35 “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 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.’ (Matthew 25:35–40 (ESV)
Today’s text ranks as one of the most familiar, and often quoted, portions of Scripture. It may also be one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted. For many churches and para-church ministries, Matthew 25:35-40 has become a clarion call for a social gospel or social justice.
The Social Gospel was/is “a religious social reform movement prominent in the United States from about 1870 to 1920. Advocates of the movement interpreted the kingdom of God as requiring social as well as individual salvation and sought the betterment of industrialized society through application of the biblical principles of charity and justice,” explains the Encyclopedia Britannica.
“The Social Gospel was especially promulgated among liberal Protestant ministers, including Washington Gladden and Lyman Abbott, and was shaped by the persuasive works of Charles Monroe Sheldon (In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? [1896]) and Walter Rauschenbusch (Christianity and the Social Crisis [1907]). Labor reforms—including the abolition of child labor, a shorter workweek, a living wage, and factory regulation—constituted the Social Gospel’s most prominent concerns. During the 1930s many of these ideals were realized through the rise of organized labor and the legislation of the New Deal by U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt.”
The Social Justice movement is similar in focus. It seeks to address current social desires. According to the Human Rights Careers website, social justice “is built on the pillars of human rights, equity, participation, and access. When a society is just, everyone is respected, supported, and protected.” No mention is made concerning an individual’s salvation by the One, True God the Scripture.
Some of the issues the social justice movement addresses include the gender pay gap, income inequality, climate change, food insecurity, the refugee crisis, universal healthcare, poverty, gender-based violence, state violence, threats to the trans-community, reproductive rights, and racism. The movement is an explicitly liberal, progressive and woke movement.
In northeast Indiana, one ministry bases it mission, vision and values on today’s text. Its mission statement says they are “a gospel-inspired healthcare center that provides high-quality medical, dental, vision, and mental health services at no charge to low-income, uninsured adults in Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio. We are supported solely by donations, grants, and foundations. Inspired by the Bible verses for which we are named, we offer hope to the most vulnerable in our community—treating them with compassion and dignity, regardless of background or beliefs.”
What the social gospel and the social justice movement has forgotten, set aside or is unaware is the Gospel. The biblical Gospel is primarily concerned with the salvation of the sinner, which then impacts the individual’s various social needs. In other words, humanity’s social requirements, or desires, must not obscure, or violate, the real reason for those social needs; the reality of sin in a fallen world and salvation from the penalty, power and eventual presence of sin by grace alone, through faith alone, and in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.
It should be noted what the culture calls social needs or justice is in several ways condoning sinful and unrighteous choices. The church must never compromise biblical ethics, which are based upon the biblical Gospel. .
“Christians have heard the account of the sheep and the goats used as an exhortation for the church to meet the needs of all the destitute. Certainly, we must care even for the needy who are not part of the covenant community. After all, the Mosaic Law encourages generosity toward strangers (Lev. 23:22), a principle not limited to the old covenant era (Luke 14:12–14). Not inappropriately, believers have served all mankind based on Matthew 25:31–46,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“However, Jesus in today’s passage is not dealing first and foremost with poor people in general. Instead, He is referring primarily to our care for other Christians. Since Christ identifies His disciples as His brothers elsewhere in Matthew (12:46–50), the story of the sheep and the goats concerns our treatment of other believers (see 25:40). John Calvin and other commentators recognize this point.”
“This does not mean that doing good to believers’ merits salvation. Jesus is merely teaching that “if anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar” (1 John 4:20). True love for the Savior begets love for all those united to Him by faith. Even if only in simple deeds, the sheep are to serve one another, especially the needy. Goats, though they dwell among God’s flock today, disregard the sheep and overlook their needs. Thus, they manifest hatred for the One to whom the sheep are united and deserve only a dreadful fate (Matt. 25:41–46),” concludes Dr. Sproul.
How may we serve the Lord Jesus Christ today as we serve the least of these; believers and non-believers? Have a God-honoring day.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 