Luke 13: 23-30 – God saves!

When reading Luke 13 today, I saw yet another example of God’s sovereign salvation:

23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them,

24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’

27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’

28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.

29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.

30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

This passage underlines several important aspects of salvation.

First, not everyone will be saved. This shouldn’t be news, although it might be for some. We will only be able to be saved if we seek Jesus himself, rather than pursuing salvation for it’s own sake.

Second, we cannot save ourselves. Again, this shouldn’t be new to anyone. Only Christ Jesus, through his blood, can save us. If we stick to our own good deeds (which aren’t), to some romantic view of a loving God that forgets everything to save everyone, or even to some exotic religion, we will “not be able” to save ourselves. Romans 10:9 – “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is the only way, and it is HIM that saves us by his sovereign grace. The Lord will save whom he pleases, as he says in Romans 9.

And finally, the end is near. There is a time for choice, but that is running out. It is time to reach out and spread the word – for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17). This passage teaches what will happen to the unrepenting – we need to let the Lord save people through us!