We are now entering the one time of year in our world that is focused on being generous, giving back, and serving our neighbors. Bell ringers at stores, social media posts of friends serving meals at soup kitchens, and mailouts requesting donations during the “season of giving” are everywhere. Good works seem to be very visible this time of year.
The culture of the season of giving isn’t a bad thing. It’s great to see people be generous and show extra love and care this time of year. But it generally focuses on what you do. What big event did you help with? How many people did you reach? How much money did you give?
These things shouldn’t be the focus for Christians. Christians serve our neighbors for a different reason—a reason that has everything to do with Jesus and what He has done for us. Christians can sometimes get too caught up in what we do to serve our neighbor. But God’s Word reminds us that no matter what you do, it’s the why that matters.
Sheepish Service
There’s a very curious line in the parable of the sheep and the goats that relates to this. Jesus here is speaking to the sheep, the ones who have received His free gift of salvation. He welcomes them into His kingdom and then talks about the good works they did for Him. And they are confused.
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?” 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 25:37–40)
This passage is often used to say, “God wants Christians to do these things.” (Or if it’s really bad theology, “As Christians, we should do these things to earn salvation.”) Well, first of all, we know that good works can never earn us salvation. That is 100% a gift from God, earned for us on the cross of Jesus, given to us by faith through the Spirit in Word and water.
But like water, good works do flow freely from our salvation. That’s the whole point.
The sheep here were totally ignorant of their good works. They weren’t boastful, they hadn’t been keeping track, and they didn’t even realize they were serving Jesus. That’s because serving their neighbor was so much a part of who they were that they didn’t think their good works were particularly noteworthy. They didn’t think that when they did these simple acts of love they were actually serving and glorifying Jesus.
We Are the Sheep
The parable of the sheep and the goats reminds us why we serve, give, and love on a daily basis. It is because we are the sheep, the redeemed children of God, made righteous solely by the blood of Jesus. We have been given His Spirit, who moves us to serve others. Why? Not because it earns us special favors from God. Not because we feel like we should do something nice this time of year. Not because our donation gives us a tax break. No, we do good works because we belong to Jesus. It’s who we are.
We serve God when we serve others. We point others to Him. We show them a picture of His love for them through our acts of care and compassion, both big and small. We won’t do this perfectly. In fact, we confess every week in church that we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. But because of the forgiveness we have in Jesus, we do the good works that He calls us to do with faith, hope, and love—all year long.
Scripture: ESV®.
Download this month’s Everyday Faith Calendar, which focuses on faith and good works. You will find short Bible readings and prayer prompts for each day.
