I think that very few human beings, probably one in one-hundred, who say that they believe in Christ Jesus really have the faith to be in Christ and be transformed into a new creatures. When a Christian’s old self, marked by sin and brokenness, is replaced with a renewed self characterized by righteousness and holiness, he might be ready to receive inspiration from the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would teach sincere Christians all things, but he didn’t say that preparing to receive the instruction would be easy. This probably is the fear and trembling that Paul said must accompany a Christian’s sanctification process after becoming a babe in Christ. In the 2,000+ years since Christ Jesus suffered, bled, and died for mankind, people have become more and more tuned to the sinful music of the world than to the righteousness required to be in tune with the Holy Spirit. Remember Jesus saying in Matthew 7:13 that, “Enter 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.” Perhaps in a congregation of Christians in AD 45, there might have been 75 Christians out of a hundred who were tuned into the Holy Spirit to hear the same instructions. But not in 2025. You are correct that most Christians today have not been transformed into new creatures because they love the material things of the world more than the righteousness of Christ. Yet, the promise is there for any human Christian to avail himself, and the degree to which a sincere Christian can be instructed by the Holy Spirit hourly, daily, and weekly is based upon how close the Christian is willing to draw unto the Lord Jesus. Yes, it is more than possible for a congregation of sincere righteous Christians to hear the same words spoken by the Holy Spirit. By the time of the rapture and the first resurrection, evil will be so prevalent that there will be fewer than one out of a thousand souls to enter into the kingdom of God,
By the time of the rapture and the first resurrection, evil will be so prevalent that there will be fewer than one out of a thousand souls to enter into the kingdom of God,
Much of your post, such as the above statement, involves a really bold claim. That most Christians aren’t “Real Christians”. But what justification do you have to make such a claim?
More importantly. Do you assume that you are one of the few, one of the small minority of sincere, real, actual, true Christians? How do you know you are one of the true ones and not one of the not true ones? What are you looking at to make that determination?
There is a level of spiritual arrogance here and boasting in oneself that seems incredibly dangerous. St. Paul wrote that we have no room to boast, we can only boast in Christ, in God’s mercy, for it is not our efforts, our holiness, our righteousness, our ability–but rather God’s perfect mercy and grace that saves us. It is what Christ has done for us, thus we can boast in the Cross, but not in ourselves.
I would encourage you to do some introspection.
In my conversations with Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters I became acquainted with the concept of prelest. Prelest is a Russian word that translates roughly to “spiritual delusion”. In the Orthodox tradition prelest is viewed as a sickness of the soul in which a Christian becomes deluded into false spirituality–a person with prelest will think they have visions or dreams or spiritual experiences, or they will think they have attained holiness; but in truth they are deluded. It is not psychological, it is not mental illness, but spiritual illness. They are spiritually deluded, spiritually deceived, and the cure for prelest is humility, repentance, mercy. Let’s consider how dangerous it can be when we deceive ourselves into a false sense of spirituality. Which any of us can, and often does, fall into when we cease to have a penitent heart that throws itself before the throne of grace.
Let me see if I can clarify what I was purporting through the words of the Apostle Paul. In his second letter to Timothy, in 2 Timothy 3:14, Paul exhorts Timothy to continue in the things which he has learned, and exhorts Timothy to know and recall from he received the assurance that the things he learned were true and correct. I believe that Paul was referring to the Holy Spirit as the source of assurance. Why? In verse 16, Paul affirms that all scripture, written and spoken, is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and for instruction in righteousness. Inspiration means communication direct from God, through the Holy Spirit since all things will be taught to the Christian by the Holy Spirit; that is, according to Jesus. Doesn’t this go along with what the Apostle Peter said, that “we have a more sure word of prophecy, where unto we do well that we take heed? “For prophecy came in old time not by the will of man, but by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” In the New Testament era, how was prophecy to come? Are not Christians moved by the Holy Spirit in 2025 just as holy as men and women moved by the Holy Spirit anciently? Remember that Jesus gave some Apostles, some prophets, some pastors, and teachers to be in His Church. What did Paul say about spiritual gifts in 1 Cor. 14:1, “Follow after charity, or love, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophecy. What does prophecy mean, to speak the future, or to teach through the Holy Spirit? The true Christ is a speaker of prophecy, or gospel truth. Paul told Timothy that he could prophecy through the Holy Spirit, and to exhort other Christians to desire the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Christians who sincerely desire the teachings of Holy Spirit, and righteously endeavor to be Christ-like. will be in communion and hear the same words from the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit will NOT tell one sincere Christian one thing about Christian doctrine and another Christian a different thing. The Holy Spirit will speak to all sincere Christians different things about their own personal lives, as personal instruction.
Now, about the many who will be in hell and the few in heaven. Of the people who lived before Christ, there will be many more of those souls in heaven that those after the ascension of Jesus. I said that there would be few in heaven compared to ALL the people who have lived on the earth. The people before Christ lived by the law, involuntarily; so they were compelled to follow the law. The souls who have lived under grace since Christ left the earth are voluntarily sinning against God. How many Christian men lust after women in their hearts? The Holy Law is a silly thing today to most Christian men and women who like material things and money more than righteousness. How many rich men can get through the eye of a needle? I think that Jesus was talking about a literal sewing needle, because it takes a miracle to make a rich man righteous. Hence, that s going to preclude nearly all of them US representatives, senators, and presidents who have have been elected from getting into heaven; or does God given them exception?
