Posted at Reformation Scotland:
In one sense, salvation is amazingly simple. You only need to believe in Jesus. In another way, though, Peter takes it as a given that “the righteous are scarcely saved” (1 Peter 4:18). The fault is on our side, with the lingering unsubdued sin in even the most righteous. The difficulties give us pause for thought and reason to review carefully what progress we are making in the Christian life. The Covenanting minister John Welwood (1649–1678) was known for the “fiery earnestness” of his preaching. He travelled around, preaching where he could, until he was banished to Perth. In the following updated abridgement of one of his sermons, Welwood explores the implications of the difficulties of salvation.One reason why the righteous are scarcely saved is because no one is so righteous as to be without their own faults, their own sins, their own failings. No one is so righteous but they have their own strayings. David confesses this. “I have gone astray like a lost sheep, seek thy servant” (Psalm 119:176).
The other reason is because God is a very holy and a spotless God. Not that He is an unmerciful God, or in any way cruel, but He is so holy a God in His nature and divine perfections. Compare together the corruptions that remain in the holiest of believers, and the spotless holiness of God and His infinite indignation against sin, and it is no wonder that the holiest people find a difficulty in coming to heaven.
How should we reason from this?