It is the Lord who approaches us in grace, awakens us by grace to the possibilities of grace. But having been awakened, having been led to the doorway of grace, we must commit all of our being to enter the doorway.
Someone asked Jesus, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able’ (Luke 13:23,24). The word strive is agonizomai which is used of an athlete straining to win the race or a soldier struggling in combat. Though it is God who initiates the salvation process, we are not passive spectators any more than an athlete or a soldier.
Matthew provides his version of this statement of Jesus: Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:13,14)
Truth Principle: There are two gates, two ways, two destinations in life.
Every day we make choices and our life is defined by our choices. Our ultimate choice has to do with eternal life. Jesus says that there are two gates, two ways. One is broad and wide. One is small and narrow. One leads to destruction. One leads to life.
The way of destruction is the way that denies the existence of God, life lived autonomously as if there is no God. The way of destruction may also be the way of those who invent gods of their own imaginations and attempt to please these imaginary gods with various rituals, works and offerings. It is also the way of those who believe in the true God but attempt to build righteous standing with Him through rituals, works and offerings. These all are the way of self-righteousness. All the religious systems of the world except one are built on the attempt to establish righteousness through our own efforts. This is life lived against the grain of the universe and always results in ruin.
The narrow road is the way of righteousness through faith in Christ — faith in His atoning death on our behalf, faith in His resurrection from the dead.
Truth Principle: The entrance to true, abundant, everlasting life is narrow.
Someone asked Jesus, Lord, are there just a few who are being saved? (Luke 13:23). The assumption in Israel was that when Messiah appeared, most of the nation would enter the kingdom of God. The sad reality, though, was that after three years of ministry, after countless miracles and astonishingly wise teaching, there were few true disciples. The leaders of the nation had rejected Jesus and the majority of the multitude that crowded around Him were interested in signs and wonders, fish and loaves, not costly, cross-bearing discipleship.
Jesus responded to the question with these words, Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many (Luke 13:24), and, Enter through the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13).
Jesus says that if we want to get on the road that leads to life, we must enter by the narrow door and the narrow gate. This door / gate is Jesus, who said, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved and go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:7-10).
1. Narrow does not refer to limited access. Peter reminds us that God is not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Ptr. 3:9). Jesus’ invitation to enter is infinitely great with grace, mercy and opportunity. Narrow refers to the reality that there are not multiple choices leading to everlasting life with God. There is only way, one door, one gate and that is Jesus, who said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14:6).
The narrow way is wide enough to include the most wicked sinner who repents of sin and turns to Christ in faith. The narrow way is small enough to exclude the most respectable person who refuses to turn from sin and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
This narrow entrance opens into abundant life, the unmeasured depths and heights of reconciled relationship with God. Through Jesus, the narrow gate, we enter into life redeemed from sin and from the slavery produced by sin, into the joyful freedom of the life set free. We enter into the purposed life, the fulfilling of the grand destiny that God planned for each of us. We enter into eternal life which is the quality of life God enjoys. We enter into abundant life.
2. Narrow is not about God trying to bind us, enslave us in this one narrow way. It is God offering us freedom through this one door, freedom from the counterfeit ways and words of religious impostors, false prophets and false messiahs who deceive us and ultimately lead to our destruction. God in His mercy has offered one door, one way. We don’t have to spend our lives trying door after door, guessing, being deceived by counterfeit entrances.
3. Narrow is not about God trying to limit our happiness by restricting us to this one door. It’s about God offering us abundant life and deliverance from the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. It’s about God opening the one door that leads to true, lasting fulfillment in this world and eternal life after death.
4. Narrow means we must enter on God’s terms, through faith in Christ and Christ alone. Neither our religious rituals nor our charitable works can earn or merit salvation. We do not enter the doorway of salvation because we were baptized, joined the church, attended holy communion, gave our time, talent and money to good works or because we were ordained and wore the robe of bishop. We are saved, redeemed by the grace of God working through faith. Faith in whom? Faith in Christ, the crucified, risen Son of God, Lord of lords and King of kings.
