Matt 25 is about physical food and clothes...you are giving spiritual food to those who know where to get it ...they are the brethren..[SUP]40 [/SUP]And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of
the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
a Christian fulfilling physical needs does not mean you do not ,cannot or ought not to fulfil spiritual needs..and vice versa
Galatians 6:10
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are
of the
household of faith.
what would the hungry and naked do with your preaching...when all they hear and feel are hunger pangs in their belly and the bite of coldness on their bodies?????
1Cor 2:14 tells us that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit. The spiritual understanding will be considered foolishness to them.
I don't know where your at, whether a young Christian still learning, or a legalist who denies God through works. Hopefully your not a legalist.
As I said before, even the non-believers help the physically needy. That is no different to the physical help Christians offer. But what separates Christians from them is that we also preach the gospel to the lost, who are the SPIRTUALLY needy (spiritually hungry, thirsty, sick, in prison, naked and strangers).
BTW, "brethren" in Matt 25 does not imply just helping needy Christians only, as you seem to suggest.
Remember that God loves the world and wants all to be saved (John 3:16, 1Tim 2:4-6).
Consider also how in Acts 2:22,29,37 and Acts 3:13-17 Peter calls the non-believing Jews who crucified Jesus, brethren, calling upon them to repent of their dead works and be saved.
Regarding your point that we should not be preaching the gospel to the physically hungry and physically naked, that makes no sense. Why can't you do both?
Below I have quoted my earlier post showing from scripture who are the SPIRITUALLY needy.
Matt 25:31-46 is spiritual.
Who are the hungry and thirsty?
It's the lost, the spiritually hungry and thirsty who lack Christ, our spiritual food and drink.
1Cor 10:3,4
all ate the same spiritual food,4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ
And who is the stranger?
It's the lost, who are spiritual strangers from the covenants of promise and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.
Eph 2:12
that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Eph 2:19
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Who are the naked?
It's the lost, who are spiritually naked lacking the robes of righteousness and the garment of salvation.
Isa 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
Who are the sick?
It's the lost, who are spiritually sick.
Isa 1:5,6
Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
Who are those in prison?
It's the lost, those in spiritual prison.
Isa 61:1
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Christians (the sheep) let their light (Christ in us) shine (Matt 5:16) in that we preach the gospel to believe on Jesus, to the spiritually hungry, thirsty, naked, strangers sick and in prison.
But the goats do not preach the gospel. They instead preach works of the law or else a mix of works of the law, with grace. We cannot mix works of the law, with grace.
Rom 11:6
And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Do you deny that Jesus is spiritual food and drink?
Do you deny that the lost are strangers from the covenants of promise and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel?
Do you deny that the lost are spiritually naked being that they lack the robes of righteousness, the garment of salvation.
Do you deny that the lost are spiritually, sick and in spiritual prison?