I thought I might share some of the passages in scripture that I find particularly formative in determining my approach to living the Christian life. I hope you find them as compelling as I do.
Matthew 25:31ff.
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 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. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
I have mixed feelings about this passage. I have enough trouble with the whole salvation by works thing and I find this passage kinda unsettling. I once spent a night in tears cos I was afraid of being a goat rather than a sheep. How do you reconcile this passage with salvation by grace alone?
Jill: I'm sure the fact that you're worrying about this puts you on the sheep side of the equation. Salvation is by grace alone: God's wonderful, transforming grace, which always changes us and leads us to serve!
Phil: Nice blog, and thanks for the link; although you've already out-posted me I think. I look forward to learning from your wisdom.
erro
Helpful words Erro. Jill, let me quote you some older and more modern ways in which people have responded to the exact question you ask:
Westminster Confession of Faith (1647 - Presbyterian confession). Article XI:
"(1) Those who God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth; not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous: not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but fro Christ's sake alone... (2) Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of Justification; yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is not dead faith, but worketh by love."
Ausberg Confession (1530 - 'Lutheran' confession). Artical XX:
"Because the Holy Spirit is received by faith, our hearts are now renewed and so put on new affections, so that they are able to bring forth good works"
John Piper:
"We do not have to perform, before faith, what faith is meant to perform."
That is to say, being a sheep or a goat is the gift of God which manifests in us as repentance and faith in response to the Gospel. But being a sheep will necessarily, progressively look a certain way by the means of that same faith.
I should footnote the most helpful book I have read on this topic. It is John Piper. Future Grace, Multnomah publishers, Oregon (1995).
I should have said...
being a sheep is the gift of God... (Not a goat!)
Is that what Paul is saying in Titus 3? Salvation is not by good works, but saved people must be careful to good works??
I guess I need to keep asking myself whether I am trying to earn salvation by my own deeds and efforts. And if so, I need to let go of this and trust that Jesus has done it all.
Jill,
I agree titus 3 is a helpful passage on this topic. Two others that come to mind are;
Philippians 2:12-13:
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Ephesians 2:8-9:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Post a Comment