Remember what Jesus said about those in the last day who will cry, “Lord, Lord” in Matthew 7:21-23. Many, probably trillions, alive then will claim to have prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles in Jesus’ name, only to be told by Jesus, “I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!” Was Paul bragging about his closeness to the Lord when he accused the Galatians of being bewitched by the devil? I have found my closeness to the Lord through knowing what it is like to be far away from the master. I pray that you, Bruce, will find the same closeness to the Lord and to the Holy Spirit that I have found.
@Norton-hears-a-who-enters, They aren’t all rich and corrupt, lol 
. That might be a stretch but your premise may ring true.
Let’s talk about politicians, elected and unelected, and their righteousness. From 1789 until around 1940, most elected federal politicians were not millionaires before they were elected, but through continuous reelection and voting-in their own exorbitant salary increases, they amassed personal fortunes. In the current Congress, as of the year 2020, over half of the members were millionaires and the median net worth of members was approximately $1 million. The “poorest” member of Congress is supposedly the Muslim Illhan Omar, who is allegedly worth around $65,000, but credible reports say she gets money for her lifestyle from other unnamed sources. Most of the poorest senators and representatives in Congress are worth more than $500,000. Only one percent of the 264 million hardworking adult U.S. citizens has the net worth of 96 percent of current Congress members.
So, yes, I do believe that Jesus statement about the camel and the eye of a needle applies to ALL wealthy people, especially those who indolently receive and spend the exorbitant tax money of hardworking Americans they receive as salaries. Now, what about Charlie Kirk, the unelected politician, who derived his income from supportive people, who was worth around 15 million dollars at the time of his death. He made all of his money as CEO from the contributions sent to Turning Point. He owned three large luxurious homes and lived a lavish lifestyle. Did Jesus approve of Kirk’s wealth? Did Kirk use his unearned income in the way Jesus had commanded Christians to do? Jesus and only Jesus will judge Kirk, but I am unconvinced that he was able to get through the eye of a needle.
I don’t believe in judging Charlie Kirk or any other rich person as to their eternal destinies, @NortonNowlinMA. But let’s look at that passage to which you referred. Does Jesus mean that every rich person will be unsaved?
Mat 19:23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mat 19:25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
Mat 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
I think that you can see in the context, Norton, that Jesus didn’t mean to say that God will not rescue all rich people from their unbelief. The seemingly-impossible (the camel and the needle) is possible with God (verse 26). And rich people will enter God’s kingdom with great difficulty (verse 24). Always consider the context of a verse in order to interpret it correctly.
In addition, look at the dramatic conversion of a rich man named Zachaeus:
Luk 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
Luk 19:9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
Luk 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Bruce, I know that a “few” rich people will be in heaven, but very few. I believe that is what Jesus meant about the camel and the eye of a needle. It takes a miracle for a rich person to get to heaven Zacchaeus was indeed a miracle, but very few rich people will be like Zacchaeus. I believe that most wealthy people will realize what they have to do to get into heaven, but their hearts will be too set on the things of the world and retaining and increasing their riches. It is not money that corrupts and is the root of all evil, but a person’s love of money. It takes a miracle to separate any millionaire from his or her money. After CS Lewis wrote his “Chronicles of Narnia,” he became very wealthy and said, “I give most of my money to the poor, because I don’t like to called a rich man.” CS Lewis was a certainly a miracle coming out of atheism and accepting the grace of Christ. Yes, Bruce. There will only be rich people in heaven who undergo a miraculous change in their hearts and lives. Sadly, most rich people will be too proud to humble themselves before God and allow the Savior to work a miracle on them.
I agree, @NortonNowlinMA. That same miracle of the new birth happens to all believers. How else can we awaken from our death to God, as Paul so eloquently put it in Ephesians 2:1-7?
Eph 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
Eph 2:2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
Eph 2:3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Eph 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Eph 2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Eph 2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ah, Bruce, that is what sanctification all about, the cleansing and purifying of the soul over time in order to be a continuous receptacle of the Holy Spirit. God is always merciful and willing that all of his children receive a fullness of the Lord Jesus’ instructions and confirmations. Righteousness must be desired in order to be received and practiced. That is what the Apostle Paul meant when he exhorted all Christians to pray without ceasing, for especially in this day and age the devil goes about as a roaring lion, a predator, seeking the lukewarm Christians who are drawn daily to old sin and materialism, whom he may devour. Keep up the good fight, Bruce, and keep the faith!
You’re so right, @NortonNowlinMA. That is the reason I wrote the book Overcome Modern Idols: Beat 31 False gods (Amazon), indeed, all of my books, which you can see, if you want to, by putting my name, Bruce Leiter, into the Amazon search box on the main page. They are all about, in one way or another, sanctification.
I am at the county library this morning using their electronic resources and sitting across from two young teenage Mormon (LDS) agents, which that cult calls missionary elders, who are using the library’s computers. When I see them, my mind reflects on the 30 years that I spent laboring for Satan, from 1970 until 2000, and the 65 lukewarm Christians that I devilishly persuaded to follow Joseph Smith to their spiritual peril. I spent nearly all of my time as an elder in Mormonism in Mormon missionary work. And I now poignantly think about the 90 thousand young men and women who are constantly in service to Satan year-in and year-out for two years-time as the 700-billion-dollar Utah cult is incessantly recruiting and baptizing tens of thousands of lukewarm Christian converts into Mormonism. Actively opposing Mormonism and the other false gospels is much more than praying for the souls of lukewarm Christians. It means calling out the agents of darkness and using the power of the Holy Spirit to depose them and expose their doctrines of devils. Evangelism was exemplified by the Apostle Paul in his undiminished efforts to establish truth and righteousness. Listen to the Holy Spirit and if that still small voice in your mind beckons you to speak-up and declare the gospel of Christ, do it! You will not regret being in the service of the Savior.