Few Will Enter

[Cody2]

Isn't it weird how about everyone thinks they're saved? I can ask people, why do you think you're saved? They mostly reply, "because I believe". The Bible tells us even the devils believe in God. Anyone can say they believe in Jesus, but does that make them saved? No. If our salvation does not bring works, we are not truly saved.

James 2:17-19
17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." KJV

There are so many people that say a little prayer and then go out living just like they use to. If people do that, they are not saved. Why do I say that? Because Jesus makes us a new creature when we are saved. After we are saved we will change and our salvation will bring forth good works.

2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." KJV

I've seen people go to little kids and tell them to say a prayer and then tell them they're saved. So that little kid goes their whole life thinking they're saved and then when they doubt their salvation, what does the preacher say to them? He says, "Look in your Bible where you wrote the day you got saved and don't let the devil lie to you." Well I'm here to tell you that a date or believing in Jesus does not save you. I know someone is going to get mad when I say that, but the devils believe and they're not saved.

If you do not go your whole life striving to live by God's will, you're not saved. Yeah, we're going to sin, but we have the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Bible tells us Jesus will never leave nor forsake us. Some of you are probably saying, Jesus doesn't leave us, we leave Jesus. What kind of god do you believe in? If your god gave you a temporary Holy Spirit that just leads you for a week or a month, you're not believing the true gospel of Christ.

Ephesians 1:13
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise," KJV

Hebrews 13:5
"..I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." KJV

Saying a prayer will not save us. What saves us is putting our total trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and continually living by God's will. A true believer will always strive to live by God's will. To be saved we must truly believe and repent. Repent means to turn away from our sins. I'm not saying when we're saved we're going to live perfectly, but when we're saved we receive the Holy Spirit and we will be led by God.

John 10:3
"To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out." KJV

There will be some that say they believe in Jesus and they will do things to make other people think they're a true believer. The fact is, if that person does not strive to live by the Bible their whole life they're not saved, no matter what good work they do. If we do not continue to live by God's law, we are not saved.

Matthew 7:22
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" KJV

1 John 2:19
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." KJV

There are very few people that truly get saved. There will be few to be saved because not everyone will want to live on the narrow path that God has commanded us to live on. This is not my opinion, it is the Bible. So I plead with you today, trust the Lord Almighty and put your total trust in Him and nothing else. Repent of your sins and you will be saved. If you truly get saved you will receive the Holy Spirit and Jesus will never leave you nor will you ever turn you back on God completely.

Matthew 7:13-14
13 "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." KJV

Luke 13:23-24
23 "Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." KJV

God Bless you all. Your Brother in Christ, Cody

 

[Lacy Evans]

Cody, are you "truly" saved? How do you know?

 

[Cody2]

I know I'm saved because I gave my life to Jesus and believed that he died on the cross for my sins and rose on the third day. The conviction I get when I sin and just the feeling of the Holy Spirit lets me know my salvation is real.

Are you saved? and how do you know, Lacy?

 

[Brother Bob]

I know I'm saved because I gave my life to Jesus and believed that he died on the cross for my sins and rose on the third day. The conviction I get when I sin and just the feeling of the Holy Spirit lets me know my salvation is real.

Are you saved? and how do you know, Lacy?

You believe that you know right? I mean that is what you believe.

 

[J. Jump]

So Cody what's going to happen to you if you stop believing and stop living your life for Christ? Are you going to lose your salvation or is that going to prove that you really were never saved in the first place? I mean because you "know" you are saved right now.

 

[Lacy Evans]

I know I'm saved because I gave my life to Jesus and believed that he died on the cross for my sins and rose on the third day. The conviction I get when I sin and just the feeling of the Holy Spirit lets me know my salvation is real.

Are you saved? and how do you know, Lacy?

My question was "How do you know if you are "truly" saved", (I should have specified) - as opposed to just saved?


I think you are on to something in your studies, don't get me wrong, with the "few will enter" thing but i think you need to consider that most of the Bible is not telling an unbeliever how to be saved, a "false-believer" how to be "truly saved", or a "false believer with less works than Cody" how to be "Really-truly-really really . . .truly saved.

Most of the NT is directed at the "already-done-been-once-saved-always-saved" saved, and is telling them how to live and why? In my studies I had to take off the "salvation-colored glasses" and begin to just check and see if the "narrow gate Christians" and the "broad-gate Christians" are not ALL saved but that the "broad-gate" ones are in danger of very severe chastening by their eternal Father if they don't start minding Him.

 

[donnA]

They mostly reply, "because I believe

believed that he died on the cross for my sins and rose on the third day.

And what if they believe the samething you do, how do you know? You can't possibly know about a person and know what they beelive and feel, if they are convicted or not, or what God may use them in service for that you didn't see.

 

[Cody2]

I'm just saying, if you believe in Jesus, why would you not live for him? Yeah we're going to sin and fall short, but I see God as a loving Father that will chastise us every time we sin. Imagine you're the sheep and God is the shepherd. You wonder off and stop following the shepherd. Do think God will just let you go?

I just want to clarify, I believe once saved, always saved and we can never lose our salvation. But to see someone say they're saved and then live like they don't care about the word of God is scary. If they're not feeling conviction for their sins something is bad wrong. The Holy Spirit isn't some weak thing.

 

[Brother Bob]

I just want to clarify, I believe once saved, always saved and we can never lose our salvation. But to see someone say they're saved and then live like they don't care about the word of God is scary. If they're not feeling conviction for their sins something is bad wrong. The Holy Spirit isn't some weak thing.

