No. Salvation is not difficult to attain; it is a free gift offered at ground level to every person, received by believing the gospel.
God's grace and the free gift through Christ Jesus abound to many who will believe, and the door to salvation is on ground level—not on a cliff, across a river, or behind an impossible mountain. Les Feldick emphasizes that no one has to climb, pay, or 'shape up'; the way in is to believe and enter in. People miss it because they cannot accept that eternal salvation comes by doing nothing, but that is exactly what God demands.
Romans 5:15 — Shows that God's grace and the gift by grace through Jesus Christ abound to many, making salvation a gift rather than a difficult task.
Romans 3:24 — Declares that believers are justified freely by His grace, confirming that salvation is not earned or hard to reach.
Romans 5:15-16 draws the contrast between Adam and Christ. Through the offense of one, many are dead; yet the grace of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man Jesus Christ, abounds to many. The judgment by one offense brought condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. Romans 3:23-24 adds that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, yet believers are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Nothing in these verses describes a difficult climb, a payment, or an impossible task; the accent falls on a gift that is received by faith. Romans 8:1 likewise confirms that for those in Christ Jesus, there is now no condemnation.
Les Feldick answers the question with the analogy of the sheepfold door. He repeatedly asks where the door is: is it up on a sheer cliff, across a roaring river, or on the other side of an impossible mountain range? No—the door is on ground level, in front of every human being. All they have to do is believe it and enter in (Clips 1, 3, 7). Les stresses that nothing can be done to get us into heaven; we have to rest on the facts that we are sinners and sons of Adam, and then receive God's declaration that we are justified freely (Clips 2, 5). Les also clarifies that salvation is not a process. It is an instantaneous event—being translated from darkness to light, with sins forgiven and the believer justified—while Christian growth and Bible understanding are processes (Clip 4). He points out that the world misses this truth because it cannot believe that eternal salvation and the hope of all that glory come by doing nothing, but that is exactly what God demands (Clip 1).
Les uses the sheepfold door to show that salvation is right at ground level. It is not on a high sheer cliff requiring ropes and climbing gear, not across a roaring river needing a boat or raft, and not across the ocean where you have to be a millionaire to buy a ticket. In the same way, salvation is in front of every person; they simply believe and enter in. It is narrow, but the way in is simple. The door is in front of every human being, and all they have to do is choose to go through it. If they do not, it is not God's fault.
Les says the world is missing it because they cannot believe that you can have eternal salvation—the hope of all that glory—by doing nothing. Yet that is what God demands. Believers likewise cannot claim anything they do; nothing can be done to get into heaven. God condemns everyone as sons of Adam, but He has also declared that they can be justified freely, with no strings attached.
Les teaches that salvation is an event, an instantaneous event. Christian growth is a process, and Bible understanding is a process, but salvation is a one-time event. At that moment a person is translated from darkness to light, knows sin is forgiven, and knows he is justified. He also points out that in this age of grace it is never taught that we have to beg God to forgive our sins.
Les emphasizes that God accomplished everything in salvation—Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead—and we had nothing of our own energy. In that act, we did nothing in the flesh; it was all the work of God. Because justification is by faith, which is invisible and not something we work at, the only thing required is the will to go through the ground-level door.
Grace abounds through Christ's gift
Les teaches that as Adam plunged the human race into condemnation, Christ lifted it by His death, and the free gift of many offenses leads to justification—not to a difficult task.
The sheepfold door is on ground level
Les uses the sheepfold analogy to show that the entrance to salvation is on ground level, in front of every person; all they have to do is believe and enter in.
Nothing we do gets us into heaven
Les says nothing can be done to get us into heaven; the first step is believing God's verdict that we are sinners, and then receiving the free declaration that we are justified.
Salvation is always right at ground level
Les repeats the sheepfold analogy: salvation is not up in the air, down in a cave, or across a raging river; it is on ground level and we walk through that door by faith.
Salvation is an instantaneous event
Les teaches that salvation is not a process but a one-time event, and that in this age of grace we are never told to beg God to forgive our sins.
All of salvation was God's work
Les explains that justification is by faith, which is invisible and not worked at; all the work of salvation was accomplished by God.
Salvation is a reward and assurance
Les compares salvation to the greatest experience in human history—a blessed assurance of eternal life, not merely a fire escape—but still received on the basis of what God says.
The 'whosoever will' is always open
Les says the door to the sheepfold is ground level and in front of every human being; all they have to do is choose to go through it.
Romans 5:15: But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Shows that grace and the gift through Christ abound to many, setting the foundation for why salvation is attainable.
Romans 5:16: And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Contrasts Adam's judgment with the free gift that leads to justification.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Establishes that every person is a sinner, which is the first step in the faith that saves.
Romans 3:24: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Declares that justification is free, so salvation does not require human effort or difficulty.
Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Confirms that those who have believed in Christ are no longer under condemnation.
No. Les Feldick explains that the door to the sheepfold is on ground level, and all a person has to do is believe and enter in. God does not require climbing, paying, or working.
The first step of faith is to believe what God says about us—that we are sinners and sons of Adam—and then to believe God's declaration that we are justified freely by His grace.
Salvation is an instantaneous event. It happens at the moment of faith, while Christian growth and Bible understanding are ongoing processes.
Les says it is never taught in this age of grace that we have to beg God to forgive our sins. Salvation is based on what God has done, not our own efforts or repeated pleading.
Watch the Teaching: Why Grace Always Wins Over Sin — Romans 5:15-20 Explained