Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Swaggart was a televangelist back in the 80's and 90's. He committed adultery, was exposed, gave a farcical "repentance" message, and was "restored" to ministry very soon after. He has absolutely no credibility in my view.

Sanctification includes both the Cross and the Holy Spirit.

1. Paul said (and this should be true for all Christians): I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20) This means that the power of sin, the power of the flesh, or the old sinful Adamic nature, was destroyed at the cross, and therefore sin shall NOT have dominion over you.

2. At the same time, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit within that Christians can live a victorious life in Christ: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Phil 2:13)

Christians should not be focused on, or practising, sinful thoughts and deeds. Their focus must be on doing God's will. It is that simple.

Gal. 5:11 NLT: The Apostle Paul said, "Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised--as some say I do--why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the Cross of Christ, no one would be offended.

Paul is stating that the Cross is an offence? Why are people offended by the Cross of Christ and want to turn away from it and demean it?

I am going back to scripture, reassessing what I have understood. The facts of the Lord I start with is that our creator God is a loving God whose aim for us is to have us live with Him forever. That fact must be part of every interpretation. Another fact is that sin kills. What is of God produces,(here on earth) abundance, peace, what is good. Sin produces want, fighting, dark things. But added to this and what we must fit into this is that God created all things including sin. When God made up it meant there was a down. Wide has a narrow. So we can say that God causes sickness, poverty, etc. but only as a result of sin.

Thanks so much for reasoning with me and pointing me to scripture I have missed.

What Paul was teaching was a reversal of his former teaching. Before he taught that you must follow the rituals like fleshly circumcision, kosher eating to be saved. Paul reversed that and was teaching the cross was the way to salvation.

Who are the Christians who don't believe it? Where is your evidence that "so many" don't?

The Apostle Paul also said, "18 For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

Why is the Cross of Christ the power of God? Are those people who think that the Cross of Christ is foolishness saved?

If you have this belief that God never changes, period, then yes, I can understand that it can be difficult for you to understand the true significance of the Cross, what Jesus did.

For me, I agree that God stays the same. Being a holy God, he must punish sin. David did not have the benefit of Jesus paying the penalty for his sin, so God had to punish David, even though it was tempered with mercy since David did not die.

For us under the new covenant however, Jesus paid for our sins, God punished Jesus on the cross so that he will never ever punish us for our own sins.

Thus, what you said about So we can say that God causes sickness, poverty, etc. but only as a result of sin, to me is incorrect. God will never cause me to be poor or sick because of my sins.

If he does that still, he would have to apologize to Jesus, who was my substitute. And God planned it that way, he cut the new covenant with my representative Son of Man, Jesus, so that I can be confident in his goodness.

New International Version
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.