The Large Majority of Professing Christians Travel on Broadway, and thus are not Christians at all
Matthew 7:12-16 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Now here is a point that I am trying to emphasize more and more lately. These kinds of warnings in Scripture are primarily addressed to people who claim to be followers of Christ. Christ is speaking primarily to the Jews here. “He came to His own…I have come to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Go back through the Old Testament and you will find that the prophets were sent to Israel with few exceptions. The same is true in the New Testament Scriptures which primarily address people who profess to be Christians.
And so it is here in Matthew 7. Christ is telling us about two ways: the narrow gate, and the way that leads to destruction. He compares and contrasts the two:
Narrow Way
Narrow (difficult)
Leads to Life
Few travelers
True prophets
Broadway Wide and easy
Leads to destruction
Packed with traffic
False Prophets
These two ways, I suggest to you, are pictures of the true church versus the apostate church. Not so much the church vs the world, but rather two churches, one true and the other false. From Christ’s words here we can confidently conclude then:
- Most people who profess to be Christians do not belong to Christ at all. We must, therefore, stop assuming that most everyone who claims the name of Christ really belongs to Him.
- Most people who claim to be Christians are going to end in hell (destruction).
- Most of what claims to be the church of Jesus Christ, is not. That is to say, most visible churches, “christian” denominations, etc are on Broadway, packed with false believers, taught and led by false prophets.
How can we tell the difference? By their fruits. Not so much by what they say (though that needs to be examined as one “fruit” as well) but by their practice.
Matthew 7:20-23 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
See it again? I cannot emphasize strongly enough how important this is for us to all get hold of. ALL the people the Lord is speaking of judging on that Day here call Him Lord and spent their lives claiming to serve Him. Yet MANY are not known by Him at all.
If you have at all bought into the notion that infects the visible church today that assumes most all who say they are Christians surely are, that most everyone is surely going to end in heaven, then you need to seriously re-examine your thoughts in light of Scripture. It seems that in so many local churches and “Christian” organizations today, the only thing regarded as heresy is to doubt someone’s salvation!
The fact that oppressed people like domestic violence victims and sexual abuse victims are being dealt rank injustice in what claims to be the Christian church today, and that the wicked such as domestic violence abusers and sexual predators are being enabled and allowed to remain in the pews, is strong evidence of a widespread denial of the faith once and for all delivered to the saints.
This post is excellent, Pastor! I have become so much wiser through your teachings about what the Scriptures teach us vs the false teachings of false teachers and leaders of the church about the Scriptural facts that there are many more people who profess to be born again but are not true Christians. And ways to tell the difference.
I’ve recently had the occasion to comment on a blog about a pastor’s teaching about “Grace”. He often comments on Grace in a way that says it is extended to anyone who says he/she is a Christian-regardless of the fruits they do or do not display. Even those who display the most habitual, harmful, rotten fruits! These false teachings deny the existence of all the many Scriptures you refer to often about false prophets, teachers and Christians. Those Scriptures are just ignored in his teachings. Inconvenient truths.
Of course, Jesus’ own Words about the Broad road vs the Narrow road clearly back up the fact that most people saying they are Christians cannot be. Only a few of them truly are on the Narrow, hard road and going to heaven. Most are going to hell in a big crowd. This teaching is ignored too. It’s incompatible with the false message of cheap grace for all. The false belief that you can keep on intentionally sinning while you call yourself a Christian-sin even MORE!-because now you are under “grace”. Mocking God’s grace. Paul warned against that false teaching!
Unfortunately, some false teachers are entrenched in their teaching because it is popular and it very much appeals to the itching ears of those who don’t WANT to change their sinful ways. The ones on Broadway.
The pastor on whose blog I commented about this false teaching about grace completely ignored my comment. I know he thinks I am some sort of “legalist” or “works-based” believer-which he calls people who adhere to ALL the Scriptures as God’s inerrant Word, including those pointing out the falsity of teachings on the subject of “grace for the masses”-no change of heart or behavior required. No fruits of repentance. No desire to turn from sin which true Christians would have because the Holy Spirit now lives in us and we WANT to be holy and pleasing to God.
No, he believes ALL who say they are believers are now covered under the “all-encompassing blanket of grace” without EVER allowing God to turn their hearts of stone to hearts of ones of flesh, putting off the old self of the flesh and living by the power of the Spirit of God to turn away from and resist sin. Not perfect on this earth. But no longer sinners! And when we occasionally fall short and sin, we quickly feel convicted and we repent to our holy God.
This pastor even said grace applies to my lifelong abusers who falsely claim to be “Christians” while abusing physically and all other ways all while calling themselves Christians to the outside world. Never a change of heart or behavior in keeping with ANY repentance. In fact, they got worse over time! He implies they are going to be in heaven!
Yet, I’m sure he thinks I’m a heretic!
The many who call Jesus Lord to whom the Lord Jesus will say he never knew them are calling Jesus lord too late! After the grave everyone will bow the knee and call Jesus lord .Didn’t Romans 10:9 say everyone who call Jesus lord out loud with the mouth publicaly will be saved? Therefor the true reason Jesus says to the unsaved he never knew them is that they didn’t come to Jesus and say Lord publicaly like romans 10:9 says must happen before the grave according to Luke 23:verse 42 and 43 the thief did address Jesus as lord prior to asking for salvation because Lordship precedes salvation.If the thief had not confessed Jesus as Lord prior to asking to be saved Jesus wouldn’t have been his lord and therefor wouldn’t have had the authority to grant salvation this is why the Holy Ghost empowered the thief to address Jesus as Lord to give the Lord Jesus the authority to grant salvation to the thief.
Also by telling Jesus about the many good works they did proves they believed in a works salvation. They proved by what they sais that they didn’t believe Ephesians 2:8 “Ye are saved by grace and not by works least anyone bosast.