CHRISTIAN'S

[Dennis1209]

Matthew 7:14 (KJV) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. [emphasis mine]

I got to thinking about this verse and its importance to Salvation; and some polls I've seen in the past. To verify that my memory has not misguided me again, I went back and rechecked to verify the accuracy of some Christian polls. I recall hearing of several polls claiming that 70 - 80% of Americans claim to be Christian. One source I checked was Wikipedia (yeah I know), depending on the year, their poll indicates 75 - 80% of Americans claim to be of the Christian religion. Nationally, with these statistics it would indicate far more than a few be finding the way which leadeth to life? 

Looking at the Pew poll and questions asked linked below; with the stated core beliefs, practices and ideas. I now have a better understanding of Matthew 7:14. To be honest, I was somewhat a little shocked at the variation of my tenet core belief's and theirs?

https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/christians/christian/

[unworthyservant]

Hi Dennis. You have brought up a passage and topic that are near and dear to my heart. My views on the subject seem to be quite controversial in many circles but here goes anyway. You mention the variance between the beliefs as stated in the poll and your own but since I'm not familiar with your views or how they differ, I'll just share my own. First is that I believe that a vast majority of those who identify as Christian are actually not true believers and most of the churches with which I am familiar are preaching many different versions of the Gospel that are not teaching people how to actually put their faith into action. So we have many who claim faith but when they are not putting that faith into action then are they truly "saved"? Christ only commanded us to do a few things in order to worship God. First of course is to have faith in Him and his authority and to put that faith into action by following His teachings. Second, he taught we must repent of our sins. And then He taught us exactly what was and wasn't sinful (things we should repent of or turn away from) and exactly what we should be proactively doing to worship God and show his love to a sinful world. Three simple teachings, yet so many ways that people find around them. That's why there are so many diverse beliefs. Not that Christ taught ten thousand different things but man in his own wisdom has had 2000 years to find ten thousand ways around the basic teachings of Christ. Let's just look at few that seem to be prevalent today. First we will look at repentance. Repent means to turn away from and that's what Jesus taught. In modern terms QUIT your sins. So then what are the sins that are plaguing the church so that so many are not repenting? Everyone I know believes that if a murderer comes to Christ that he must turn from his sinful ways and stop killing folks. But then the same people will argue that someone living in a sinful marriage because of the divorce of one of the partners and wants to come to Christ for some reason they are not required to give up their sin. It almost seems like the church wants to pick and choose which sins we must turn away from and which are sanctioned. Sanctioned by whom? I don't believe that living in any sin and serving God is sanctioned in the Bible. That's one example. I believe the most controversial stumbling block concerns something that Christ mentioned frequently and that is money, wealth and the accumulation of earthly treasures. Christ clearly stated that we should not use our resources to buy for ourselves luxuries and earthly pleasures and he also taught us exactly what to do with that money that we're not to use for earthly treasures for ourselves and what he told us to do with it was use it to show God's love by helping those in need. I'll bet those numbers would drastically decrease if every pastor would tell any church member or prospective member who was wealthy and had expensive homes, cars, boats or RVs, etc,  that in order to follow Christ they would first have to sell those items and give the money to the poor. Of course that is what Christ told the rich man who asked what he must do in order to follow Him. Remember, this man told Jesus that he had kept all the commandments and notice that Jesus didn't dispute that fact. He didn't say no man can be perfect and have followed all the commandments. No, he said one thing that you lack and of course that was selling his possessions and giving the proceeds to the poor. I can't tell you how many peo to be the illegple tell me that that teaching was only for that one person and for some unknown reason was not meant for us. I believe that every one of Christ's teachings was meant for everyone of us. I don't believe that we can pick and choose which apply to us. I'm not saying that we should give up everything and live in a box. What I'm saying is that in this capitalistic society in which we live, many of us take luxuries and spending our money on them is thought to be necessary. I'll give a few examples that I mentioned in a post on another topic. If you are spending your money on cable or satellite TV, that is a luxury, the proceeds of which could probably feed a homeless or poor person for a week or more. Now which way did Christ tell us to spend that money. And don't even get me going on the money spent on items to worship God. The only thing that ever angered Christ during His ministry was when he overturned the tables of the sellers and money changers at the temple. What were these folks doing that so angered Jesus. They were profiting from selling things for worshiping God! I paraphrase Jesus who told them they had turned the temple into a den of thieves. What would be the impact if every dime that is spent on buying books and music and pictures of Christ (it;s ironic that the image we have of Christ is rumored to be the illegitimate son of a Renaissance pope), and other devotional or inspirational items were actually spent on what Christ taught us and went to the poor. What a difference that might make. So, I think you probably get the point and while I could site a hundred other examples, the simple truth is that indeed few find the gate that leads to righteousness and the modern churches aren't doing a very good job of leading them there. I think the only variable is how much God takes into account ignorance by those who thought they were serving God according to what they were taught by their church. 

[Blood Bought 1953]

 

Turning “ FROM” sin is great, but it’s turning “ TO” Jesus That Saves.Nowhere in the KJV does it say to repent of sins to be saved.The Word “ repent” never occurs in the Gospel Of John, the Book that many are advised to read to learn about Salvation.Repent comes from the Greek Word “ metanoia” which means “ to change your mind”. A person that changed his mind about Jesus —- who went from unbelief in Jesus to belief in Jesus has changed his mind from the only thing that could damn him- unbelief— to the only thing that could save him— belief. Put your faith in Christ, get the Holy Spirit in you and “repentance of sin” will be a natural part of you life .Turn TO Christ for Salvation ( Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner) , Turn From sin to please the One that saved you and reap blessings instead of chastisement.

