Why is it Difficult to Be Saved? | The Whole Counsel

The Fourteen Obstacles to Being Saved

He gives that long list. Chuck, why don't you run us through and just read us the statements that he gives, and then we can maybe pick out a few that we can talk about.

There are 14 of these. They are evidences of the difficulty of being saved, or why it is difficult for us. And the first, it's difficult because it requires that you be completely reborn spiritually. You must be made alive in Christ.

Second, a person must understand that believing is the only way of receiving this. Third, the sinner must be brought to repentance. Fourth, a person must be made holy if they're going to see the Lord.

Fifth, a man must be brought to the place where he is willing to deny himself and follow Christ. Sixth, a man must also be brought to a state of heavenly mindedness. Seventh, he must love God above all, and he must love his neighbor as himself.

Eighth, all of these must occur, and yet we are spiritually unfit to accomplish any of these on our own. Ninth, not only are we unfit, but we're fickle and inconsistent. Tenth, sometimes God withdraws His noticeable presence for a season.

Eleventh, the Christian must endure many temptations and conflicts with Satan. Twelfth, the Christian must be saved in the midst of an atmosphere that is not conducive to Christianity. Thirteenth, a Christian must be saved while still possessing the old nature.

We still have a deceitful and seductive heart. Fourteenth, in this life, the Christian will suffer as other people suffer, but there are some ways that the Christian suffers peculiarly, peculiar to the Christian.

So those are 14 things that demonstrate why it really does take the wisdom of God and the power of God to save any of us. That is, it is with great difficulty that a people like us could be rescued. All of these we were talking about before the show, all of these refer to us.

All of these refer to humanity's condition and situation and enemies, but none of them refer to God because we are not saying, Scripture is not saying, that it is difficult for God. The God that called all things into existence effortlessly could save all effortlessly, but these are things that demonstrate that when we say someone is a Christian, it is an amazing statement.

It is a statement that requires the activity of deity and not just a well-meaning church or family pastor or individual.

Yeah, and so while we are not passive in our salvation, at the same time, there's nothing we can do to get salvation or to merit salvation. There are all these obstacles that are, for us, insurmountable, but not insurmountable to God.