By: Robert Serreyn
Question? PLEASE explain Many are called and Few chosen in Matthew 20:16?
Matthew 20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Answer:
– For many be called:
The invitation to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” – Acts 16:31 IS OFFERED to everyone (many are called).
– But few chosen:
The ONLY ONES chosen are those THAT BELIEVE (Trust Alone) personally that the Lord Jesus Christ died and shed his blood on the cross was buried and three days later resurrected from the dead as the complete payment for their sins.
BEWARE of those THAT TEACH that God gives the Faith to some to believe (Few be chosen) and not to others (Many be called).
Those that teach this FALSE DOCTRINE known as PREDESTINATION try to qualify their FALSE TEACHING by saying that God knows who will and who will not believe.
Even though this is true IT IS only a half truth BECAUSE God allows Free Will and allows the individual to determine their eternal destiny by their own choice of believing or not believing.
2 Peter 3:9 states…
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The word REPENTANCE is the Greek word METANOIA which means CHANGE OF MIND.
God wants us to Change Our Mind from what we think gives us eternal life, to believe, and trust alone in his way of getting eternal life which is ONLY through Believing Personally that Jesus Christ went to the cross and shed his blood as the complete payment for our sins.
In Conclusion:
Many people TRY to offer the Lord their good works, religious deeds, and human merits as a means to obtain eternal life but none of these will God accept.
In Ephesians 2:8,9 the Lord states…
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Very plainly the Lord states in V8 “NOT OF YOURSELVES” and in V9 “NOT OF WORKS”
So very simply, salvation IS NOT of our own doing BUT ONLY “Faith in Christ” will God allow us entrance into his heavenly kingdom.
John 1:12 But as many as received him (Believed), to them gave he power (the Authority) to become the sons (Children) of God, even to them that believe (Trust in Alone) on his name.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to know IS Jesus Christ as savior, just simply believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross and DIED and shed his blood, was BURIED and three days later RESURRECTED from the dead to pay for your sins.
The moment that you do YOU HAVE (at that second and forever) Everlasting Life which WILL NEVER be taken away no matter what.
-Christ DIED for you – Romans 5:8
-Christ PAID your sins in full – 2 Corinthians 5:21,1 Peter 2:24
-BELIEVE (Trust In Completely) in Christ ALONE as the complete payment of sin for salvation – John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8,9
“For the wages(payment) of sin is death (eternal torment in hell); but the GIFT(salvation) of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 6:23
IT IS THAT SIMPLE – THE GOSPEL TRUTH