One of the go-to chapters when debating against the 'faith alone' crowd is Matthew chapter 25.
Though the entire chapter is useful for this purpose, verses 31-46 are particularly good.
Only the completely- and willfully- blind could defend the notion of 'faith alone' after reading these verses.
31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The conclusion is obvious. Those who enter heaven are those who have compassion on the least fortunate. Those who enter hell, are those who didn't care for them.
Often missed in this passage is another important insight.
Both groups- the good 'sheep' and the bad 'goats' seem taken aback by the Good Lord's observations.
The 'sheep', as it were, seem to have as much difficulty in understanding how it is that they are saved as the 'goats' have in comprehending that they are lost. This deserves some examination because it is a fascinating look at the paradox of belief.
To gain some insight, we can go to Luke's Gospel, chapter 18;
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus regularly upbraided hypocrites like this and it had to have been shocking to them. Matthew 21 sums it up nicely:
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he repented and went. 30 And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.
The mystery of faith is that Jesus game to heal the sick but you have to know you are sick to be healed. The hypocrite is the viler sinner than even the adulterer or the prostitute or the reprobate because his own arrogance is what blocks him from the very repentance he so desperately needs. That's why he is shocked that he is passed over.
The penitent, on the other hand, understands the vileness of his sin. He loathes it, he is nauseated by it and he longs to be free of it. That's why Jesus can have mercy on the penitent but for the haughty, He reserves His judgement and wrath.
This irony is completely lost on the hypocrite who marches openly to his own destruction.
Matthew 23 observes that such a one will travel halfway around the world to make one convert then make him even more the child of hell than he himself is.
The hypocrite is consumed with hate, vindictiveness and contempt for his neighbor while the penitent is consumed with contrition and contempt for his own wretchedness.
The penitent sees, in the outcast, the forsaken, a reflection of himself and he feels compassion. The hypocrite sees only his own 'superiority' over these he considers as refuse.
In short, Jesus may be showing us the two principal grave sins against the Holy Spirit and how best avoid them.
The first, as we have elucidated, is the sin of presumption in which a person becomes so convinced of his own holiness that he believes heaven is assured to him. Out of this irrational pride comes boasting and contempt for his neighbor, which all but assures his damnation.
That sin is easily recognizable.
The second is more subtle and perhaps, as a result, even more dangerous. It is the sin of despair. This is the sin of the person who deplores his own sinful past but doesn't place enough trust in God's mercy.
Jesus may be addressing that here.
This person, though he cared for the hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless and imprisoned, still seemingly feels unworthy of God's mercy. He feels he hasn't done anything for Jesus.
But He did.
Here is a good gauge. If a person spends all his time degrading others, and exalting himself, you can be assured that the love of God is not in him. If a person spends all his time exalting Jesus and uplifting others, he is on his way to being among the sheep.
Matthew 5
5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Thank a hypocrite, today. He is helping you gain heaven. Pray for him too, because he isn't headed there.
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