 

[missmuffet]

7 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

Matthew 7:14 (KJV) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. [emphasis mine]

I got to thinking about this verse and its importance to Salvation; and some polls I've seen in the past. To verify that my memory has not misguided me again, I went back and rechecked to verify the accuracy of some Christian polls. I recall hearing of several polls claiming that 70 - 80% of Americans claim to be Christian. One source I checked was Wikipedia (yeah I know), depending on the year, their poll indicates 75 - 80% of Americans claim to be of the Christian religion. Nationally, with these statistics it would indicate far more than a few be finding the way which leadeth to life? 

Looking at the Pew poll and questions asked linked below; with the stated core beliefs, practices and ideas. I now have a better understanding of Matthew 7:14. To be honest, I was somewhat a little shocked at the variation of my tenet core belief's and theirs?

https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/christians/christian/

The poll means nothing. A person can "claim" to be a Christian. But God looks at the heart. 

Matthew 7:21-23

 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Edited August 13, 2019 by missmuffet

[Sower]

Repent=change your thinking (mind)

Simple. Someone sows a seed (light). The seed is watered, more light.
The mind and thoughts CHANGE (repents)
More Light comes in by the Holy Spirit, the seeds bloom.
A child is born.

No one ever was saved, without changing their THINKING!

NOT from repenting of SIN.

That comes AFTER the child is born! (The only possible way, as a believer!!)

A NEW CREATURE.........

[warrior12]

1 hour ago, Sonshine☀️ said:

You know we’re siblings in the Lord, BB, and I love ya, and, like you, I believe in eternal security by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, but we do disagree on the repentance-to-be-saved part.  Let’s consider and discuss the following scripture.

Mark 1:14-15 

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry

14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel [a]of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [b]is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

The repentance which is here commanded is the result of faith; it is born at the same time with faith — they are twins , and to say which is the elder-born passes my knowledge. It is a great mystery; faith is before repentance in some of its acts, and repentance before faith in another view of it; the fact being that they come into the soul together. How, a repentance which makes me weep and abhor my past life because of the love of Christ which has pardoned it, is the right repentance. When I can say, “My sin is washed away by Jesu’s blood,” and then repent because I so sinned as to make it necessary that Christ should die— that dove-eyed repentance which looks at his bleeding wounds, and feels that her heart must bleed because she wounded Christ— that broekn heart that breaks because Christ was nailed to the cross for it— that is the repentance which bringeth us salvation.

—Spurgeon 

 

Not taking away anything from the scripture you quoted and it is Jesus own own words.  In the scripture verse below, Paul was asked the question directly and he answered in a straight forward manner. If anyone knew the answer to that question, you would think that Paul, the man who wrote all those epistles would have it sorted out.

I think, while repentance is a grace that is available to believers when we sin and do wrong in the sight of God, it is the word "believe" that is the active word that makes that qualifies the requirement to be saved. Yes, believers would have to repent all their lives at various times as we still sin at times, no matter how little or often, then "true 'repentance is the way back or seeking to be forgiven.

If Paul had deliberately left out the word "repent", then the doctrine of salvation would be in question.

 

Acts 16 King James Version (KJV)

²⁹ Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

³⁰ And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

³¹ And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

³² And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

Edited August 13, 2019 by warrior12

[BeauJangles]

I checked the site on this from the OP, and found it interesting and somewhat concerning in certain areas. Of interest, and then towards the bottom it got concerning, was the ratio of America's Christians are by majority:

Caucasian (why so low on African Americans and Hispanics?)

Third generation immigrants

Below middle class standards

Under educated 

Married

Strong belief in God (this is a good thing)

Importance of religion

Importance of prayer (at least daily)

Seldom practice group prayer (how sad)

Personal meditation on God (about neck and neck)

Frequent feelings of peace (once weekly)

Source of morals (about the same from scriptures to common sense)

Absolutes on right and wrong (majority was situational) 

Reading scripture (at least once a week)

Belief in Heaven (a good thing)

Belief in Hell (also important)

Party afilliation (almost equal Democrats to Republicans)

Primarily conservative (less moderate and even less liberal)

Abortion should be illegal in all/most cases

Homosexuality should be accepted by majority (54% in favor?)

Same sex marriage among Christians (44% in favor?)

I'm just curious as to how this categorization came about, and who were on the list of queries, in order to get the results of these statistics. Go figure. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2019 by BeauJangles

[BeauJangles]

6 minutes ago, maryjayne said:

Does this help? https://www.pewforum.org/2018/07/05/how-does-pew-research-center-measure-the-religious-composition-of-the-u-s-answers-to-frequently-asked-questions/

It would seem doubtful, as this is the same site posted from the OP. 

[BeauJangles]

12 minutes ago, maryjayne said:

Does this help? https://www.pewforum.org/2018/07/05/how-does-pew-research-center-measure-the-religious-composition-of-the-u-s-answers-to-frequently-asked-questions/

Okay, in all fairness since this was offered, I did check it out somewhat briefly. Thanks, but it gets all complicated, and the font is a bit on the small side for my vision. 

Edited August 13, 2019 by BeauJangles

[Dennis1209]

8 hours ago, Blood Bought 1953 said:

Repent comes from the Greek Word “ metanoia” which means “ to change your mind

The Greek word "metanoeo" translated into Dennis vernacular is thus translated "changed my want to's"