Status-Quo Christians — Mt. 25.24

In the Savior’s Parable of the Talents, the master commends the servants who kept working faithfully for him. They proved dependable on an ongoing basis (Mt. 25:21, 23; see “An Ongoing Faith”). The Lord told them:

“You kept being (imperfect tense) faithful over a few things; I will appoint you over many things…”

By contrast, the third servant — who received one talent — failed to increase his master’s capital. Instead of putting the money to work, he chose to preserve the coins by hiding them “in the ground” (v. 25).

This servant made no attempt at growth. Unlike the ever-growing disciples, he remained in a status-quo condition.

Consider a few key observations from this passage.

What Is A Talent?

“Talent” is a transliteration of the Greek word talanta.

The term does not denote a person’s skill or ability. Jesus makes this distinction clear when he notes that the “talents” are distributed “according to each one’s ability” (Mt. 25.15).

Rather, a “talent” was a weight of coinage (approximately seventy-five pounds) that marked an enormous sum of money, similar to the way we use the word “bushel.” In first-century terms, a “talent” equaled roughly 6,000 denarii — about 16 years’ wages for an average worker.

Jesus uses this bushel of money to represent everything the Lord entrusts to his servants for use in his service. The enormity of the endowment emphasizes how valuable the master’s mission is.

The parable teaches this: Jesus expects his resources to be put to work (v. 16), not merely preserved. Since each servant’s natural skills determines the amount entrusted, every disciple is expected to use their ability to increase the master’s talents. Faithfulness is measured not by how much one receives, but by how much one grows.

Taken together, the talent represents the total stewardship a disciple receives from the Lord, including:

—opportunities for benevolent service,


—spiritual privileges like prayer, fellowship, and time to repent,


—responsibilities within the kingdom,


—taking time to study the word of God,

—and the capacity to influence others for the Master’s interests.

In short, the talent symbolizes divinely entrusted resources and responsibilities that demand faithful, active use. Sadly, the one-talent servant did not increase his master’s endowment one wit and was condemned because of it.

Let’s apply this lesson to our own lives.

Personal Growth

First, Christians are expected to grow spiritually (2 Pt. 1.5-8; 3.18). But some Christians remain status-quo. They let opportunities to grow pass them by.

For example, when a Christian is given an opportunity to serve in the church — to lead singing, offer a prayer, teach a class, preach a sermon, help prepare the bulletin, etc. — the one-talent disciple will persistently decline.

Sure, we all have different abilities, and no one is expected to do everything. But all of us are expected to do something.

Usually, fear is the reason for this stagnation. The one-talent disciple explained that he “buried” his master’s bushel of money because he “was afraid” (v. 25). One-talent disciples are afraid of slipping up. So they tell themselves it’s better to stay the same than to risk doing something they’ve never done before. Fear, left unchecked, cripples faith.

The lesson is this: If the lord puts an opportunity to serve in your path, even if you’ve never served in that way before, faith says: I may slip up, but with practice, I will grow and do better.

What does a one-talent disciple look like? They are the sort who fail to pray regularly; they attend church infrequently; they pass on doing good works in their community; they study the Bible rarely; and they neglect to share Christ with others. This is precisely what burying the lord’s talent in the ground looks like today.

In short, the ever-dependable servant takes risks, putting himself “out there” for his lord’s honor. The ever-the-same servant is afraid to take risks — and ironically guarantees failure by fearing failure itself.

Remember this: Once a talent is buried in the ground, it may never again be found. Therefore, say yes when opportunities to serve the lord present themselves, no matter the risk. Don’t leave growth to others!

The Possibility of Apostasy

Second, the parable also underscores a sobering truth: apostasy is possible.

Because of his unprofitable inactivity, the master called the one-talent servant “wicked and lazy” (v. 26) and “cast” him “into the outer darkness” (v. 30).

This man was not an outsider. He was one of the master’s “own servants” (v. 14). He had received his lord’s wealth and privileges (v. 15). Yet he ended up condemned — not because he lacked ability, but because he failed to grow. A faith that never moves forward is in danger of being lost.

Sadly, many sincere religious folk are confused on this matter. Several Bible passages emphasize the security of the believer (Jn. 10:27–29; 1 Jn. 5:11–13; Phil. 1:6; 2 Tim. 1:12; 2 Pt. 1:10–11). These statements are meant to give assurance to those who continue to follow Christ. However, they do not teach unconditional security.

On the contrary, the Bible teaches the conditional impossibility of apostasy. If a believer remains faithful to God’s grace, our eternal salvation is irrevocably secure. Nothing can snatch the faithful from God’s hand. Christians are secure so long as they continue walking faithfully — putting their “hand to the plow” and refusing to look back (Lk. 9.62). As Peter wrote, we make our “calling and election sure” if we grow in faith and virtue (2 Pt. 1.5-10).

But Scripture does not teach that salvation is guaranteed regardless of one’s conduct. The one-talent servant learned this too late. He had work to do, which he failed to perform. Hence, though he once stood in a saved relationship — having been entrusted with his master’s wealth and privileges — yet he ended up lost.

Jesus expressed it plainly:

“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away” (Jn. 15.2).

A disciple may be “in Christ,” like a branch in a tree trunk. But if that disciple has become spiritually dead, bearing no spiritual fruit, the lord’s only recourse will be to cut off that branch entirely and “throw” it “into the fire” (Jn. 15.6).

In short, we can make our salvation secure, but only by bearing fruit. Without growth, apostasy becomes a real possibility. The warning is not theoretical; it is personal. And if we aren’t careful, we who are saved may end up “cast…into the outer darkness.”

Church Growth

Finally, this lesson applies not only to individuals, but to congregations as well.

Some churches, like the one-talent servant, bury the Lord’s wealth in several ways:

Intellectual Stagnation

Some insist on sticking to the basics of the faith only, never stretching their minds to ponder the richer matters of God’s word (Heb. 5.12-14).

Leadership Neglect

Some work diligently to fortify the building’s walls, while leaving the spiritual structure — the character and leadership of its members — unfinished. The same few individuals do all the work, while potential leaders remain untrained and unused.

Maintenance Mentality

Some churches focus solely on retaining current membership rather than engaging the community. Outreach — both benevolent and evangelistic — is either too expensive, too risky, or too laborious.

Without outreach, growth stalls — and decline inevitably follows. The early church grew because it spoke (Acts 8.4). Silence often signals fear.

Financial Hoarding

When a church accumulates resources but hesitates to invest them in mission work, benevolence, training, or evangelism, they are burying the lord’s "talents" in the most literal sense.

When fear of change, failure, or criticism outweighs trust in God’s plan, a congregation settles into mere maintenance rather than meaningful work. The goal becomes preserving what exists instead of multiplying what has been given.

But the lord did not entrust his resources to be hidden, protected, or merely admired. He expects faithful effort, initiative, and visible fruit. Churches that make no attempts at growth (whether spiritually or numerically) risk becoming status-quo entities, content to survive rather than striving to serve the master’s interests.

Conclusion

The faith that pleases the Master is not static. It is active, courageous, and productive.

May we never be content to bury what Heaven has entrusted to us.