After I left the Catholic church, I went to a church where the pastor said he wanted to hear the Lord Jesus say to him, well done good and faithful servant, as found in Mt. 25:21,23. What a wonderful goal to aim for, but all will NOT hear those words! Those words are uniquely reserved for the good and faithful servants of God. That means if you are not a good and faithful servant of God, you will never hear those words! It is that simple. There is no universal salvation and God is NOT automatically pleased with all who get saved as we have been often told. Some will hear the following angry and wrathful words from Jesus, “You wicked, lazy servant” (Mat 25:26)! That is the real Lord Jesus of the Bible, the one who is the judge of the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1). He is an impartial judge, one who won’t be bribed.
Good and Faithful Servant vs. Wicked Lazy Worthless Servant
The difference between the two types in Jesus’ teaching is very simple. The ones who hear well done good and faithful servant brought forth gain as good and faithful servants of God do. They produced good fruit. The one who heard you wicked, lazy servant didn’t gain anything for the master! He hid his talent. He didn’t even leave it with the bankers to get interest on it! He was wicked and lazy! He brought forth NO fruit – NO gain with his talent and his master got so angry at him that he was thrown into outer darkness. After Jesus took his talent back from him, Jesus speaks these stirring words about him:
And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Mat 25:30)
NOTE: That wicked, lazy and worthless servant didn’t go to the same destiny afterwards as the ones who hear well done good and faithful servant. The good and faithful servant who brings forth gain was put in charge of many things and told come and share your master’s happiness (Mat 25:23). The other one went to outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. To try to save the heretical doctrine of once saved always saved, Charles Stanley says the person of Mat 25:30 who experiences weeping and gnashing of teeth in outer darkness does that in heaven! My Bible shows it is in the fiery furnace:
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Mat 13:41,42)
This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Mat 13:49,50)
The ONLY WAY you will hear from Jesus well done good and faithful servant is to bring forth gain. The only other possibility is to incur his anger and wrath. Scripture teaches it’s fruit or fire. Which of the two types of people can you identify with? BTW, for all in our day who are like that wicked lazy servant, one of the last things such a person needs to be told is Jesus loves you because it won’t help him change! Fruit or fire is much better.