Stay with it cody and live as close as you can to the Lord and He will bless you for it. Let others do as they may, but for you, just serve the Lord. We don't have time for the darkness of the world.

BBob,

 

[J. Jump]

I'm just saying, if you believe in Jesus, why would you not live for him?

Well there's probably a number of different reasons, but the biggest one would be a lack of discipleship. Modern-day evangelism says once you get your ticket to heaven it's just a waiting game until the train arrives to take you home.

Modern-day evangelism says get saved and what you do until you die is up to you.

Then you have the totally opposite extreme which says if you are saved and you have your ticket to heaven and you are living for self you must have gotten a counterfit ticket at the window.

Both are wrong.

but I see God as a loving Father that will chastise us every time we sin.

But Hebrews tells us we have to accept the child-training.

Imagine you're the sheep and God is the shepherd. You wonder off and stop following the shepherd. Do think God will just let you go?

Yes. Just look at the prodigal son. Just look at the majority of Israel when Christ came. He came to the lost "sheep" of the house of Israel, but only a small number (as compared to the whole) accepted His message and stuck with it.

But to see someone say they're saved and then live like they don't care about the word of God is scary.

It is ABSOLUTELY scary and it can be quite disgusting at times. However we should not let "our" emotions lead us to bad doctrine because of what we "see."

If they're not feeling conviction for their sins something is bad wrong. The Holy Spirit isn't some weak thing.

Absolutely there is something wrong! But more than likely it doesn't have anything to do with them not being saved at some point. Now it could.

Here's I guess what I would say. If you are unsure where a person is just ask them how they got saved and what they think about Jesus Christ as it pertains to everlasting life.

If they say they believe He died in their place because they were a sinner or something along those lines then the Bible says they are saved and we should from that point on treat them as a brother or sister in Christ no matter what their lifestyle. Now that doesn't mean you continue to fellowship with them in their sin, but you challenge them and encourage them and you disciple them.

 

[2 Timothy2:1-4]

I'm just saying, if you believe in Jesus, why would you not live for him? Yeah we're going to sin and fall short, but I see God as a loving Father that will chastise us every time we sin. Imagine you're the sheep and God is the shepherd. You wonder off and stop following the shepherd. Do think God will just let you go?

I just want to clarify, I believe once saved, always saved and we can never lose our salvation. But to see someone say they're saved and then live like they don't care about the word of God is scary. If they're not feeling conviction for their sins something is bad wrong. The Holy Spirit isn't some weak thing.

Cody you are right on track. Be very discerning about some of the doctrines you see.

 

[pinoybaptist]

I'm just saying, if you believe in Jesus, why would you not live for him? Yeah we're going to sin and fall short, but I see God as a loving Father that will chastise us every time we sin. Imagine you're the sheep and God is the shepherd. You wonder off and stop following the shepherd. Do think God will just let you go?

Well, my kid brother says God, like a shepherd, will hook you with the hook of His staff, and if you still keep wandering off, He will whack your butt, and if you will still keep wandering off, He will break one of your legs, bind it, and then carry you close to Him, until your leg heals, and then you will not want to stray away from Him.
Not exactly the kind of God I see in the Bible, if you ask me.
And, oh, by the way, my kid brother is just like you, so ...on fire....so ....looking at himself in comparison to others....so...well, judgmental.
Well, last I heard, he's back to drinking, smoking, cussin', fighting with his wife, his kids, and just everybody else who crosses him.
And him being 6 feet, 260 lbs, I'm the only one he won't easily fight with.
I don't know if he still feels saved, though.
I don't know if he still thinks he's heaven-bound.
What do you think.
Yeah.
That's the thing with this fallen world, and with forgetting that we were all at one time fallen creatures, dead in sin and trespasses.

I just want to clarify, I believe once saved, always saved and we can never lose our salvation. But to see someone say they're saved and then live like they don't care about the word of God is scary.

Caring about the word of God comes about with proper teaching, correct doctrine (at least, doctrine as close to the Bible's as you can get), examples (from other Christians, but most especially from those charged with leading the flock), and patience, lots and lots and lots of patience.

If you look at Christ and how He had been patient with those whom God drew to Him and put under His care, you will know what I mean.

He walked on water, pulled Peter out of the water, raised Lazarus from the dead, fed thousands with a few loaves of bread and a few pieces of fish with plenty left over, knew their names before they knew His, healed the sick, made the lame walk, healed withered hands, cleansed lepers, preached as someone having authority, spoke with God in front of them, spoke with Moses and Elijah, and above all, FORGAVE SINS !!

Yet they had their doubts, they quarelled about petty things, John the Baptist sent and asked, "are you really, really, REALLY, the One ?", Thomas would not believe. One mother stonefacedly asked that He give her sons positions and seats of authority in His kingdom.

Did He simply throw up His hands and say: I give up. I'm outta here. Ya'll ain't who yal'll say ya'll are. I's stahtin' 'nother group. Ya'll git outta my face.

No, sir, He washed their feet, prayed for them, brake bread with them, sang hymns with them, loved them, corrected them. And after all the cruelty of the world and God's wrath was heaped on Him, He sought them out first minute outta the grave.

Know of any greater love than that ?

If they're not feeling conviction for their sins something is bad wrong. The Holy Spirit isn't some weak thing.

Well, it's not for you, nor me, to look for convictions for their sins, leave that up to the Holy Spirit, that's His job, not yours. not mine.

Our job is to pray to the Father for them, to open up Scripture to them, to rebuke them in a loving way, and accept them as they are, and leave the rest to God.

Our job is to look at ourselves, and make sure we are convicted of sin that is daily in our lives.