What does the verse mean: "Many are called but few are chosen"

When we are born again, by the sovereign grace of God, we are given the imputed righteousness of Christ. which is the wedding garment. Most of God's born again people are still babes in Christ, without the knowledge that they have the imputed righteousness of Christ, and are going about trying to establish their own righteousness by their works of the old law. These born again christians are who Christ told his Apostles to go and preach to, when he instructed them to go and preach to the lost sheep (born again children) of the house of Israel, All of the elect are called, but few of the elect are chosen to be revealed the truth of the doctrine of Christ. Romans 8:28-39. Matt 7:13-14, Those elect that go into the wide gate are the babes in Christ (the many called) who are depending upon their good works to get them to heaven, and those that go into the straight gate are the elect (few chosen) that have the knowledge of the righteousness of Christ. Both of the gates are children of God who Christ died for and have an eternal inheritance of heaven.

When we are born again, by the sovereign grace of God, we are given the imputed righteousness of Christ. which is the wedding garment. Most of God's born again people are still babes in Christ, without the knowledge that they have the imputed righteousness of Christ, and are going about trying to establish their own righteousness by their works of the old law. These born again christians are who Christ told his Apostles to go and preach to, when he instructed them to go and preach to the lost sheep (born again children) of the house of Israel, All of the elect are called, but few of the elect are chosen to be revealed the truth of the doctrine of Christ. Romans 8:28-39. Matt 7:13-14, Those elect that go into the wide gate are the babes in Christ (the many called) who are depending upon their good works to get them to heaven, and those that go into the straight gate are the elect (few chosen) that have the knowledge of the righteousness of Christ. Both of the gates are children of God who Christ died for and have an eternal inheritance of heaven.

As hard as it is to accept, not everyone is saved. It is a very difficult idea to grasp because we all want to believe that everyone will be saved, but that simply is not the case. Christ died for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2), but many don't act upon that sacrifice and accept Him as Savior. Their hearts are hardened and they reject Christ. Many even reject the idea of God entirely. These people aren't chosen. They aren't apart of the elect. READ EPHESIANS 1:4-5: He chose us before the foundation of the world. In love, He PREDESTINED us.

13Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

You probably meant something different than how your posts will be interpreted. Are you saying that you believe they all go to heaven or are you saying that those on the broad way THINK they are going to heaven but they are wrong?

People who reject the idea of God might be pastors of churches 15 years from now. Rejecting the idea of God today does not mean they cannot choose the Gospel when they hear it with faith someday. At the point that they choose to believe they become part of the elect. We are all invited to have faith in Jesus. Those who do are accepted as the elect. Those who don't are not part of the elect. Their choice is what excluded them. In the foreknowledge of God he already knows how it all ends, but that never means we do not have a choice. This will keep getting discussed until Jesus comes back again and then we will see the Salvation of God Face to Face, Eye to Eye and understand how important it was for us to be using our time to preach the Gospel to every creature and we will be accountable for our laziness, indifference and sloth in this regard.

They are all the elect children of God, and all of the elect are going to heaven. I believe that Romans 10 deals with this same subject. Paul's prayer is that Israel (Jacob/Israel) might be saved (delivered, here in time, not eternally because they have already been born again) from their ignorance of God's righteousness. These are lost sheep (God's elect of the house of Jacob/Israel) because their shepherds have taught them a false gospel of eternal salvation by their good works. (Jer 50:6).

God changed Jacob's name to be called Israel (Gen 32:28) and Jacob is representative of God's elect people (Rom 9:6-16).

The straight gate that leads to life is not referring to eternal life, but to that good and abundant life, that God has made available to his obedient children as they sojourn here in this world. (Deut 30:19-20)..

13Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

It is obvious that he is talking about the Kingdom of God again. There is only one way in. Those on the broadway do not get in, they go into destruction instead.

Do you believe in checking commentaries to help you see if you are making mistakes in your interpretations?

That's what didn't make sense when I read an explanation given online at a bible answer site. The verse reads "Many are called but FEW ARE CHOSEN." I have to take that as I read it: showing that it is GOD who rejects, not the individual. It shows that for one reason or another God rejects that person. So if we can't come to God UNLESS we're FIRST CALLED - that shows me that God called that person. So God then rejected that person.