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
5. Narrow means we must enter one at a time. We do not enter the kingdom of God because we joined a church with a thousand other people or because our family attends a church or because our ancestors were righteous. We enter alone through our own personal encounter with Christ.
6. Narrow means we enter intentionally. Jesus said, There are few who find it (Matt. 7:14). Few find it because many seek it on their own terms — according to their own good works or religious rituals. Few find it because many are distracted by pleasure, wealth and a multitude of other self indulgent behaviors. Few find it because many are self deceived, being wise and righteous in their own estimation. Few find it because many are misled by false prophets and false religions.
Few find it because it must be sought with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We musts strive, agonizomai to enter.Those who enter the narrow gate are passionate seekers of God, fervently desiring to know Him, to experience His forgiving, restoring grace. Through Jeremiah then Lord said, You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart (Jere. 29:13).
Few find it because it is gained through spiritual bankruptcy, the confession that we are spiritual debtors, impoverished sinners, unable to save ourselves and utterly reliant on God to provide the necessary spiritual currency for our salvation. Jesus said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3).
Few find it because it is a way of absolute commitment to one Lord, of whom the Apostle Paul testified, For there is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all (I Tim. 4:5,6).
Some accuse us saying, “Isn’t that rather exclusive of you, to say that there is salvation through no one but Jesus?” Yes it is exclusive but all religions make exclusive faith claims.
Buddha taught that there is no God, rather, a universal consciousness into which we seek to merge. That claim is exclusive to all religions that claim there is one God or many gods. Hinduism teaches that there are 300,000,000 gods and we can worship as many or as few as we desire. That claim is exclusive to the Buddhist, who says there is no god and to the Muslim, the Jew and the Christian who say there is only one God.
The Muslim says there is one God, His name is Allah and His prophet is Mohammed. That is exclusive to Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and Christians. All religions make exclusive faith claims. The question is, whose claim is true, whose faith claim will you believe?
The way of Jesus is narrow and this narrow entrance opens into grace, the outpouring of abundant life, the infinitely large country of reconciled relationship with God. Through Jesus, the narrow gate, we enter into life redeemed from sin and from the slavery produced by sin, into the joyful freedom of the life set free. We enter into the purposed life, the fulfilling of the grand, purposeful design that God planned for each of us. We enter into eternal life which is the quality of life God enjoys. We enter into grace.
There are many other doors that are much easier to fit through and which may appear to be pleasing, may be the popular choice, may be socially expedient, but these doors lead to destruction: There is a way which seems right to a man but its end is the way of death (Prov. 14:12). That is the broad way that leads to destruction and there are many who enter through it. Death and destruction are the doorways of popular choice.
The narrow way? There are few who find it, Jesus says (Matt. 7:14). Where is that door that leads to life? Not where but who. Jesus said, I am the door of the sheep (John 10:7).
How can we find the door? Jesus said, My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me (John 10:27). If we truly desire to find this door of salvation, the Lord will call us to Himself by His grace and open to us the door that leads to life. For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13). Don’t follow the crowd. Follow the Good Shepherd.
Truth Principle: God’s grace requires a disciplined response.
While it is certainly true that salvation is God’s gift (Eph. 2:8) and no one can come to the Lord unless the Father draws him (John 6:44), it is also true that a disciplined human response is required if we will access the saving gift of God.
Luke recorded Jesus’ statement about the narrow door in response to the question, Lord, are there just a few who are being saved? (Luke 13:23). Jesus answered, Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able (13:24).
As we said, the word strive, agaonizomai, means to struggle, to compete as for a prize, to contend with an adversary, to fight, labor or fervently endeavor to accomplish something. The word speaks of an athlete straining with every ounce of energy to win the prize or a solider, struggling against the enemy. From agaonizomai we derive the English word agonize.
Jesus said, The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it (or everyone is eager to get in, Luke 16:16). Jesus was referring to those who are pushing their way into the kingdom of God with intentionality; those who are desperate seekers of God, hungering and thirsting after true righteousness, mourning the poverty of their lost spiritual condition, fighting against the current of a world that is defying God and running from Him. Whole-hearted seekers of God are striving to enter by the narrow way.
