Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
That is not a Spirit-inspired exposition as far as I'm concerned.
"Make every effort to enter in through the narrow gate for many I tell you will strive to enter but not be able to." This isn't saying that it's hard to get saved. It's saying it's impossible without Jesus. It's saying the "many who strive" are those who are trying to get to heaven by a way other than the Gate, Jesus.
God wants to save people. He is not looking for excuses to condemn people, as the writer of this "interpretation" seems to think.
Really, bearbear, you are starting to sound like Mormon or something. Truly, this stuff you are preaching is not the gospel. It's salvation by works. |
In my article, my thesis was to strive to give all your heart to Jesus. This comes by faith because we are giving our heart to an invisible God we cannot see and not giving our heart to the low hanging fruits of this world that are seen which fulfill the lusts of our flesh. God expected the Israelites to strive to give their hearts to him, to trust Him with all their heart despite their circumstances. From the Lordship Salvation perspective, this completely falls into the realm of free will and not works. If you view this as works why don't you assign "belief" in terms of mere credence as works? They all fall into the realm of Hebrews 11:1 faith.
Hebrews 4:11
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
The Israelites were expected to enter God's rest by faith. Only by trusting in God and entering his rest could they expect to survive the wilderness experience. It was not of their own works. There's no way they could take on the giants in Canaan by their own ability. Neither did they take Jericho by cunning bravery, but simply by faith when they obeyed God by marching around the doomed city seven times. They feasted on the manna that came directly from God which they didn't work for. It was still all grace received through faith which required the expectation by God to trust in him and his promises and not in their human wisdom or what their eyes were telling them.