EDITORIAL: Stress test: Rereading Matthew 25

Baptists insist salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone. We've always acknowledged we can't earn redemption; it's a free gift of God.

Still, Jesus taught our actions matter, too. Temporal and eternal consequences—for others as well as ourselves—weigh in the balance. And we will be judged according to both what we do and what we fail to do.

Jesus explained this concept in a sermon often called The Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46). He promised heaven awaits the people who serve him by serving the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick and prisoners. Similarly, he threatened eternal fire for those who fail to minister to vulnerable people. In fact, he closely identified with the unfortunate, whom he called "the least." He said ministry to them is tantamount to ministry to him, and ignoring them is the same as ignoring him.

In this issue of the Standard, we take the "Matthew 25 Test." How well are churches feeding the hungry and thirsty, welcoming the strangers, clothing the naked, mending the sick and ministering to people in prison?

Editor Marv Knox

As you might imagine, we've got some compelling stories to tell. Jesus' command and Christian love are powerful motivators. You'll be encouraged, instructed and inspired by examples of Baptists who took Jesus' admonition to heart. Their hearts now beat to serve folks to whom life served up a double dose of disappointment. Before you're done reading, you may feel a lump in your throat, and tears may burn your eyes.

Don't consider yourself done when the lump dissolves and the tears dry. For every person or family you encounter in these pages, thousands stand in line behind them. For every ministry you discover, hundreds more are needed.

As followers of Christ, we must ask ourselves: What are the implications for fulfilling Jesus' command to minister to "the least" among us? The gap between our society's haves and have-nots grows with every passing month. We're seeing more families enter poverty. For the first time in American history, an entire generation is likely to be worse off than their parents. And we haven't even started talking about the poor, sick and hungry in other countries.

If churches were to take Jesus' commands for caring for disadvantaged people seriously, we would witness the greatest transformation in 2,000 years. In order to allocate our resources for serving others, we would change our priorities radically. That would mean fewer and less-well-appointed church buildings. It would mean smaller staffs and exponentially more volunteers. It would mean reorganizing our church calendars to reduce the time we gather in our buildings and increase the time we go into the community.

If Christians were to take Jesus' commands seriously, we would alter our lives as profoundly as we change our churches. We'd live on less and invest more in others. We'd relinquish our grip on our time and invest our lives in others.

We also would consider the stewardship of influence. We would seek justice from governments and corporations. We would promote policies that foster fairness. We would make sure children can get a good education.

These ideas represent significant shifts in the way we organize our churches and practice our faith. However, Jesus' teachings have not changed. The distance we must go to realign with them reflects the distance we have moved. This is painful to consider, but if we wish to hear God's "Well done," we must value what Jesus values.

Now, I realize some Baptists denigrate these ideas, calling them "Social Gospel." As a young reporter, one of my jobs was to monitor the salvation reports gathered by the Baptist Home Mission Board. Month by month, the missionaries who led the most people to faith in Jesus Christ were the "Christian social missions" staff, who first met the painful, personal needs of people who lived in hard places. Good news about here-and-now needs opened ears to hear the good news of eternal life.

Marv Knox is editor of the Baptist Standard. Visit his blog at www.baptiststandard.com.