I did, right here: "Even Christians will be judged on how they treated fellow believers."
No you didn't. What sets apart "fellow believers" from "they"? How on earth would one be judged while the other not? Treatment goes both ways, it's not based on socioeconomical status or something.
Please just answer the question.
You answer mine first. Don't ask me what you're guilty of.
They aren't rhetorical questions. They're serious questions that point out some serious holes in your understanding of the passage in question. Please answer them.
No, those are all rhetorical questions irrelevant to the passage in Matt. 25, none of those is mentioned in the text, you added them in, you put on the load.
On the fact that "My Brethren the least of these" is not being judged, only the sheep and goats are. Show me any evidence that "my brethren" is lumped into either of these groups.
Yes, that is exactly my point. Those who merely profess to be Christians (cf. Matt 7:21-23), but do nothing to prepare for the Lord's coming, that is, they show no interest in him and being obedient to him until he actually appears, when it is too late, clearly are not true believers.
However, I suppose if a person actually believes that salvation is by works, then they believe Christians can lose their salvation by not doing works. That's a very low and unbiblical view of God's saving grace.
Then what does it mean in Rom. 2:5-6, 1 Cor. 3:14-15 and Rev. 20:12? Just to clarify, salvation is NOT by works, you can't earn your salvation, but blessings and rewards are surely based on work, salvation is just the start, it's the seed of gospel in the parable of the sower. There're four types of soils, and the "works" in these verses are referring to the harvest in the last one, the fertile soil, the only type in which the seed survives, sprouts, grows and yields, obviously it's the seed that leads to the harvest, not the harvest to the seed.
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one
according to his deeds."
If
anyone’s work which he has built on
it endures, he will receive a reward. If
anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is
the Book of Life. And the dead were judged
according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
First, how does that answer my question? Second, if you answer the questions I asked, we can sort this out, because the way you have worded things, intentional or not, you are pushing works-based salvation.
No I'm not, that's a false accusation. How about you read those verse above and tell me why they are worded this way.
Works are works, whether philanthropic, geared towards social welfare, or anything else.
And what's wrong with that? I said it many times, you work BECAUSE you're saved, not you work to be saved. I thought you're bright enough to know the difference.
First, you're implicitly teaching works-based salvation.
I'm teaching it as much as you're with your statement, "even Christians will be judged on how they treated fellow believers." And in the context of Matt. 25:31-46, this "treatment" is explicitly referring to philanthropic works for basic psysiological needs - food, drink, shelter, clothing, visitation, which you seem to disapprove.
Second, you again didn't answer my question: "Who says they are set apart?" You had asked, 'what sets “my brethren” apart from the sheep and goats?'. That is what I'm referring to--who says that the brethren are set apart from either of those two groups?
Again, show me any evidence how "my brethren" belongs to either group. Show me where did the Lord judge one "brethren" based on how he has treated another "brethren". Will he judge me based on how I've treated you? Or you based on how you've treated me? Who's the plantiff and who's the defendant?
Third, you also didn't answer my question, "Who are the sheep and who are the goats?". Put another way, who are sheep, as stated throughout the gospels?
See the Day of Atonement ritual where two goats are chosen, one blessed and sacrificed, the other carrying all sins of Israel and exiled into the wilderness. Except in this case the first one is an obedient sheep, not a stiffnecked goat.
