And someone said to Jesus, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And
he said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many,
I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. "Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand
outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will
answer and say to you, `I do not know where you are from.' Then you
will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our
streets'; and he will say, `I tell you, I do not know where you are
from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.' "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 yourselves being thrown out.
Luke 13:23-28.
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that
leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. The gate is narrow and the way is difficult which leads to life
and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:13-14.
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his
son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited
to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent
out other slaves saying, "Tell those who have been invited, 'Behold, I have
prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and
everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.'" But they paid no
attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,
and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those
murderers and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves,
'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to
the wedding feast.' Those slaves went out into the streets and
gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was
filled with dinner guests. But when the king came in to look over
the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,
and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding
clothes?' And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the
servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in
that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many
are called, but few are chosen."
Matthew 22:1-14 (cf. Rev 19:8).
Brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and
election sure.
2 Peter 1:10.
