The plan of salvation is clearly laid out in the scripture. If we want to gain entry into the kingdom of God we must repent, be baptized, and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. That is the very message that Peter delivered on the day of Pentecost when he was asked what must be done to be saved.
Acts 2:37–38 (ESV)
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
At times we emphasis this over everything else God has called us to do inside the Apostolic church. Which is good to a point because it is what we must do to receive salvation. But too often we treat it as though after these things are done someone is good, as long as they don’t return to sin.
Outside of the plan of salvation we often emphasize other things we are instructed to do in scripture. Like reading scripture, praying, attending church, tithing, and so on.
All of this is important to our faith and plays a major role in if we are saved or not. But there is still so much more that Christians are expected to do in order to be welcomed into Heaven.
Jesus makes this abundantly clear in one of his final parables. In which we are told that on the day of Judgment one group people will be separated into two groups. One referred to as goats and another as sheep.
Matthew 25:31–33 (ESV)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
The sheep are welcomed into the kingdom of Heaven. It’s not pointed out that they have received salvation because of baptism or church attendance. But that they took care of their Lord when he was found to be in certain circumstances.
Matthew 25:34–36 (ESV)
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 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.’
But here’s the thing, this group of people doesn’t remember ever seeing the Lord in those circumstances. Because they didn’t but they did encounter others in those circumstances and did not just walk by. Instead, they took the time to share the love and compassion of the Lord with them. Which is what gained them entrance to heaven.
Matthew 25:37–40 (ESV)
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.’
The goats encountered the very same people and did not take care of them. They did not share the love of their Lord with the rest of society and in turn, were not welcomed into the kingdom. Even though they knew and claimed to serve the Lord.
Matthew 25:41 (ESV)
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matthew 25:45–46 (ESV)
45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
In this parable, Jesus paints a very clear picture. Those who meet others in their time of need and care for them are actually caring for Him. But those who ignore those in need are actually ignoring Him. No matter who they are or what their need may be resulting from.
What’s also is apparent is that how we interact with those around us has a direct impact on our salvation. Just like those shown in the parable, if we don’t try to meet the needs of others we will not be welcomed into Heaven. No matter what else we have done along the way. It will be counted as void if we didn’t take the time to extend the same love God has extended to us to others.
This comes down to how Christians are supposed to respond to the love that comes from life-saving faith in God. Every believer is supposed to extend love because God first loved them. Not only that but we know from other passages of scripture that God expects His people to care for others.
1 John 4:19–21 (ESV)
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1 John 3:17–18 (ESV)
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Matthew 5:42 (ESV)
42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Proverbs 14:21 (ESV)
21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,
but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
There is more to salvation than the things we often hold in such high esteem in the church. While they are all important we must understand that God has multiple expectations for His people and one of those is to take care of people in need. If we are unwilling to do so we cannot expect to receive the reward of Heaven. Instead, we will meet the same fate as the goats and be cursed to hell.
So start cultivating a servant’s mindset today and look for ways to help those in need around you. Don’t live your life focused on only your needs but ensure your salvation but helping others in any way you can. It does not take a huge gesture to serve someone. Look at what is mentioned in the parable. It is the small things that make a big impact. A bit of food and drink or even just the sacrifice of a little time.
Do whatever it is you can do to the glory of God and put someone else’s need first. This may not be the popular thing to talk about today. It’s not about miracles or healing but it is the truth directly from scripture. The truth that will determine if your salvation is true and if you will end up in Heaven or Hell.
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