Mat 16:27"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."
Luke 14:14"For thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."
(Rev 22:12)"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
1Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away."
The Goats are condemned , not because they did not work, but because that work was not done to the glory of God.. They did the works of the natural man..... they had never repented and believed..and scripture tells us that what is not of Faith IS SIN, so this was a sin judgement for the goats and a reward judgement for the sheep
The God pleasing works were not self serving works to earn or secure their salvation or for the approval of men ..They flowed out of the heart of Christ as works HE HAD ORDAINED for them before the foundation of the world
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
They were not sheep because they did the work that God had ordained for them, they did the work because they were the sheep.
Gal. 2:16: "[T]hat we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified
Hear Jesus teaching on salvation by works
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
The goats brought forth fruit..but it was not God pleasing work..
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
The goats could never do works pleasing to God no matter what they did
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
A judgement of works..... but that judgemen actually happened before the works, because they were not good "trees" to begin with (sheep)
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
So the works do not make one good..but they tell us the condition of the the relationship with God
Mat 7:21
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Christ NEVER knew them, they were never saved then lost.. HE NEVER knew them . They pleaded their case on works.. BUT their fruit was rotten to the core, because its roots were not in Christ
The God pleasing works were not self serving works to earn or secure their salvation or for the approval of men. They flowed out of the heart of Christ as works HE HAD ORDAINED for them before the foundation of the world
They were not sheep because they did the work that God had ordained for them, they did the work because they were the sheep
A judgment of works..... but that judgment actually happened before the works, because they were not good "trees" to begin with (sheep)
So the works do not make one good, but they tell us the condition of the the relationship with God.
Christ NEVER knew them, they were never saved then lost. HE NEVER knew them. They pleaded their case on works. BUT their fruit was rotten to the core, because its roots were not in Christ
AMEN, RnMom!!!! THAT is the Gospel of our salvation; the unmerited redemption we have been given by a merciful God through the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone.
May all Christians know the expansive joy your post points toward -- that we are loved not for anything we have done or bargained for or worked for or negotiated or were owed. Instead, God "named us" and "called us according to His purpose" and "loved us before we loved Him," "before we could do anything good or evil" -- for His glory and good pleasure and purposeful determination of all that exists.
Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified." -- Isaiah 60:20-21"Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Your first group of quotes tells us that in addition to salvation, there are rewards for particular virtues and they, too, come for our good works as well as for our faith. None of these denies that our salvation or condemnation is likewise judged by our works, as Mt. 25 clearly teaches.
The goats could never do works pleasing to God
The passage in Matthew 25 never says that. It simply compares the works of the goats and the works of the sheep. The goats are condemned and the sheep are saved. So, spin it all you want, the scriptural fact remains that both the sheep and the goats are judged by their works, salvation is the result of that judgment, and salvation happens at the end of the life's journey, not the beginning.