Quote:
Originally Posted by bearbear
A challenge to everyone:
A piano has dropped on your head! You have just died and are now facing the door of eternity into heaven. You consider yourself a Christian who loved Jesus but never confronted your secret sinful habits (e.g. porn, drugs) or maybe your life is really clean but you've held jealousy, hatred or envy against someone that you haven't let go (see Galatians 5:19-21).
Expecting to get in to the door through the kingdom of heaven, Jesus approaches you and declares "I never knew you, depart from me you worker of lawlessness".
You stand speechless and try to confront him how you have lived your faith. You try to reason with him about the saints that you took care of and shepherded and the countless number of church meetings you attended-- the vacations you even skipped to attend conferences.
He points to 2 Timothy 2:19 "But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
You look down below his feet and realize he's standing on a stone monument which no one can move. On it is the very seal (which cannot change) bearing those words and you just realized that repentance was necessary for salvation.
He looks at you again and says:
"Haven't you read my book? I warned you that the road to life is narrow and that very few are saved."
"You may have sacrificed a lot for me, but I desire obedience and not sacrifice"
You plead with the Lord:
"Am I not a Christian? Am I not saved? I thought you only have to *believe* to be saved"
He looks at you for the one last time and says:
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Could this be you or me?
Can you argue from scripture how this scenario cannot be? Is there any wiggle room in 2 Timothy 2:19 for someone to belong to the Lord but not turn away from wickedness?
Can you come up with an exegetical argument from God's word why this won't happen to someone who is a Christian but is living an unrepentant life in unforgiveness, hatred, envy and strife?
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Name me some people in the Bible who have made it into your utopian heaven, because according to your standards none of the apostles have made it either.
You said "very few are saved." That's three to me.
Who are these three? Can't be Abraham, David, or Peter -- we know all about their history of "disobedience." All the world knows their stories. When they arrived at your "utopian heaven," Jesus ran out to slam the door, saying, "
nope, can't recognize any of you guys."
Bear, just because you can spout off lots of verses condemning all the rest of us, doesn't give you much hope either. The Pharisees tried that same strategy on Jesus.