“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

[Curtis]

I don't believe anyone preaches such nonsense. What many people fail to understand is that there are two issues which must be addressed at the same time: (1) the eternal security of the believer and (2) the requirement for sanctification in those who are justified by grace through faith.

(1) There is absolutely no question that since God justifies the ungodly by His grace, it is solely on the merits of Christ. Therefore salvation is the GIFT of eternal life, and what God gives freely He does not take back. No one can earn salvation, neither can anyone keep himself saved.

(2) At the same time, those who are saved are commanded to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. There is no allowance for a sinful lifestyle. Therefore God deals with sin in the life of a believer, and it can even go as far as "the sin unto death" (premature physical death).

Now it is true that mainline denominations are presently approving of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, etc. But those are not Bible-believing and Bible-preaching churches. They are apostate.

It’s not physical death if a believer lives sinfully without repentance and dies - it’s physical death, and spiritual separation in the lake of fire.

The prodigal son.


In the prodigal son story, the father represents God, thus the son represents believers who are Gods adopted sons.


He’s already a son when the story starts.


He leaves the father to live in sin


When he returns to the father in repentance, the father says: this is my son WHO WAS DEAD, but is now alive AGAIN, he WAS LOST, but now IS FOUND.


Luk 15:32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother *was dead*, and is *alive again*; and *was lost*, and *is found*.


He obviously wasn’t dead physically and resurrected.


How then was he dead?


He was dead in his sins.


Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened,who *were dead* in *trespasses and sins*


Thus the son was alive, left his Father to live a sinful life, became DEAD in his sins, then returned in repentance, and became alive AGAIN.

Just one example of many.

 

[atpollard]

I gave you an example. Charles Stanley, carnal Christian sermon.

Beyond that, I don’t really care what you think.

Don’t forget to say strawman a few more times.

It’s so impressive.

I created an entire topic JUST FOR YOU … with “strawman” and “exegesis” and “eisegesis” all in the OP to make you happy.

 

[Curtis]

I created an entire topic JUST FOR YOU … with “strawman” and “exegesis” and “eisegesis” all in the OP to make you happy.

And you can read mine on refuting reformed doctrine.

 

[Enoch111]

It’s not physical death if a believer lives sinfully without repentance and dies - it’s physical death, and spiritual separation in the lake of fire.

That is just nonsense. Kindly get properly acquainted with Gospel truth.

 

[Curtis]

That is just nonsense. Kindly get properly acquainted with Gospel truth.

Ironically, that’s just what you need to do.

 

[Enoch111]

Ironically, that’s just what you need to do.

You sound like a cocky ill-informed newbie who also happens to be rather confused.

 

[Ronald David Bruno]

Matthew 22 [NLT - 'cause it is easy to read]

1 Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.

7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”​

Look at the CONTEXT.

Verse 2 ... we are comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to "the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son." Start with the stupid obvious:

• King = God the Father
• Son = Jesus, God the Son
• Wedding Feast = "Kingdom of Heaven" = party with God

Verse 3 ... "banquet was ready" is time to gather people to the Feast (Kingdom)

• sure sounds like the arrival of the Messiah as God incarnate to me. It there a better time to start to gather people to the Kingdom than the arrival of the "bridegroom" to gather his bride?
• "sent his servants to notify those who were invited" sounds like John the Baptist calling the 'chosen Nation' (Israel) that God had been inviting to this event since Moses first wrote about it.

verse 4-6 ... describes the Jews that rejected God's invitation.

• killed prophets in the OT
• killed John the Baptist
• killed Jesus
• rejected, beat and killed the Apostles

verse 7 ... God's wrath

• partially fulfilled in the OT (foreshadow and down payment)
• prophetic foreshadow of a major payment of wrath in AD 70
• ultimately to be paid in full when the Son of God returns for Judgement.

verse 8-10 ... Israels rejection will not stop God's plans

• invitation to "Wedding Feast" = "Kingdom of Heaven" = "Heaven" thrown open to all!
• Not just "invited" (Nation of Israel)
• Not just those living "Holy Lives" according to the LAW.
• Gentiles and Sinners are now invited!
• (I think that "invited" is the same as "called" in verse 14.)

verse 11-13 ... the importance of the right clothes:

• so one should make an effort to dress appropriately for an event in the world: a lawyer showing up for court in a tee-shirt and cut-offs would be thrown out of court or arrested for showing contempt for the gathering.
• the man didn't say that he had no "appropriate" clothes to wear when asked by the host ... he had no excuse.
• Christians are clothed in the righteousness of Christ ... so anyone attempting to enter the "Wedding Feast" (Kingdom of Heaven) not clothed 'appropriately' will be thrown out.
• Read Matthew 7: 21-23 [NLT] “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’" ... not wearing the right clothes.

verse 14 ... For many are called, but few are chosen.

• From the context that led up to this verse ...
• "many are called" = the call of the good news (gospel) goes out to many.
  • every time the gospel is preached, many in the crowd have an opportunity to HEAR the truth.
  • MANY are invited to repent, to turn to God and be forgiven.
  • No one is excluded from being invited because of their birth or their sin.
  • Many are called because the servants really have taken to the streets and markets to spread the invitation to the Kingdom of Heaven.
• "few are chosen" = a sad truth that there will not be a need to push and squeeze to enter the Kingdom because so many have accepted the invitation of the King.
  • I am a Particular Baptist, so I have specific beliefs related to the Doctrines of Grace that some will object to, but which I learned from reading scripture before I discovered that it had a name. I will ignore them and focus on a few more "universal" points.
  • The road to hell is wide and path to Heaven is narrow ... many and few. (Matthew 7:13)
    
  • There are many soils for a seed to fall on, but only one is "good soil" that will yield a harvest ... many and few. (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:1-15).

Many are invited to be saved, but few are those chosen by God [Ephesians 1:3-14 NASB]:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.​

Excellent study! You could also add this scripture:
"The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." Rev. 3:5