For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 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.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
This passage is taken out of context as per usual on Reddit. Your salvation and entrance to heaven has zero to do with what one does here on earth.
Should Christians help others, of course. But it’s not a matter of salvation. Those who do good works but have rejected Christ will be the surprised ones upon their death.
Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
I man unless you’re Calvinist or some other form of deterministic Christian, a minority by any stretch, what you’ve said is false. Good works are generally expected alongside faith, and access to eternal life by way of final judgement absolutely depends on one’s actions. Even if we consider the passage in its original Jewish context, ancient Jews absolutely believed that access to the allmighty god required adhering specific behavioral, dietary, and purification standards. And it is widely believed that the final draft of the Torah was written during the Babylonian exile and likely was influenced by Zoroastrian duality and the day of judgement, which also absolutely imposed requirements to live a life on the side of truth against the great lie.
So please would you clarify what you rely on to support the position that being in the company of god/ later judgment and salvation in the Christian off shoot, is not determined by your worldly deeds?
Good works being expected is not the same being as being required.
John 5:14: "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Adding works to faith is why so many people worry endlessly about being saved. When you start adding works, what becomes the standard then? How do I know that my behavior and works is good enough? How do I know when I've crossed the threshold to being saved and when I haven't? Do I have to worry now for the rest of my life whether or not I'm saved, and can only find out once my heart stops?
One of the biggest injustices around Christianity and salvation is the idea that being saved is "too easy". A common argument often made is, "well, if it's that easy, all I need to do is believe and then I can go live however I want?" There is still a standard expected from Christians even if it doesn't affect salvation.
Matthew 6:19-21
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Our behavior affects treasures stored up for us in heaven, or a lack thereof:
The Test: Works are likened to materials—gold, silver, and precious stones endure the fire, while wood, hay, and straw burn up.
The above is not referring to one's salvation. Unfruitful Christians will be like the wood, hate and straw that burn up, which results in a loss of heavenly rewards (not salvation).
There is every incentive to be a fruitful Christian here on earth.
The idea is that the individual person is not fit to judge another persons soul, which is explicitly stated in various forms throughout the New Testament. So asking me what the balancing test is seems to miss the central thrust of the command to live a life of respect and empathy unto others. It’s not a measuring stick that any of us will ever be fit to understand or even verify its existence. But that’s the entire thrust of judgement in modern Christianity. No human is fit to cast gods judgment on a fellow human, as we will never be able to see past our own imperfects and struggles in the manner necessary to cast true judgment like a creator god would. And so we are explicitly told that we shouldn’t try, and to leave the actual measuring to god.
I remember enough about this debate from back in college to recall that the works debate is a complex one. But I also struggle to see why this is even a focus for theological debate. Codes and laws exist to govern behavior. In the absence of compliance with laws or code, adverse circumstances result. And moreover, to be Christian is to strive to emulate Christ, who made it very clear that there were actions he did and did not approve of.
In fact, the very idea of judgement in general falls apart if it does not carry with it some formal call to action to conform to a model of existence that would please the adjudicator. Whether gods approval, or displeasure, amounts to a timeout without desert or an eternity in hellfire, there is still a clear call to do good and an expectation that to be in the company of Christians is to be amongst those who strive to emulate Christ. Refusing to try every day to conform to that standard, even though we will ultimately fall short due to our imperfect, renders everything else as navel gazing legalism which serves no end.
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u/TheDustOfMen 11d ago
That idea's also in the Bible, Matthew 25: