Salvation is not so easy

[iaskquestions]

“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Salvation is not so easy. This is one of the verses which causes me to reject the notion of salvation by grace through faith alone. Just having faith alone is easy. Faith itself is a gift from God (Romans 12:3). It is the works part of it that is hard.

I see many people saying, “All you need to do is to just believe in the Lord Jesus and you’re saved. Works don’t matter much.” Some others say,“Once saved always saved.” That seems like a pretty easy way to me than the hard way that Jesus is talking about.

 

[TriuneUnity]

“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Salvation is not so easy. This is one of the verses which causes me to reject the notion of salvation by grace through faith alone. Just having faith alone is easy. Faith itself is a gift from God (Romans 12:3). It is the works part of it that is hard.

I see many people saying, “All you need to do is to just believe in the Lord Jesus and you’re saved. Works don’t matter much.” Some others say,“Once saved always saved.” That seems like a pretty easy way to me than the hard way that Jesus is talking about.

Salvation is never easy. Jesus had to go through a life of humiliation, rejection, physical pain, emotional pain, and ultimately, death. It wasn’t easy for Jesus.

Far be it for us to say we can ever compare in our own lives to that.

 

[cathopologist]

Salvation is never easy. Jesus had to go through a life of humiliation, rejection, physical pain, emotional pain, and ultimately, death. It wasn’t easy for Jesus.

Far be it for us to say we can ever compare in our own lives to that.

If salvation was that easy, half the world’s population would be Muslims and the other half, Calvinists by now

 

[reen12]

Salvation is not so easy.

Nothing in life, worth doing, is easy. :tiphat:

reen12

 

[reteeks21]

“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Salvation is not so easy. This is one of the verses which causes me to reject the notion of salvation by grace through faith alone. Just having faith alone is easy. Faith itself is a gift from God (Romans 12:3). It is the works part of it that is hard.

I see many people saying, “All you need to do is to just believe in the Lord Jesus and you’re saved. Works don’t matter much.” Some others say,“Once saved always saved.” That seems like a pretty easy way to me than the hard way that Jesus is talking about.

But He doesn’t even mention works in that passage.

 

[johnlavelle]

we depend entirely on him to save us by grace and he depends entirely upon us to come to him and to love him as he loves us. so easy to say yet so hard to do. the world the flesh and the devil draw us away at amost every step until we take one step toward him and home. then he runs out to greet us, puts his ring on our finger, clothes us in his best, and prepares a feast after the years of starvation we have chosen, prefering slavery to lust and gluttony over the perfect joy of his presence.

he makes it very, very easy. we cling to one thing in preference to him and we make salvation impossible even for the creator of our world. ourselves, and our freedom of which he will never deprive us.

 

[SyCarl]

What this passage is telling us is that it is not easy to find the path to salvation. The wrong path appears obvious; that is that we must be worthy of salvation. This is what the Jews were trying to do when they thought to establish their own righteousness.

The right path is hard to find. It is not easy to put your trust entirely in Jesus and not rely, at least in part, on your own efforts.

Remember, Jesus also said:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-30 NASB)

What Jesus demands of us is not hard if we can accept it. The way will be hard because of our hesitation in accepting free grace and the opposition of the world but what He asks of us is not onerous.