Who Will Be Saved?
You ask, “Lord, who will be saved? I tell you, enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
“But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me and only a few enter through me. Many will try to enter through the narrow gate and find they cannot. Then once the owner of the house closes the door, they will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ So it is with me. Many will say, “Lord, I prophesied in your name. I preached in your name. I cast out demons in your name, healed the sick, and did many other things in your name. But I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
“Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. And what is the will of my Father?
Forgive: This is the Will of My Father
“Forgive others when they sin against you, for this is the will of my Father. Because your heavenly Father forgives you, you are to forgive others. But if in the hardness of your heart, you refuse to forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Those who refuse to forgive are like those whom the master of the house hands him over to the jailers to be tortured. I tell you the truth, if you will not forgive the debts of others, you will pay back all the debts you owe my Father. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you for the debts you owe him unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Love: This is the Will of My Father
“Love your enemies, for this is the will of my Father. Do good to them. Lend to your enemies without expecting to get anything back. Lend to those who ask without expecting payment in return and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Then you will be children of the Most High.”
Repent: This is the Will of My Father
“Repent, for this is the will of my Father. Unless you repent, you too will all perish. I came that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed to all nations. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Consider the words of the Apostle John, the one I loved.
The one who continues to sin is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. Because God’s seed remains in them, no one who is born of God will continue to sin. They cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who continues to practice sin is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. (1 John 3:8-10)
Keep My Commands: This is the Will of My Father
“If you want to enter life, keep the commandments, for this is the will of my Father. Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. He will not be destroyed. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
“So it will be at the end of all things. Those who know my commandments and refuse to practice them will fall with a great crash. Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Keep my commands: this is the will of my Father.
Believe in My Father; Believe Me: This is the Will of My Father
“Whoever hears my word and believes my Father who sent me has eternal life. That person will not be judged. Rather, they have crossed over from death to life. My Father’s word leads to eternal life. The words I spoke are full of the Spirit and life. Whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say. Those who hear God’s word and put it into practice are my mother and brothers. They are children of God.
“To these I will say, ‘Welcome, you who are blessed by my Father. Take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. You forgave others. You loved, yes even your enemies. You repented of your sins. You obeyed my words and those of my Father. You fed the hungry. You clothed those in need. You cared for the sick. You visited those in prison. In these ways and others you honored me. You did my Father’s will. You believed my words and believed in me. You I know. You I call you by name. You are mine and I am yours. Come, let us live together forever in my Father’s kingdom.”
— Jesus
(Matthew 7:13-14) (Matthew 18:34-35) (John 14:6) (Matthew 7:21) (Luke 13:24-25) (Matthew 6:14) (Luke 6:35-36) (Luke 13:3) (Matthew 19:17) (Matthew 7:24-27) (Matthew 5:18-20) (John 5:24) (John 12:50) (Luke 8:21) (Luke 24:46-47) (Luke 5:32) (John 6:63)