If you ask any self-professing Christian; “are you an evildoer or born again believer?” The answer is quite obvious, but is this true? We need to examine the scriptures more carefully. Jesus said: (Matthew 7:21-23 ISV) “Not everyone who keeps saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name, didn’t we?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you evildoers!’”
If we read Jesus’ statement carefully, we see only two type of people at the end, one type ” keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven”, those who do not are called “evildoers”. Different version use different word, “evildoer” or “work iniquity” are used by NIV, ISV, KJV, ASV, ERV, NAB and a few more. Other versions mainly use “lawlessness“.
We see the same was written: (James 4:13-16) Now listen, those of you who say, “Today and tomorrow we will go into such a city, and we will spend a year, and we will conduct business and make a profit.”
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little while, and then disappears.
Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live, and we will do this or that.”
But now you boast in your own arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Based on these scriptures, there is no doubt anyone who does not live according to the will of God is evil. Now here comes the critical question, how to do God’s will. Can we read the Bible and interpret it by ourselves? The scripture says no; (Psalms 143:10) Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground of uprightness. It is only by God’s good Spirit we can learn the will of God. Only after repeating this Psalm over and over again so many times my eyes of the heart are opened, then I can see, not before. Now I can know the meanings; (Zechariah 4:6) Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is the Word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.
The Holy Spirit explained to us the details of His will: (Psalms 139:16-18 NIV)
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
Can we see how foolish it is for any child of God to ignore the will of God that was written in His book, including all the days ordained for him, even before he was born. Maybe now we understand why they are called evildoers. Now let’s pray;
I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
Now as for me, I said in my prosperity, “I will never be moved.”
O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong; You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
To You, O LORD, I called, And to the Lord I made supplication:
“What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?
“Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me; O LORD, be my helper.”
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Amen.