neutrality—trees without good fruit are not pruned, but burned.
This passage calls the believer to discernment, not judgmentalism. Jesus is not contradicting His earlier command in Matthew 7:1–5, but clarifying that we must still evaluate truth claims and fruit, especially in those who lead or teach.
The final challenge is inward: “By their fruits you will know them.” But this is also a mirror. Before we look outward, we must ask: “What fruit am I bearing?” Is it lasting fruit for the Kingdom, or barren religiosity?
Matthew 7:21–23 (NKJV):
"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
This is one of the most chilling passages in all of Scripture. Jesus declares that there will be many—not a few—who presume they are saved, only to hear those dreadful words: “I never knew you.”
The verse begins with a serious caution: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” This tells us that verbal confession alone is not enough. It must be accompanied by genuine transformation and obedience. Paul affirms this in Romans 10:9 (NKJV): “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” But Jesus shows here that the confession must be from a heart that is truly regenerate and submitted to the Father’s will.
These individuals are shocked. They say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied… cast out demons… done many wonders?” They appeal to their works, even miraculous works. Yet, Jesus does not deny they performed these deeds. What He denies is that He ever knew them.
This proves that miracles, signs, and even impressive ministry accomplishments are not reliable indicators of salvation. Judas Iscariot preached the kingdom of God, healed the sick, and cast out demons (Luke 9:1–6), yet he was “the son of perdition” (John 17:12).
The essential criterion is not whether a person claims Christ, but whether Christ claims them. Jesus says, “I never knew you.” Not “I used to know you” or “I stopped knowing you.” This is not a loss of salvation; it is an exposure of false profession. These are the tares among the wheat (Matthew 13:25–30), the foolish virgins with no oil (Matthew 25:1–12).
The key phrase is: “he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” This does not teach salvation by works, but rather that true faith is always evidenced by obedience. As James writes in James 2:26 (NKJV): “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
Those who claim Jesus as Lord but live in sin are called “you who practice lawlessness.” The Greek word for “lawlessness” (anomia) indicates a willful disregard for God’s commandments—a lifestyle of unrepentant rebellion. These people used the name of Jesus, but never bowed to His authority.
Jesus, in this one statement, claims the divine role of Judge, asserting that He will personally preside over the final judgment. He is not merely a prophet—He is Lord, Judge, and King. This is consistent with John 5:22 (NKJV): “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son.”
This passage forces every listener to self-examination. Are we truly known by Him? Do we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, evidenced by humble obedience to His Word?
Matthew 7:24–27 (NKJV):
"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
This parable concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a contrast between two builders: one wise and one foolish. Both hear the words of Christ. The difference lies in what they do with what they hear.
The wise man “built his house on the rock.” The rock is not merely hearing, nor even knowing Scripture—it is obedient response to the words of Christ. Jesus is calling for not just doctrinal agreement, but life application.
In a dispensational context, this principle applies to believers in any age: faith is validated by obedience. This is not a passage about earning salvation, but rather about proving the reality of one’s salvation by building rightly.
The storms come to both houses. These storms represent the trials and tests of life, as well as the ultimate judgment of God. As Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:17 (NKJV): “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.”
The foolish man builds on sand—a superficial religious profession, perhaps an emotional response or ritualism, with no foundation of obedience or repentance. The house collapses under the pressure. Jesus warns: “Great was its fall.” It was not a minor collapse—it was utter ruin.
The storm doesn’t cause the fall; it reveals what was already weak. The same is true of our lives—trials and judgment will expose what we have built upon.
Matthew 7:28–29 (NKJV):
"And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,
for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."
The crowds were astonished—not merely intrigued or impressed, but overwhelmed with the weight and force of Jesus’ teaching. His words were unlike the lifeless traditions of the scribes. He spoke as the Author of the Law, not just an interpreter of it.
The scribes quoted rabbis and debated technicalities. Jesus spoke with inherent divine authority. As it says in John 7:46 (NKJV): “No man ever spoke like this Man!”
The Sermon on the Mount is not a list of moral suggestions or optional ethics. It is the manifesto of the Kingdom, the rule of life for those who follow the King. It confronts every man and woman with a decision—what will you do with Jesus’ words?
As Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) declares: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword… and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
This sermon ends with a warning, not a benediction. The call is not just to be amazed—but to act.
