Matthew 25:35 Commentary and Bible Study

Christ will say, ‘You have proven yourselves to be those who love me, because when you saw me hungry, thirsty, without shelter, lacking clothing, sick, or falsely imprisoned, you came to my need and did what you could to help me.’The connection between this verse and the previous is fascinating. Christ has already told the heirs of salvation that their inheritance was individually prepared for them before the creation of the world, before they even existed or had done anything good or bad. If God at that time made the decision to bless them, then their works could not have formed the basis of his decision, for the order of events in time matters as Paul argues (Romans 9:11) and, whether or not God experiences time as we do, his previous decisions cannot be based on subsequent works. The only basis available at the foundation of the world must lie within God himself. They were chosen according to his eternal purpose in Christ Jesus and none of their works were taken into consideration. But if so, why does Christ seem to say that the cause of their blessing is their good works. ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom … for I was hungry and you gave Me food.’ It appears that the kingdom will be given to them as a result of kindness shown to fellow-believers. From a human perspective, we might say that these works were the reason why the saved received their reward, but in reality their salvation must be traced back to a more ultimate cause. It is true that without good works they would not have been placed at Christ’s right hand, but who caused them to do these good works? Can they take the final credit for them? No. Faith is not mentioned in this passage but it too follows from God’s election before the creation of the world. The good works named by Christ flow from faith, and must be understood as evidences that each one of them has been chosen by God. Nevertheless they do not flow automatically, in the sense that there is no effort involved. There is a struggle in the heart of every believer. By faith they must overcome the world, deny self, and follow Christ. The Lord does not treat this victory as if it were nothing, but he rewards the good works of his children. The ground of our salvation is Christ’s finished work on the cross, and the instrument by which we are justified is faith. However, because works will inevitably accompany true faith and because true love for Christ and sincere acts of obedience can only come from faith, it is sufficient to judge whether a man has faith by his good works. This judgment does not imply that those works have become the grounds of his salvation.The Lord himself is vindicated when he produces righteousness in our hearts, for without this the justification of sinners by faith is open to the charge that if we are saved by grace we may continue in sin and still be saved. The exhibition of the good works on the final day refutes this charge. There are no exceptions here; each one has some good works recorded against him, proving his true character.