Everyone who has will be given more

Faith Q&A › Many Years with People's Questions › Part III

The question

What is the meaning of the verse: " 'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. " (Matt. 25:29) What does it mean that one does not have yet it will be taken from him?

The answer

It means that to anyone who has faith, and a love for doing good work, or to anyone who does good, God will give a blessing, in order to increase that person's faith or good works, or both.

But anyone who does not have faith, and whose actions are carried out without faith, will have those actions taken away from him, and they will have no value because they were not done in faith.

The same goes for a person who doesn't do good works, and whose faith is without works, to which one could apply the

words: "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (James 2:17) This 'dead' faith will be taken away from that person. This faith which is just in name, or just something intellectual, or formal, will be taken away from him.

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Thrice-Blessed Pope Shenouda III of Blessed Memory

Thrice-Blessed Pope Shenouda III of Blessed Memory, Many Years with People's Questions, Part III: Spiritual and General Questions. Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. Translated by Mrs. Glynis Younan, London. Revised by Mrs. Wedad Abbas. Second edition. Revised COEPA 1997. ISBN 977-00-2738-3.