Part One

Earlier in Matthew 7:15, Jesus commanded and warned:  “Beware of false prophets.”  False prophets send their victims down the broad road that leads to destruction and away from the narrow road that leads to life eternal (Matthew 7:13-14).  The false teaching from false prophets varies, yet with the same goal of keeping their prey on the broad road.  One of these varieties is something called the “social gospel.”  Its proponents use the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25:31-46 as their proof text.

The part of the parable of Jesus in His Olivet Discourse in Matthew 25 most referred by social gospel advocates is verses 35-40.  Jesus again is teaching concerning the time right before He comes and sets up His kingdom.  He identifies those from the tribulation period who will enter His kingdom.  Entrance into His kingdom is a common theme all through Matthew, since Jesus presents Himself as King or Messiah.  Many places in the New Testament deal with this time on earth.

Salvation comes only by grace through faith.  Those Jews saved by grace through faith during the tribulation period before Jesus sets up His kingdom will exclusively manifest certain characteristic at that time.  One of those traits, a fruit of conversion, is their loyalty to other saved Jews.  This is akin to the Jerusalem church in Acts shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus.

No middle ground existed between Christian Jews in the first century Jerusalem church and their Jewish opposition there.  You were with the church or not with it and being with it meant rationing and sharing their physical belongings for mutual survival.  Non-participation marked unbelief.  The future tribulation period, the time of Jacob’s trouble, will show a similar demarcation between believing Jews and their alliance with the rest of the world against Christ.

Verses 35-40

The believing population when Jesus comes will have survived the tribulation, which engendered alarming needs.  Jesus mentions six of them:  hunger, thirst, alienation, exposure, sickness, and imprisonment.  Revelation 13 says that those who do not receive the mark of the Antichrist cannot buy or sell.  Believers are fugitives, running for their lives.  Helping them likely is illegal and punished severely.  Only believers will help believers.

The kingdom of Jesus Christ is for those who are with Christ.  It’s not for those who merely profess, “Lord, Lord,” and then don’t do what He says (Matthew 7:21-23).  It isn’t arbitrary.  If you are with Him, then you are in fact with Him.  When Jesus returns at the second coming, He will deliver those with Him, saving them from the tribulation persecution atrocities.

The care and supply of fellow believers in the tribulation is the care and supply of Jesus.  Jewish tribulation saints will have done it unto him when they did it unto these.  Those are the merciful who obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7).  They are also the pure in heart, because their conversion is real.  This isn’t an act with them, as seen in their loyalty and commitment to each other as unto Christ.

Social Action?

1 John 3:14-17

Jesus isn’t saying that they come into His kingdom because of their commitment to social action.  He is saying that what they did unto these, they did unto Him.  Commitment to Jesus Christ in the tribulation period will manifest itself in commitment to fellow persecuted believers.  1 John 3:14-17 reveal this truth, that the life, light, and love of God abides in those who love the brethren:

14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

John wrote his first epistle that believers might have complete assurance of their salvation (1 John 5:13).  One sure mark of true conversion among others is love for the brethren.  This isn’t seeing just anyone in need, but seeing “his brother in need” (verse 17).  This parallels with Matthew 25:35-40 and the Jerusalem church in Acts 2-5.  Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21).

Not Just Talk, But Action

Tribulation era saints will not shut up their bowels of compassion toward their brethren.  It is axiomatic.  Believers will love the brethren.  If they don’t, this reveals they are not one of the Lord’s own.

According to Matthew 7:21-22, belief is more than saying, “Lord, Lord.”  People might talk a good game, but those who know Him, will not just love in word, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18).  That is a true test of faith, not mere verbiage.

The Olivet Discourse and Jesus’ record of the judgment of nations in Matthew 25:31-46 doesn’t describe social work.  It isn’t about feeding and housing lost people.  It is truly about the care of believers, who very often suffer for righteousness’ sake.

Earlier Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 10:40:

He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

He also told them in His upper room discourse in John 15:18:

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

True believers standing with one another against the onslaught of the world is a mark of saving grace.  It is the fellowship of Jesus’ sufferings that Paul mentions in Philippians 3:10.  It is going with Jesus “outside the camp, bearing his reproach” in Hebrews 13:13.  Those believing in Him are joining that and will characteristically or habitually join that.  This is confessing Jesus before men (Matthew 10:32).

Thrill Seekers and the Lazy

In John 6, thrill seekers followed Jesus to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and He fed the multitude.  He told that gigantic crowd that He would not keep feeding them, so they all defected.  Everyone wanted a free meal, not Jesus Christ.  Jesus turned to His disciples and asked if they would also go away.  For the group, Peter said, No, you have the words of eternal life.

Jesus did not go running after those who defected.  He also didn’t fail because He didn’t keep feeding them.  His plan is not the temporal bread, but the eternal bread.  It isn’t social action.  Instead, Jesus said in John 12:8, “The poor always ye have with you.”

In fact, Paul warns against giving food to those who won’t work.  The provision of food for those in the future tribulation era is not giving food to homeless on the street.  Both Old and New Testaments teach a kind of quality control.  Paul represents this in 2 Thessalonians 3:10:

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

The Bible won’t contradict itself.  Social action, this feeding the unbelieving hungry day after day, does not jive with 2 Thessalonians 3:10.  In the end, preaching that God saves those who do the deeds of feeding and sheltering the homeless is preaching salvation by works.  Adding that as a requirement nullifies grace and makes someone a debtor then to do the whole law (Galatians 5:1-6).  It corrupts the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Even the law itself doesn’t manifest this program or represent this as a lifestyle.  It isn’t even a requirement of the law, let alone the gospel.

More to Come