Read Matt 25:31–46
Mat 25:34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels…45Then 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.’ (46) And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
You could look at this parable and think that salvation is a reward for doing good. You’d be wrong, but you could do that. The key to this parable is in verse thirty-four. The sheep are those who are blessed by the Father. Why are they blessed? Because they have an inheritance. They have an inheritance because they are children of the Heavenly Father. Their inheritance is the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.
The question you should be asking yourself then is how do I become and heir, someone blessed by the Father. St. Paul tells us, Tit 3:5-7 “…he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (6) whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, (7) so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” It is in baptism that we become children of God, where receive faith in Christ and the promised Holy Spirit. We must be born from above as Jesus tells us in John chapter three.
In faith, we humble ourselves like little children and are baptized into Christ. Jesus tells us, Mar 10:15 “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” So we are born into the kingdom not by our choice or will but the will of God. (John 1:13) As children of God, those blessed by the Father, we will be about doing the things Jesus commends the sheep for doing. Jesus says, Mat 18:4-5 “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (5) “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,..”
The goats on the other hand, do not humble themselves before God. They do not receive the kingdom as a gift. They do not bear fruits of the Spirit. While they may have outward good works that at times may surpass the good works of the saints in appearance, they are not God’s children through faith in Christ and baptism. They seek what they deserve and not the grace of God. For those who seek what they deserve from God they will get it. “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” What condemnation to receive that which was prepared to punish rebellious angels. God deliver us from that!
Lord Jesus Christ, grant us humble hearts that we may trust in your merits, receive holy baptism being joined to you there through the water and the word, be made purified, receiving the promised Holy Spirit that we may do the works you have given us to do and be found blessed by the Father on the day of your return. Amen.