Matthew 25: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left…
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire…”
46 “Then they [those on His left] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Jesus is very clear in his telling of the sheep and the goats that some will have age-during life and some people age-during punishment. There is no “Get Out of Jail, Free” card. Many modern theologians try to argue for annihilation-ism or an ending of Hell’s torments or some other lessening of divine retribution, but this is not so. We must face the facts that there is something such as divine wrath, yet Reconciliation will eventually come!. Thankfully everlasting life is not earned or none of us would make it. The sheep are not given their eternal inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven because of works righteousness, however. The NIV Application Commentary explains it this way:
“But there is a surprised reaction from those who are rewarded: “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you… ?” The surprise of the “righteous” sheep (cf. 10:41; 13:43, 49; 25:37) comes from their taking literally his words, because they can recall no time when they have done this to the King. Such surprise indicates that these were not intentional meritorious acts to gain access to the kingdom. Rather, these acts of mercy are evidences that the sheep belong to the kingdom, just as the preceding parables pointed out external behavioral evidences of a person who has truly received the gift of salvation and the resulting transformation by the Spirit.”
The sheep do good works, not to be saved, but because we are saved and because it is His will for us to do so out of love. What we do (works) is an outgrowth of the heart of the believer, transformed by the regeneration of the Spirit. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. If mankind can be saved by works, then Christ has died in vain.
May we be loving sheep of our Lord.
Paul puts it clearly:
Romans 4:1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
Maranatha!
Prayer for today:
Lord, your obedient disciples under persecution live out the reality that Jesus Christ is worthy of any sacrifice. Thank you for the faithful example of brothers and sisters who pay a high price for following you. Amen. -+-