Tragedy of “. . . but few are chosen”

(GB Message)

When those originally invited by the king refused to come to the wedding feast, the king’s servants went into the streets and invited all the people they could find to come to the wedding feast. Many of this second group of invitees came, but even in that group, we are told about one man who did not come appropriately. Jesus concludes this parable by saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt 22:14). We know that we have been invited to the kingdom of heaven. But are we among the few who are chosen?

We see the earliest group of godless people in the book of Genesis, at the time of Noah.

• 6:3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
• 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
• 7:4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”

Yes, the flood did come and except for eight souls no one survived. This was not because of God’s discrimination against some or reluctance to include all but rather, it was because a segment of people from the bulk of mankind had become totally hardened on account of the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3: 13). As is the story of Ananias & Sapphira who fell down dead, the story of Noah and the flood is a powerfully illustrated warning for all of us. Jesus Himself referred to Noah’s times. He said, “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah?”, Mt 24: 37. The Lord added, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”, Mt 24: 44.

We are fortunate to be among a group of people who have not only been extended the invitation to be in heaven but who also know a great deal about the kingdom of heaven. The crucial question is: Are we among the few who are chosen? Satan will do everything in his power to prevent us from being in the band of the chosen ones. Only by being vigilant and careful, can we escape Satan’s snares.

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were created without sin. But they were drawn into a snare carefully laid by Satan. Eve was careless and allowed herself to be deceived by Satan. It proved to be her fatal blunder. Her sin of disobedience was so grievous and costly that nothing less than the blood of the Son of God was needed to wipe it away. Satan is still using such snares as his trump card for making innumerable people offend God. We who are saved from sin by the precious blood of Lord Jesus stand sinless before God, and in a sense we are like our first parents before their fall. Satan is even more dangerous today than he was then, having gained much experience in leading people into many a fatal blunder. Believers who are not very careful will become victims. That is why we have Peter’s warning, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”, 1 Pet 5: 8.

Being careless with how we handle the word is a sure way to walk into Satan’s snares.

When I was younger and in a dead traditional church, I heard preaching to this effect: “Never give heed to anyone if they warn you with regard to your salvation. You must believe that you are saved. Martin Luther discovered the fact that the righteous shall live by faith. Anyone who sows doubt is of the devil and is a false prophet in sheep’s clothing. Beware of such people.”

This kind of careless, one-sided way of applying biblical truths by people can sometimes be a snare. Here are some examples of scriptures that can give a false sense of security to people who need to be warned instead:

• My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. John 10:27-29.
• No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Cor 10:13
• “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph 1:13,14.

People who do not show the necessary signs of spiritual health are told: “By faith we must believe that we are the true sheep of His flock and it is impossible for us to get lost. You must resist all pessimism and believe you are saved. Be happy and confident and sing “I am H-A-P-P-Y / I am H-A-P-P-Y.” Such people are assured that they are elect persons, and as elect people can never be lost. They are informed that they have the Holy Spirit who is a guarantee of their inheritance and that to doubt this is to doubt the very power of Lord Jesus, and so is Satanic.”

The fact that the elect cannot be lost, or that no one can take God’s sheep out of His hands is true and Biblical. Yet it must be preached with such clarity so as to give no false assurances to people who ought instead to spend more effort in introspection and setting matters aright with God.

The above quotations are no doubt based on the word of God and serve to comfort and encourage children of God. The same scriptures that are sweeter than honey to the faithful become venom when Satan causes them to be used and applied wrongly. We know that the devil also can quote the Bible for his own purposes. The Lord Jesus could recognize Satan working because of His divine powers. Neither should true believers walking carefully in the path of sanctification find recognizing and escaping Satan’s snares beyond their ability.

As a teacher guiding this church I have to warn you about possible snares when quoting the word of God partially or out of context.

Just as the scriptures just quoted can mislead careless Christians to let their guard down and become ensnared, some other scriptures, like the ones mentioned below, may make the Christian feel that it is beyond his strength to cope with commands that seem so impossible to manage. This too can be a snare. God will never give a command that is beyond one’s strength to carry out.

• “But, I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified”, 1 Cor 9: 27.
• “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it”, Mt 7: 13.
• “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me”, Lk 9: 23.
• “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it’ ”, Mt 13: 45, 46.
• “Then Jesus said to His disciple, Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”, Mt 19: 23.
• “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect”, Mt 5: 48.
• “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”, 1 Pet 5: 8.

Conclusions:
We must learn to look at this matter in a perfectly balanced manner as “led by the Spirit of God” (Rom 8: 14) and bearing the following principles in mind:

• Living a disciplined life day by day under the light of the word of God.
• Practicing righteousness consistently by regulating our spiritual life according to what we understand from Bible meditation, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
• Developing the habit of daily introspection, prayer, and meditation upon the word of God
• Never tiring to be warned from the word of God and not hesitating to change whenever the word of God demands it.

(Note: Please read my article “Nature of the path of Sanctification” which lists a set of spiritual principles for the guidance of sincere believers.

I was delighted to go through the under noted comments of Dr. Matthew Henry about the implication of “… but few are chosen”, Mt 22: 14.
“Of the many that are called to the Wedding Feast, if you set aside all those as unchosen that make light of it, and avowedly prefer other things before it; if then you set aside all that make a profession of religion, but the temper of whose spirits and the tenor of whose conduct are a constant contradiction to it; if you set aside all the profane, and all the hypocritical, you will find that they are few, very few that are chosen… that is, to salvation, by sanctification of the Spirit. This is the straight gate and narrow way which few find it”.

Those who bend God’s rules to suit their convenience will not be in this group but only those who bend themselves to be in tune with God’s rules.