Athletes live disciplined lives, they know the agony of training and competition. The battle-tested soldier has experienced the agony of life and death conflict. When Jesus exhorts us, Strive to enter through the narrow door, He does not mean that we must earn salvation by our works. The door is Jesus and He draws us to His gift of salvation. But entering the door requires the discipline of self denial, laying aside our former life, dying to self and living unto the Lord.
Jesus was not seeking fans or half-hearted seekers when He said, If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it (Luke 9:23,24). This is the life of disciplined commitment.
However, striving to enter is balanced by the truth that it is God who approaches us, awakens us from spiritual death, opens our spiritual eyes to our lost condition, draws us to Himself, brings us to repentance and gifts us with saving faith. But whom does God draw to Himself? Those whom He has awakened who then use their awakened freedom to seek Him. Whom does Christ feed with the bread of life? Those who have been aroused to hunger and thirst after Him.
It is Christ who comes to us offering the free gift of salvation but there must be a human response even to the gifts of God. It is a narrow way in the sense that we must intentionally turn from our sinful life which the world approves and accept the gift of faith in a Savior whom the world despises.
Again we are reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul, Work out your salvation with fear and trembling (with reverent humility) for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phlp. 2:12,13). Yes it is God who awakens us, draws us, gifts us with faith and yes, He is working in us to will what He wills and to do what He is doing. But we must walk it out day by day.
Truth Principle: There are few who find it implies that the narrow way is a way of discipline.
1. The discipline of the narrow way involves self control: We may have to wait for some of the reward (delayed gratification). The narrow way leads to life but some of the reward is later, not right now and sometimes, not even in this life time.
2. The discipline of the narrow way involves self denial: to fit through the door, we need to lose some baggage, in particular, our self-centered desire to be lord of our life.
In Luke 18:18-23 we read of Jesus’ encounter with a rich young ruler who asked how he could inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to give away all of his wealth and follow Him. The point is not that everyone needs to give away their wealth to enter the narrow way but this was the young man’s baggage: riches and power which prevented his full surrender to the absolute Lordship of Jesus. Numbed by his status, he was deceived that he was keeping the law perfectly and was thereby right with God. To gain everlasting life, he had to leave his baggage at the gate. The call is to follow Jesus. Whatever keeps us from answering that call needs to be thrown away.
3. The discipline of the narrow way involves child like dependance on God for the grace to enter and the grace to endure along the way. Jesus said, Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18:3).
What does the Lord mean when He says, Many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able? He means that many will seek to enter through false doorways, listening to deceptive voices. They will seek to enter through Mohammed or Buddha or Krishna or a thousand other doors which may be popular, politically or socially correct but only lead deeper into darkness. Or they may seek to enter through participation in Christian ritual but not through true repentance and faith in Jesus, the holy Lamb and risen Lord.
They may seek to enter through ministry works done in the name of a Christ whom they do not know. Jesus said, Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness’ (Matt. 7:22-23).
Truth Principle: The entrance to everlasting destruction is wide.
There is a broad way: it is popular, socially acceptable, feels good; it is crowded and so we have much company and there is pleasure in that way for a season but its end is destruction.
The Gate of Destruction:
1. It is the gate of self indulgence: all sins, all lifestyle choices are welcome.
2. It is the gate of self righteousness: all the proud rituals and religions of human invention open wide to those who would establish their own righteousness.
3. It is the gate of self deception, opening wide to those who are wise and righteous in their own eyes.
4. It is the gate of false religion, opening wide to the smiling invitation of false prophets and counterfeit messiahs.
The wide gate leads to a multitude of doors that are easy to fit through, appear to be pleasing, may be the popular choice, but these doors always only lead to destruction.
There is only one door that leads to life — repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. It is a door great and wide with grace. It is by grace that the Lord brings us to it. It is by grace that the Lord leads us through it.
Study Questions
1. What did Jesus mean when He said that the gate is narrow that leads to life?
2. What did Jesus mean when He said, Strive to enter through the narrow door?