One of my web visitors asked me two important questions, which are both
related to works. ...
James 2:14 (King James Version), "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"
Can that kind of faith save a person?
Matthew 25:31-34, 41-46 (King James Version), "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ...
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
Why does Jesus require works to be saved in this Judgment of nation after the tribulation?
Here is my biblical explanation of these good questions...
Hey *****,
Here is a helpful explanation to your common question from James concerning, "faith without works is dead"...
http://www.jesusisprecious.org/getgodsgift/faith_without_works.htm
Regarding the judgment you spoke of in Matthew 25, the "righteous" always refers to born-again Christians who have been saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ; however, good works are often associated with the righteous in the Scriptures. The apostle Paul said in 1st Corinthians 16:22, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha." Loving Jesus is not a requirement to be saved, but to those who are saved Jesus is "precious" (1st Peter 2:7). A person does NOT have to do good works to be saved, but MOST Christians do perform good works because they are saved. Some believers are disobedient, worldly and fall by the wayside (Luke 8:13-14; 1st Corinthians 5:5). So, in general, doing good works is associated with Christians, but this does not mean such "works" are required to be saved.
If we look anywhere in this world today, the most helpful and loving people are often Christians. Granted, many unsaved religious people are sweet and kind. So the presence of works DOESN'T automatically mean that a person is righteous. Even criminals can do good works. The infamous gangster, Al Capone, operated free soup-kitchens during The Great Depression in Chicago, and gave out free clothing to the poor and needy, and the common people loved him. Capone made his tens-of-millions-of-dollars through booze, prostitution and gambling (all illegal activities back in the 1920's).Revelation 22:14, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Some ignorant Bible students wrongly assume that "do his commandments" refers to "works," but that is NOT what the Bible says at all. The Bible says to "do his commandments." So what has God commanded us to do to be saved? John 6:40, "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."
1st John 2:15-17, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." Again, carefully notice that the Bible does not say to do "works," but to do "the will of God," which is to BELIEVE.We must always focus on the Gospel of John when it comes to salvation, which according to John 20:31 is God's Gospel tract. John 20:31, "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." In fact, some people directly asked the Lord what "works" they must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered their important question in John 6:28-29, "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." The Holy Bible could not be any more plain regarding God's simple, easy and free plan of salvation, which is only TO BELIEVE.
Have a good day.
