Salvation Summaries

Matthew 25:31-33 ³¹ “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

I would guess that many Christians base their claim of being a Christian on a “profession of faith” that they had made when they were young. They believed in Jesus (John 3:16), recognized their sinfulness (Matthew 5:3), repented of their sins (Luke 5:32) and either assumed to be saved or asked to be saved. This is typically how a person becomes a Christian and should “work” in most instances.

However, there is a risk that a person can go through the motions of saying the right words without the conviction that leads to salvation. This is true if their belief in Jesus was casual or intellectual (simply that He exists and is the Son of God) rather than trusting or relying upon Him (saving belief); if their repentance was purely an emotional response rather than mourning over the gravity of their sins with a sincere desire to turn from them towards God; and if there was no intention to obey Jesus as Lord and do His will. All of this can result in a “professing Christian”, or someone who claims to be a Christian but in reality is not. Other people who periodically or even regularly attend church may also view themselves as a Christian but not be one, for church attendance does not save anyone.

So, how can you determine if you are a genuine Christian or simply a professing one? The answer can be found in Matthew 25:31-46, a sobering set of verses where Jesus judges mankind.

The Scene of Jesus’ Judgment

Matthew 25:31-46 depict Jesus’ judgment of mankind and on what basis He does this, so these verses should be taken seriously if you want to know how He might judge you.

Jesus begins by separating the people before Him into two groups: one on His right (sheep) and the other on His left (goats). Those on the right are righteous, or Christians. Those on His left are unrighteous, or non-Christians (which would include professing Christians). He tells those on His right that they are blessed by God the Father and will inherit eternal life, for when He was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick or in prison, they showed compassion for and helped Him. The group asked Jesus when this took place, and He replied, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters (some translations just say “brothers” or “brethren”), you did for me”. Jesus then told the other group to depart from Him as they are cursed and going to hell, for they refused to show compassion for and help His followers in their time of need.

So, on what basis does Jesus determine whether a person is a Christian or non-Christian? Is it based upon their church attendance? No. Being kind? No. Being nice to others? No. Their profession of faith? No.

According to Jesus, what separates a true Christian from a non-Christian is not what you say, but what you do. And it’s not what you do for anyone, but for His brothers and sisters.

“OK…” you say with some skepticism, “but if that is true – and that’s a big IF – then let me ask you a few questions.”

1. If it’s based upon what you do and not what you say, then isn’t that a works-based salvation?

No, there are plenty of verses showing that a person is saved by repentance and belief/faith rather than by works or deeds, for no one can earn their way into heaven (if you could, there was no need for Jesus to die). However, this should result in fruit (love, joy, peace, patience…Galatians 5:22) and good deeds over time as evidence of genuine conversion. Without this, one’s claim to faith may not be valid. Paul said that a person “should prove their repentance (salvation) by their deeds (Acts 26:20). Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). And James said that faith without works is dead (Acts 26:20), meaning, it’s not the kind of faith that saves.

2. Who are the brothers and sisters Jesus refers to?

Although some Bible commentaries I read interpret this as anyone in need, I believe He’s singling out other believers or followers of Him (common Bible translations use the term brethren or brothers, with some saying brothers and sisters). In Matthew 12, a member of the crowd told Jesus that his (physical) mother and brothers were standing outside and wanting to speak to Him. Jesus responded that “Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Non-Christians do not do the Father’s will (for why would they?); only (genuine) Christians do.

3. But why wouldn’t Jesus base it on what a person does for anyone, whether Christian or not? After all, the story of the Good Samaritan shows us that we are to help those in need, even if they are not a believer. Also, James says that “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).

Christians should help “the least” of everyone, including the poor, the homeless, the widow, the orphan, etc. And, I would guess that Christians help them more than non-Christians do, especially indirectly from their church tithes and offerings. Also, Jesus commands us to love everyone, not just other believers.

However, this does not mean that it should be the basis He uses to determine whether a person is a Christian or not, for plenty of atheists and agnostics and professing Christians may have a “heart” to help others in need and not be saved.

I believe the answer to this question can be found in the latter part of verse 40, where Jesus says, “when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me“, and in verse 45, where He says, “when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.”

