Salvation Assured HARD TO BE SAVED
Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matt. 7:14.
We have talked about the difficulty of being lost and how that the road downward is not a slippery, wide road with no obstructions. We noticed that God, through certain mighty agencies, has made it just as hard as possible for a person to be lost. But lest someone should get the impression that it is easy to be saved, we also need to consider how hard it is to be saved. Our text today has focused on Jesus' words concerning this. It is a narrow way, and a straight gate, that leads to life. How could it possibly be hard to be saved, if God is working so intently for the salvation of each one of us? How can it be true that only a few are going to find eternal life?
There are several texts that suggests that God is interested in everyone's being saved. John 3:17: "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." It includes the whole world. First Timothy 2:4 reminds us that God would have all men to be saved. In Acts 2:21 there is a passage quoted from the Old Testament: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." And then, in the last book of the Bible, Revelation 22:17, it says that "whosoever will" may come. God is not in the business of trying to see how many He can keep out of heaven; He is trying to see how many He can get into heaven.
Now that doesn't sound as though it's going to be hard to be saved, unless it is hard to come to the Lord. If we come, He will give us rest. If we take His yoke, it's easy. So is it easy to be saved? Or is it hard to be saved? We could swing back and forth for a long time on that question. I would like to propose that if we come to Jesus, and continue coming to Jesus, it is easy. What makes it hard to be saved is not coming to Jesus and not continuing to come to Jesus for salvation. The thing that makes it so difficult and frustrating is that we continually find it hard to keep coming to Jesus. It is a fight to do this. But the Bible calls it a good fight, the good fight of faith.
Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matt. 7:14.
We have talked about the difficulty of being lost and how that the road downward is not a slippery, wide road with no obstructions. We noticed that God, through certain mighty agencies, has made it just as hard as possible for a person to be lost. But lest someone should get the impression that it is easy to be saved, we also need to consider how hard it is to be saved. Our text today has focused on Jesus' words concerning this. It is a narrow way, and a straight gate, that leads to life. How could it possibly be hard to be saved, if God is working so intently for the salvation of each one of us? How can it be true that only a few are going to find eternal life?
There are several texts that suggests that God is interested in everyone's being saved. John 3:17: "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." It includes the whole world. First Timothy 2:4 reminds us that God would have all men to be saved. In Acts 2:21 there is a passage quoted from the Old Testament: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." And then, in the last book of the Bible, Revelation 22:17, it says that "whosoever will" may come. God is not in the business of trying to see how many He can keep out of heaven; He is trying to see how many He can get into heaven.
Now that doesn't sound as though it's going to be hard to be saved, unless it is hard to come to the Lord. If we come, He will give us rest. If we take His yoke, it's easy. So is it easy to be saved? Or is it hard to be saved? We could swing back and forth for a long time on that question. I would like to propose that if we come to Jesus, and continue coming to Jesus, it is easy. What makes it hard to be saved is not coming to Jesus and not continuing to come to Jesus for salvation. The thing that makes it so difficult and frustrating is that we continually find it hard to keep coming to Jesus. It is a fight to do this. But the Bible calls it a good fight, the good fight of faith.
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