The Parable of the Final Judgement

In this parable Jesus gives us the amazing idea that whatever we do to help people in need, we do for Jesus, Himself! Conversely, when we fail to help those in need, we also fail in our duty to Jesus.

Jesus makes it crystal clear that unselfish acts of charity are a requirement for salvation. Works of kindness for anyone in need are the true evidence of our faith.

Some Christians feel uneasy about this parable because they have been taught that salvation is by faith alone, not by good works. As a result, there have been a number of alternate interpretations proposed which restrict the meaning of "all the nations" or "the least of these brothers and sisters of mine" such that there is no requirement to help anyone alive today. The doctrine of salvation by faith alone originated with Martin Luther (1483-1546), a Catholic monk and professor of Scripture at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. Luther taught that we can be justified (made acceptable to God) only by faith.

But Luther did not deny the importance of good works. He wrote, "For grace and faith are infused apart from our work, and when they are infused, then the works follow." In other words, when one is saved by the grace of God, he or she will practice good works as a result of that transformation.

Most Christian churches of today, both Catholic and Protestant, believe that faith and good works are inseparable aspects of salvation. Many churches, following the lead of Luther, teach that salvation is by faith alone, but good works follow as the necessary result and evidence of that salvation.

In his commentary on this parable, Presbyterian pastor James Montgomery Boice writes,

So, there is no real conflict between mainstream Christian beliefs and the plain meaning of this parable. A person who has truly experienced God's saving grace will willingly, unselfishly and joyously do what he or she can to help others in need.

Different people have different amounts of wealth and different abilities to help others. It does not matter that some people do more that others. It does matter that we diligently do what we can (Luke 12:48).

Related Verse

 * Leviticus 19:9-10, 25:35
 * Deuteronomy 14:28-29
 * Deuteronomy 15:7-11
 * Isaiah 58:6-7
 * Psalms 41:1-3
 * Proverbs 11:25, 14:21, 19:17, 22:9, 28:27
 * Isaiah 58:10-11
 * Matthew 5:42, 6:1-4, 19:21
 * Luke 3:10-11, 6:38, 11:41, 12:33-34, 21:1-4
 * Acts 20:35
 * Romans 12:6-8
 * 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 13:1-13
 * 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
 * Galatians 2:10
 * 1 Timothy 5:16, 6:17-19
 * Hebrews 13:3, 13:16
 * James 1:27, 2:2-9, 2:15-16
 * 1 John 3:17-18