Matthew 7:21-23
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Good passage to bring up, because it actually answers your point, not supports uncertainty.
Notice what Jesus says: “I never knew you” ~Matthew 7:23.
Not
I knew you once and then rejected you.
Not
you lost Me.
He says
never.
The issue in that text is not a believer failing. It is a professor pretending.
They call Him “Lord, Lord” ~Matthew 7:21.
They do religious works ~Matthew 7:22.
They even do impressive spiritual activity.
But Jesus exposes the reality. There was no relationship.
The word “knew” comes from Greek
ginōskō, meaning personal relational knowledge, not awareness. Christ is saying they were never His people at all.
And He tells you why: “ye that work iniquity” ~Matthew 7:23.
“Iniquity” is
anomia, lawlessness. A life unchanged by Him.
So this passage is not warning true believers they might be rejected later.
It is warning religious people that activity is not salvation.
Scripture explains the difference clearly:
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” ~John 3:36
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” ~John 10:27-28
Matthew 7 is the contrast to that.
People who talk about Jesus vs people who belong to Jesus.
The warning is real, but the target is false faith, not real faith. The question is not whether someone said the right words. The question is whether Christ actually knows them.