Matthew 7: 13
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 "So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I NEVER KNEW YOU; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'Notice that there are two groups of people being contrasted here, and both call Jesus Christ “Lord.” The “many” are on the wrong path to destruction, while the “few” are on the right one to life. He says we can discern between them based on their fruits, because those who are on the right path will be doing the will of God while those on the wrong one will not.
1 John 2: 3
BY THIS this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE ARE IN HIM: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.Here again we see the contrast between those who claim to know Him but aren’t doing His will, with those who actually do know Him and are doing His will. Those who don’t keep His commandments are called liars for saying they know Him, because according to God only those who bear good fruit have a true relationship with Him.
Romans 8: 9
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.Here we see what distinguishes the two groups of professing Christians. There are those who call Him Lord, Lord but don’t have His Spirit. They have never known Him and are not His children. On the other hand, those who have His Spirit are His children and have eternal life.
Titus 3: 5
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.Romans 2: 29
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.2 Corinthians 3: 2
You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.Hebrews 10: 14
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, 16 "THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM," He then says, 17 "AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE."1 John 1: 8
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.Romans 6: 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
These passages of scripture explain how God’s Spirit regenerates our hearts and minds so that we may become His children and heirs to His Kingdom. It is those who have gone through this process that have traveled the narrow way and have come to know Him, which is called being “born of God”. Those who call Him Lord, Lord but haven’t experienced this process, are still on the broad way and do not truly know Him. They may call themselves “Christians” and attend some religious institution that professes Christ, but they are not His children.
1 John 5:18
WE KNOW that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.1 John 3: 7
Little children, MAKE SURE NO ONE DECEIVES YOU; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.1 Corinthians 6: 9
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? DO NOT BE DECEIVED; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such WERE some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.We WERE born into sin and practiced lawlessness because our father WAS the devil, but If we have been born of God, then His Spirit has cleansed us from our unrighteousness and written His Laws on our hearts and minds through the regeneration of His Spirit. This is the fruit of a child of God who has traveled the narrow way and has eternal life.
Those who continue to practice such things however, are still on the broad path and have never known the Savior despite the fact that they may call Him Lord, Lord. They have experienced a false conversion to a man made religion which claims Christ, but hasn’t led them to the narrow way to eternal life. Unfortunately Jesus tells us that this group is the “many” (majority) who profess Him, while it is only the “few” (minority) who actually came to know Him and became His children.
Are you sure that you’re on the right path?
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