First things first: The image above is a tweet. The current limit on characters is 280 and while that can be useful one cannot fully express the balance of a lifetime of study in a couple of sentences. Benjamin Cremer is a Wesleyan pastor with multiple degrees including a Master’s in Theological Studies. To learn more about Rev. Cremer and his views read more tweets; and he also writes books. I want to use the tweet as a launching point to make a deep dive into what we understand from scripture about God’s judgement. My post of 600 to 800 words will still fall short of everything the Bible has to say.

Matthew 25:31-46 describes the judgement after Jesus’s return. It is Jesus speaking throughout this passage. He says to those on his right “I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink” Also they visited him in prison and clothed him when he was naked. They asked when they saw him hungry, thirsty, imprisoned or naked and he replied “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” To those on the left he says exactly the opposite: They did not feed him, give him drink, visit or clothe him. Their question is the same about when they saw him in any of those condition. And his answer is very similar only the opposite: Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. Then he identified which would go into eternal punishment and eternal reward.

That’s the part of Matthew 25 Rev. Benjamin Cremer is referring to. If you read all of Matthew 25 Jesus shares two parables first. Verses 1-13 is the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. When five virgins run out of oil for their lamps they ask to borrow from the five who brought extra. In their wisdom they said “No.” What about give to anyone who asks of you, or lend without thought of being repaid? What about doing unto others as we would have done unto us? Are they not acting without the compassion described in the second half of Matthew 25? The wise virgins explained if they shared from their reserve they might all run out of oil before the bridegroom returned; the parable was about watching and waiting for Jesus to return. He then tells the parable about using talents (resources) wisely before making his point about the judgement. The Bible does not contradict itself and we must take council from the full wisdom of the entire scripture. The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible and it will guide us in correct interpretation. You cannot take a single passage, lesson or paragraph and build an entire belief system on a single idea. I could go into great length about taking “Judge not lest you be judged” or “God is love” out of the biblical context.

There is more going on in Matthew 25 than the tweet suggests. “He (God) judges them based on their compassion towards vulnerable people.” The virgins without oil were not vulnerable, like someone starving in poverty or locked up in prison. They did not have enough oil because they planned poorly and without insight. But let’s look even deeper at the claim made. Does God judge people based on their compassion? Is he judging us based on our works? Yes… and no.

There will be two judgments. I have not read or listened enough to Rev. Cremer to know his thoughts on the final chapters of Revelation. But in our deep dive I want my readers to understand this: Salvation depends on whether or not the blood of Jesus has been applied. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Those names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. All those not found in the book will be cast into the lake of fire (described in Revelation 20). The judgement between salvation and damnation, between eternal punishment and eternal reward, is only based on one thing: are you a born again believer, the recipient of God’s grace given through faith in his Son Jesus? If you responded in faith to the Gospel then the answer is yes. Rest easy knowing that you do need have to – nor can you – do enough good works to earn your way into heaven.

There will be a judgement of our works but not to determine salvation. All our works will be tried by fire. Things done selfishly, willfully wrong (sin) will be burned up like straw. Those things done in God’s will, in compassion, to build the kingdom, considering others more important than one’s self (per Philippians 2) will be refined like gold is refined in fire. And for those things believers will be rewarded. One judgement is between the saved and unsaved; the other is only for believers that are not cast out and bears no condemnation but for some offers a greater reward. Consider 1 Corinthians 3 and that parable of the talents in Matthew 25. There will be a judgement between the righteous and unrighteous, and the righteous will be judged to determine their reward.