Another verse that ties in with it is "Wide is the road that leads to destruction, narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it.

So we're told that not many find the narrow road. It's a sobering thought - considering where the wide road leads.

The other verse I didn't understand is that only 144,000 are allegedly saved. I haven't looked at this closely or studied the meaning of it but it has been at the back of my mind.

I do not read other people's interpretation of the scriptures, other than on this forum. I believe that scriptures prove scriptures, and that they must all harmonize, by revelation of the Holy Spirit, in order to understand the doctrine that Jesus taught. I do use a Greek concordance.

Many children of God go into destruction by believing in false doctrines. Just look at the diversity in the people participating in this forum. Just because we are born again, does not mean that we don't carry the baggage of our fleshly nature with us. Paul explains that pretty well in Romans 8 thru 25.

13Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

You probably meant something different than how your posts will be interpreted. Are you saying that you believe they all go to heaven or are you saying that those on the broad way THINK they are going to heaven but they are wrong?

He believes that any person who believes in any type of god is born from above and on their way to heaven no matter their religion, or even if they deny belief in Christ. We debated this in one thread here on this site. It's probably listed under threads started by me.

He also believes and teaches that belief in the Gospel that is the power of God unto salvation only means that they experience a temporal deliverance in this life, which is the limit he places on salvation via the Gospel.

Of course this is all contrary to Scripture yet it is the false teaching of the heresy "Conditional Time Salvation" propagated by Primitive Baptists. They generally abuse and misapply 1 Corinthians 2:14 to such an extent that belief in a spirit god of any sort means "born from above." Belief in Christ or the Gospel isn't then necessary for eternal salvation.

I know some Christians who are more devils than Christian. I know other Christians who lie, and still others who are respecter of persons. So it made me seriously re-think whether all Christians were really going to heaven.

Many are called but few are chosen

The attitude of those who labored all day and bore the heat of the day expecting more than what was agreed because the ones that came last and did not have the same requirements. This parable is about the Jews who did not think that salvation through faith in Christ alone was fair especially for gentiles. They had the wrong attitude. They should be glad that the Lord of the Harvest accomplished the goal which was to get the harvest in, but they could not see it from the perspective of the will of the Lord of the Harvest. They should have been glad that the ones who came last were paid the same because without them they would have failed at the task, getting the field harvested. This parable like many others was explaining that the Jews who were called first would be last because of their wrong attitude and missing the day of their visitation.

The Lord gives us His principles. When scripture is read as a fight between Jew and Gentiles instead of God speaking to all men, they are often in error. Gal. 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

This applies to the Pharisees but it is telling us that God forgives based on faith not works.

The personal application would be that you should have a zeal for accomplishing God's mission in getting the harvest in, even if your part seems to be harder than someone else's part. The joy of getting the harvest in (saved souls) because 1) you love people and 2) it is God's plan and you love God and want to accomplish his will.

You should consider yourself unworthy of special honor or extra pay, and you should rejoice if someone else gets the same rewards as you but who did not have to go through the same hardships in the Masters service as you did.

This would be the same lesson whether you applied it to yourself or the erroneous religious mindset of the Jewish leaders Jesus was trying to correct. He knew they would not get it, but He knew others would read this and get it and say... "If I had been a Pharisee I would have embraced love and mercy and wanted to see sinners saved instead of being offended that the gentiles were going to be allowed eternal life and the inheritance of Abraham without following the strict guidelines of the Law." We view it in hindsight with spiritual illumination having been born again and operating in loving compassion.

So yes these parable are more for us than for those who were blinded to them, however in order to apply it to myself I must first grasp the main lesson being taught which requires that I see the correction being directed to the self righteous, proud spirit of the deceived Pharisee who thought they were the ones who had a zeal for the WORD of God and others were not as zealous for the Word as they were. Only when I understand it in its intended application can I then apply it correctly to my own life.

And it does always apply to my own life if I see in it something of myself. I might ask "How can I expect God to be toward me from this?" and the answer will always be "God will always be Himself as he has been in the past"

Do you think that the intended application of the four gospels has to do with the Jew/gentile question more than an exposure of God for all mankind? Often people who believe this say lots of what God tells us about His principles in the OT was only for the national state of Israel, and they feel that no gentile is included in Israel. Christ stated that He came for the Jews.