I finally go the reblogging to work….You can read my comments to Mike’s post below…
I tried to reblog but that link is not working on this post.
Some 12-15 years ago my men’s reading group read Mead.
Quite convicting, look forward to your future comments.
I have noted that John Bunyan has two little books expressing similar ideas:
The Strait Gate,
or, Great difficulty of going to heaven
The Barren Fig Tree,
or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor.
It seems pretty evident that we don’t get to God through our own Righteous. The Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones old Ephesians sermons I’m currently listening to make that point clearly. Free access on their website.
And Old John Gill made this point about understanding the “scarcely” verse:
1 Peter 4:18
And if the righteous scarcely be saved,…. Reference is had to Pro 11:31 where in the Septuagint version are the same words as here: the “righteous” are such, not who are so in their own opinion, or merely in the esteem of others, nor on account of their vility, morality, and external righteousness before men, or by the deeds of the law;
but who are made righteous by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them: and such are “scarcely saved”; not as if they were but in part saved, for they are completely saved; Christ has wrought out and finished a complete salvation for them;
and they are saved from all enemies, and everything that might hurt them; from sin, Satan, the law, the world, hell, and death; and they are completely justified, and have all their sins pardoned, and shall be perfectly saved: nor as if their salvation was doubtful;
for though they are scarcely, yet certainly saved; for they are chosen to salvation, and Christ has obtained it for them, and they have the application of it already made to them by the blessed Spirit; and being justified, or made righteous persons, nothing is more certain than that they shall be glorified:
but they are said to be “scarcely” saved, because of the difficulty of it, both with respect to Christ, who met with difficulties in working out their salvation; by reason of the strictness of divine justice, and the demands of the righteous law, which would make no abatement; the sins of his people he had to bear, and make atonement for; the many enemies he had to grapple with, and the accursed death of the cross, he had to undergo; though they were such he was able to surmount, and did:
and especially with respect to the saints themselves; for though their salvation is certain and complete, being finished by Christ, yet their enjoyment of it is attended with many difficulties; by reason of the corruptions of nature, a law in their members warring against the law of their minds; the frequent temptations of Satan, who seeks to devour them, and their wrestlings with principalities and powers, which are above their match; and also by reason of various afflictions and persecutions, and many tribulations, which make their way to eternal life a strait way, and through which they must enter into the kingdom of heaven: and if this be their case, as it is,
Rainbow Trout 