Is salvation based on works?
Because The Parable of the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25>31-46) ties the sheep and the goats’ behavior to their eternal destiny, it’s easy to walk away assuming that our eternal destination rests on what we do or fail to do. But that’s not really the point Jesus is driving at.
The Gospel’s message is clear throughout Scripture that “all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). It is by faith, through grace, that we are reconciled to God.
We just can’t miss out on the important message that salvation should transform us into the kinds of people who serve their King by doing good for others. So, what can we take away from this parable? Here are four quick lessons we could learn from the story of the sheep and the goats:
1. The sheep didn’t know what they did
It’s impressive to realize that the sheep are surprised by this turn of events. They weren’t serving others to be noticed or to curry favor with the King. They were doing good because it was in their nature to care for others.
2. Little things matter a lot
The King commends the sheep for everything from feeding the hungry to clothing the naked. But in there, He recognizes something as simple as a drink given to the thirsty. The point is that there is no service too small for Jesus to remember.
3. Don’t leave good undone
The King’s interaction with the goats is the most sobering aspect of this parable. It’s one thing to celebrate the positive and kind things someone does. It’s another thing entirely to realize that the King is paying attention to opportunities to help others that we neglect to capitalize on. It’s a mistake to assume that becoming more Christlike is merely a case of stopping bad behaviors. The more like Jesus we become, the more our lives are poured out in service to others.
4. We have to put in the effort
So many of the kindnesses the King mentions are ones the sheep would have had to go out of their way to perform. No one just happens upon someone in prison and stops for a visit. You have to make a plan to spend time with someone in that position. If we want to be sheep, we’ll be on the lookout for ways to love people around us.
Becoming people who do good:
It’s by God’s grace that we are reconciled to God. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn the privilege of becoming God’s children. But that doesn’t mean that what we do doesn’t matter. Jesus explained it to the Pharisees this way: “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33).
In the story of the sheep and goats, Jesus wants us to understand that our choices reveal the kingdom to whom we belong.
(JESUS FILM PROJECT)