Thanks for playing. Here is another text that poses interpretative problems:
"No one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us (Mark (9:39-40)."
How do you explain the apparent tension between this text and the following 2 verses?
"Whoever is not with me is against me (Luke 11:23)."
"On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord,...did we not do many deeds of power in your name?" THen I will declare to them, "I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers (Matthew 7:22-23)!"
38 "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
39 "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me,
40 for whoever is not against us is for us."
Mark 9
Jesus is saying to His disciples not to oppose people who are doing things in His name because this is not evil or wrong. It is actually testimony to the power of the name of Jesus, so is a witness.
As far as salvation goes, it does not mean these folk are saved or following Jesus and will stand judged on the last day, yet doing good is not an evil thing. Unfortunately I have met believers who believe only believers can do good things, as if goodness is inherent only with faith.
The point of the gospel is no matter how much "good" one does, sin destroys that which we desire to keep. For instance I can paint and repair a house but if I drive a bulldozer through it, the house is destroyed no matter how much I have done to try and keep it going, it is now destroyed.
Some in their thinking believe the issue is just how God looks at us, and as long as this is favourable, then everything is fine. But God is interested in us, who we are and how we behave. It is founded upon a Holy walk like Jesus, full of love and truth.
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy;
without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Heb 12
We are lights in a dark place, love from eternity brought into the mortal world.