Sheep, Goats, and Snakes

Is it possible to have salvation and not be on mission with God?

Careful how you answer that!

Here are two contrasting (and shocking) parables from Jesus that help me understand the relationship between mission, belief, and salvation.

Sheep and Goats

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a story about the coming kingdom of heaven. He says that when He is on his throne, He will be like a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and welcome them into His kingdom. He will put the goats on his left and send them into eternal fire.

When the sheep ask "why am I a sheep?", and the goats ask "why am I a goat?", Jesus tells them it is because of what they had done to the 'least of these'. HE JUDGES THEM BY WHAT THEY DID. (Gulp!) If they had joined his mission of loving the 'least of these' (the poor, lost, and oppressed), they were in. If not, they were out.

You must join God's mission to enter into His kingdom! This is truth number one. (Notice, this does not at all negate the idea of grace - grace is still necessary. Just because you joined His mission doesn't mean you deserve to enter his kingdom; it just means you get to enter. You enter by grace.)

Snakes

In John 3:14-15, right before the famous John 3:16 verse, Jesus references an event from the time of Moses. In that time, the people of Israel had a snake problem. They were being bitten by poisonous snakes and dying. Eventually, the Israelites confessed their sin and Moses prayed for them. In response, God directed Moses to create a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. From that point on, if anyone was bitten by a snake, they could look at the pole, and live.

In verse 15, Jesus says that in the same way the bronze snake was lifted up, he must be lifted up so that all who believe in him will have eternal life. HE JUDGES THEM BY WHAT THEY BELIEVE. If people believe in him for salvation, they are in. If they don't, they are not.

You must believe in Jesus to enter His Kingdom. This is truth number two. (Notice, this also does not at all negate the idea of grace. Just because you believe in Him doesn't mean you deserve to enter his kingdom; it just means you get to enter. You enter by grace.)

Putting the sheep, goats, and snakes together

Truth #1 - You must join the mission of Jesus to enter His Kingdom.
Truth #2 - You must believe in Jesus to enter His Kingdom.

So which one is it? It is both! They are not opposed. True belief coincides with mission. True mission coincides with belief. They go together.

Jesus puts the truths together for us

For those of you who don't agree with Truth #1 (mission is required for salvation), look at Jesus words in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

For those of you who don't think you need Truth #2 (belief is required for salvation), look at Jesus words in Matthew 7:22, "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons, and perform miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers!' "

If you didn't notice, the two verses above are in sequence (Matthew 7:21-22). Jesus ties it together for us! We need both mission and belief to obtain salvation by grace.

Do you agree?