Questioner,
I understand where you are coming from. However, I believe that many times we can over-analyze a parable. Jesus was talking to Jews who were already believers in God and following the Law of Moses. Under the Law of Moses, they were suppose to do good deeds. But many people were either not doing them or doing them for the wrong motivation. All Jesus was doing to correcting their misapplications of the Law. Jesus says that you must practice what you preach and have the right heart in doing so.

Again, Jesus was already talking to believers ... that is the constant. The variable is the actions of the believers. Not to mention, you are also dealing with a time variable as well. When Jesus said this, they were still under the Law of Moses at the time. But Paul's passage was well after the death, burial, and ressurection of Christ which ushered in the New Covenant ... See Hebrews 8.

If you take the context, the occasion, and who the readers are in each location, and the time-frame when they were said ... you will see that comparing these two passages is like comparing apples with oranges.

Maybe this will help.

Deist

>In the parable of the sheep and goats entry to Heaven and Hell depends solely on good works. Paul, on the other hand, says that salvation depends on faith only.

Please could some Bible Christian explain to me how this apparent contradiction is to be elucidated, while also believing that the Bible is inerrant.<

Paradigm shift, a change of heart.

Nations is the term "like sheep from the goats."

"Mat 25:32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
Mat 25:33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left."

The parables, more than one, from Mathew 24 thru Mathew 25 are about the same thing. Does a person relinquish his/her responsibility for doing good with their "talent" if they hand it over to a banker to take the widows home away for the sake of protecting their investment? Think about the paradigm involved. And then think about the paradigm involved in a drink, some food, some clothing if necessary, etc. Are these "works," or are they merely empathy in action. Can you love God if you don't love man and is "love" a "work?" Love is evident but is not a work, only evidence in something done and maybe you can call that a work on occassion, if you like, but maybe it is just "natural affection."

Bob

Email: MIMPOSSIBL@aol.com

Greetings!
First and foremost The bible intreprets itself.
when reading the parables remember to look up every scripture refered to in the bible.
remember the bible never contrsdicts itself.
it is not a parable about them going to heaven or hell.
look up the word hell and you will see that there are three meanings. one. the grave two a place of confinement and three a place where the goats would go to be burned up and become ashes under the souls of the Christian's feet.
no where in the bible does it say any one will ever go to heaven.
Don't believe me, believe your bible. and ask God to show you the truth and believe he will and he will.
Have a great day

Email: moms10loves@netzero.net