Thus, the extent to which a person helps Jesus’ followers who are in need reveals a person’s attitude toward, and love for, Jesus. In other words, Jesus can tell what you think of Him by how you treat His followers. If you have no regard to help those of His followers who are in need, you have no regard for Jesus even if you claim to.

Where do you Stand: Are You a Sheep or a Goat?

So, dear reader, if you want to know whether you are saved according to Jesus, look to see if you have compassion for His followers who are in need. If you do; if you’ve made sacrifices of time, labor or money to help them; and if helping them has given you joy or satisfaction (rather than complaining about it), then according to Jesus in Matthew 25, you are righteous in His eyes and will be granted eternal life when He judges you. The care and concern you have for Jesus’ followers reveals that you have a care and concern for Him.

However, if you do not have any compassion towards Christians who are in need and as a result have not done anything to help them (because you are concerned only with yourself and your needs); and if you view Christians in need as no different from any other person in need; then, according to Jesus, you are unrighteous in His sight, and eternal punishment in hell will be your fate. Your lack of interest in and compassion for His followers reveals your lack of regard for Him.

How to become a Christian

Dear reader, if you fall into the second group, or if you are unsure which group you may be in, then please do the following:

• Humble yourself, get down on your knees, and bow before Him.
• Tell Jesus how sorry you are for having sinned against Him, and that you want to change your life in order to please Him.
• Thank Him for the punishment He was willing to take so that your sins can be forgiven.
• Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and cleanse you.
• Tell Jesus that you believe in Him not only with your mind but also your heart (all of you), and that right now you are making Him Lord of your life.
• Tell Jesus that you will seek to know Him and His will (from reading His word, attending church, etc.) and do whatever He wants you to do even if it results in you being mocked or physically persecuted.
• And last, if you’ve not been baptized, then do it now to show others that your sins have been cleansed; a profound change has taken place within you (you’ve been raised from death to life); and that you are not ashamed of being called a believer in Jesus.

The Potential Fate of a Professing Christian

If, after the reading the above, you still resist becoming a Christian, then please read below. This is what I believe a professing Christian could possibly experience at the time of Jesus’ judgment based upon my reading of Matthew 25:31-46.

You “wake up” (from death) and find yourself standing before Jesus, who is sitting on His throne. As you cast your eyes upon Him, He is not the simple carpenter you had pictured Him to be from paintings and book illustrations. No, he’s deity; He’s God, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and authority, power and holiness emanate from Him.  Your first reaction is to bow before Him, and pray that He will have mercy on you, for only now do you realize how real and holy He is, and how insignificant and sinful you are.

When you turn your eyes to look at the thousands of angels surrounding Jesus, they also are not what you had pictured them to be. They are huge and intimidating. Power and a profound respect for Jesus exude from them.

After you adjust to the initial shock of seeing Jesus and His angels, you start to look at the sea of people all around you, and they are everywhere – as far as the eye can see. But despite this enormous crowd, no one is saying a word, for everyone is in a state of fear, or of reverence, for the King sitting in front of them.

You look up again at Jesus, who now begins to address His creation. Jesus’ voice is like thunder, and everyone can hear Him – even those who are miles away. He then begins to separate the massive crowd into two groups – one on his left, and the other on his right.

You find yourself, and most of the crowd, moving to Jesus’ left side, with very few moving to His right. Out of the corner of your eye you just happen to catch a glimpse of your family, but they all are in the other group! At this point you panic, and tears stream down your face. You cry out to them, but all they can do is look upon you with sadness.

Then, with a loud voice, Jesus pronounces His judgment for each group. He tells those on His right, “You are righteous and will receive eternal life, for when you cared for the least of my brothers and sisters, you also cared for Me.”

He then turns to those on His left and says, “You are unrighteous and will be cast into eternal hell, for you did not show any care or concern for My followers, and therefore had no regard for Me.”

Upon hearing this, terror strikes your heart and you begin to weep uncontrollably. You shout “No! No! I’m sorry Jesus. Please forgive me! Give me another chance! I promise I’ll believe in and follow you!”

But it’s too late…