[editor-surveyor]

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The problem many have is that they mistake “belief” as the apostles preached it with simple intellectual belief in the truth of those statements. But John raised that standard much higher in his first epistle, to doing the things he did for the same reasons that he did them.

That is a much higher level than most will ever be willing to mount, thus the narrow path.
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[jimmyray]

1 John 2:22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.
23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Be careful of a secret gospel. Salvation is by faith (belief) alone! We show our faith by our love for one another, and by loving God. We should keep his commands, not to be saved, but as proof that we are.

John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

1 Cor 12:3b "and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."

We confess because we ARE saved, not in order to be saved!

[jimmyray]

While I understand your "higher level", Jesus said we must come to him as a little child. Salvation is not earned by our adherence to some higher path, difficult way, or keeping of commandments. It is by belief in Jesus Christ, and the ability to believe is a gift from God the Father! Salvation has nothing to do with us, our intellect, or our effort. Did you write your own name in the Book of Life? Did you choose yourself? Did you elect yourself? NO! If you did, you could boast of your superior faith, intellect or effort.

Salvation is God's work alone, and he gave us to Christ as an inheritance.

Ephesian 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

[jimmyray]

To follow up on the believer's election:

1 Peter 1:2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

If you are a believer that Jesus is LORD and Christ, the you were chosen, predestined, and are already glorified by God. Note the sequence here: 1-forknew 2-predestined 3-called 4-justified 5-glorified, all before you ever heard of Jesus!

Romans 8: 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.