Judgment by deeds - judgment by grace?

Olli-Pekka Ylisuutari · November 2023

Hello, fellow logosians! Long time no see!

(I´ve escorted and buried both of my parents during the two and a half years I´ve been mostly absent from Logos forums).

In just two weeks the Church Year comes to an end, with Christ the King Sunday. The gospel is about the Last Judgment or the Final Judgment (Matthew 25: 31-46), a hard text indeed.

Why hard?

In the aforementioned Gospel judgment is based on works of charity either done by the sheep or left undone by the goats. What about being saved only by grace, only by faith, only because of Christ – not because of our doings or merits? So hard for us Lutherans or protestants. (This is posted on the Lutheran subforum).

I did some search in Logos, with this seeming contradiction – at a first glance – in my mind. Here´s what I came up with:

While explaining the verse Matthew 6: 3 about alms giving, Charles Chaeffer writes: The sense is: Make no display of thy good works, and indulge as little in spiritual pride, as if thou didst not thyself know that thou hadst done them. The most zealous Christian is still an unprofitable servant (Luke 17:10). Such unconsciousness of personal merit is illustrated in Matthew 25:37.

Says R. C. H. Lenski: “The astonished questions of the righteous are the best evidence as to how far their thoughts are from any idea of merit on their part.”

Here´s a song I made about this Gospel:

[View:https://youtu.be/bU0QKzpP1H4:550:0]

I ask in the lyrics:

None of them knows: they were hosts!
How can we, then, brag or boast
with our deeds, our doings or our merits?
All of them then ask in awe and wonder:
”Lord, when did we help you?” or “we blundered?”
“When did we accomplish this?”
or: “Our chance, when did we miss?”
How can we then boast about our doings?

So my question: Any other good resource suggestions from a Lutheran (or reformed) perspective, all the churches, that hold on to the three solas: sola fide, sola gratia, sola propter Christum, as to the relationship between works and grace - especially in this particular bible passage? Thanks in advance!

DMB · November 2023

Olli-Pekka Ylisuutari said:
(I´ve escorted and buried both of my parents during the two and a half years I´ve been mostly absent from Logos forums).

Welcome back, Olli-Pekka! We missed you. Losing both parents could not have been easy. Hope you're ok.

Olli-Pekka Ylisuutari · November 2023

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1277745#Comment_1277745

DMB said:

Welcome back, Olli-Pekka! We missed you. Losing both parents could not have been easy. Hope you're ok.

Thank you for your kind words, Denise! Yeah, not the easiest two years in my life, but fortunately the death processes are now dealt with, as much as one can say such a thing. At least I´ve traversed the hardest parts, with living through the diseases, hospices, deaths, funerals and everything bureaucratic and administerial after that. Of course, the grief and longing remains, but they change form, and a lot of gratitude has come to the surface.

Greg Dement · November 2023

Hey Olli, I believe Bates is reformed, I have not read this but plan to, seems it caused a stir but stimulates thoughts:
https://www.logos.com/product/192249/gospel-allegiance-what-faith-in-jesus-misses-for-salvation-in-christ

Olli-Pekka Ylisuutari · November 2023

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1277829#Comment_1277829

Greg Dement said:

Hey Olli, I believe Bates is reformed, I have not read this but plan to, seems it caused a stir but stimulates thoughts: https://www.logos.com/product/192249/gospel-allegiance-what-faith-in-jesus-misses-for-salvation-in-christ

Thank you!

Haven´t personally read any books by Matthew Bates, so can´t comment on his book, at all. My Logos searches on his name came up mostly with Pauline Theology, and the current disputes regarding the New Pauline Perspective (NPP), especially regarding on how to translate the verb πιστεύω, pisteuoo, to believe or to trust (or as Bates puts it: to give allegiance to).

Before jumping onboard and purchasing Bates´ book, do you have any idea, whether he has something on this passage (Matthew 25: 31-46) directly, besides allegiance to the King?

As I read the pericope, the word (or verb) πιστεύω, pisteuoo isn´t in it at all. Ironical that I was the one bringing it up; but yeah, we do tend to read Matthew, and the rest of the Bible, through our interpretation of st. Paul! [:$]

The closest thing is an association, when the words οἱ δίκαιοι, hoi dikaioi, “the righteous” is in verse 37. Of this term οἱ δίκαιοι, hoi dikaioi, “the righteous”, the Lutheran scholar Lenski writes: “The entire doctrine of justification by faith through the atoning merits of Christ is contained in οἱ δίκαιοι.”

But that´s Lenski, and his method of doing theology differs a bit from the modern or postmodern one…

Greg Dement · November 2023

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1277835#Comment_1277835

Olli, this was simply a case of having just read an article about the book and the timing of your request. I do not endorse or oppose the book as I have not read the book or anything by him, it just seemed to overlap the topic of your request.

Olli-Pekka Ylisuutari · November 2023

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1277913#Comment_1277913

Hi,

No harm in asking. Thanks anyway! [:D]

Judgment by deeds - judgment by grace?

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