At the beginning of [the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25] the sheep and the goats are separated by what they are, and only Christ can take a goat and turn that person into a sheep. We don't have the ability to change ourselves from goats into sheep, and the transformation takes place when Christ gives us faith through the proclamation of the Gospel. So salvation is a gift from beginning to end. The sheep aren't even aware of the good works that they have done.
— Chris Rosebrough
