It may have come as nothing new to you to read that “the many” who Jesus was referring to in His parable (Matthew 22:1-14) is a reference to all people. But Jesus was not teaching so called Christian Universalism or the view that, regardless of belief every human being who has or will ever live will ultimately be saved and restored to a right relationship with God.
The Bible makes it clear, while everyone will give answer to God in Heaven for the things that they did in the flesh, not everyone will live there for eternity. Those who believed in the Lord Jesus will give answer at the “judgement seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10) they will be judged and rewarded on the basis of the works they did for Jesus AFTER they believed in Him (see Matthew 16:27, Revelation 2:23, 1 Peter 1:17). The rest of mankind, all who ever lived but never believed in Jesus Christ will appear before Him who sits on the “great white throne” (see Revelation 20:11-15); but they will not have a part in the kingdom of Heaven.
That being said, how DO the “many” who are called become “the few” who are “chosen” (literally ĕklĕktŏs – selected , chosen out from among, or approved) by God?
Look again at the parable we are discussing; the king’s servants, without discrimination or partiality and per his orders again went out and invited everyone they could find to the feast. Those invited came just as they were in terms of character, social status and even apparel and were supplied the necessary wedding apparel by the host – the King himself; this was customary during the days in which this parable was told. That this was the case in our parable becomes apparent in (vs. 11-12):
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.”
Clearly, everyone at the feast came without the proper attire for a wedding. Graciously, the host provided appropriate attire to all, but one guest did not feel it necessary to take put it on. That one, represents all people (including the religious leaders to whom Jesus directed this parable) who because of self-righteousness, tradition, religion or their good works think that they do not need the approved covering which the king supplied by which to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. The improperly attired guest had been invited like the rest and a way had been made for him to be acceptable to the host but he refused it and was (v.13) bound hand and foot, taken away from the feast and cast “into outer darkness, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
My friends, remember this parable concerns the kingdom of Heaven and specifically entrance into it; this man’s expulsion from the wedding feast illustrates a far more fearful outcome for the purpose of helping all people see the right and only way to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
If you are a Christian today the process was NOT initiated by you. “He who began a good work in you” (see Phil. 1:6) – God the Father, by way of His Holy Spirit invited you into the kingdom of Heaven. The Spirit of God convicted you both of your own sinfulness and neediness (John 16:7-15) as well as of the love of God in Jesus Christ toward you (Romans 5:8-11) and when you believed, you were clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Colossians 2:14, 2 Corinthians 5:21).
The apostle Peter wrote in (1 Peter 1:18-19:
“…you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
That precious blood of Jesus, shed on Calvary’s cross cleanses us from all unrighteousness and by it, we are in essence clothed in garments of white (see Psalm 51:7, Isaiah 1:18-20; Revelation 7:9-14). To be clear, our covering is NOT external. While one day, in the kingdom of Heaven we will wear a garment of white, believers today have an internal covering: the blood of Jesus “cleans(es) our conscience(s) from dead works to (or, so that we can) serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14). By faith in the shed blood of Jesus, we “…were WASHED, but you were SANCTIFIED, but you were JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God;” (1 Corinthians 6:11) the blood of Jesus Christ having cleansed us from all sin (see 1 John 1:7).
The blood of Jesus and His righteousness exchanged for our sinfulness from His cross IS the covering by which we may be numbered among the accepted few….
Join me for the conclusion to this study tomorrow…
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