How to Walk the Narrow Path of Salvation | The Whole Counsel

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We want this to dissuade us from two pitfalls. So maybe we could think of a right understanding of the whole picture of a

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Christian life, not just justification, but what flows out of it and where it ends. We could think of that as kind of a narrow mountain path that's beautiful, but if you're not careful, to the left and to the right, there's a very steep cliff.

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On one side is easy -believism, where a person says, all you have to do is repeat after me, or ask

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Jesus into your heart, or just mentally accept, kind of nod your head to these

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Bible facts, and you think, easy as can be. And then on the other side is hyper -Calvinism, that says it's so hard,

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I dare not even try, because that would almost be kind of putting myself in God's place. No, I'm just going to wait until God does it.

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So clearly, the whole picture ought to move us to a desperation, where we cry out to God and say, save me.

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Save me for your name's sake. But God, only you could save me.

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I would take all 14 things to God and say, I just read a sermon that said this.

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God, it's true. So, I have no hope in me, but I have great hope in you, and I will not leave you alone until this kind of salvation is mine.

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John Bunyan, in his book, The Pilgrim's Progress, one of my all -time favorite scenes in that allegory, comes at the early part of the book.

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Christian is setting out on his journey. He's just been converted. Pilgrim's just become a Christian. The burden is off his back, and he spends the night with a man named

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Interpreter. And Interpreter takes him through a number of rooms in his house, and then he takes him out of his house to another scene, where he's basically giving him lessons that he needs for the

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Christian life. You've got to understand this. And because Bunyan gives it in a picturesque way, these are scenes.

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One of the scenes that he views is a great palace, and inside the palace, the people are walking along the top, and they're clothed in golden garments, and they're happy and clean and joyful.

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They represent a Christian. In front of the palace is a group of armed men who prevent anyone from getting in there.

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Out in front of them is a man sitting at a desk with basically an ink pen and a book.

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And anyone that wants, anyone can come up and sign the book, and then try to get through the men.

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They can get into the palace. And so everyone is afraid of the armed men, and Christian is kind of shocked that no one will even try.

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And then he sees a man with courage come up, signs his name, straps on his armor, runs into the men.

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And they go at it, you know. And then he backs up, and he goes again. And again and again, he gives and receives many blows.

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And finally, through desperation, he breaks through, and the next scene, you see the men dressed in gold up top.

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Now, we're not talking about work salvation, that if I do well enough, Jesus lets me in.

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What Bunyan, the interpreter says to Christian, do you understand this? He says, no, I understand this one. When a man has been made to see, when a woman, when a young person has been made to see how great their need is and how great a

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Savior there is, it doesn't matter if there's a thousand hurdles, a thousand enemies in between me and Christ, I will rage against them until I have him.