As my blog page is titled “The Narrow Gate”, I thought that my first blog should be on that topic.
In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount says, “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 narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
There are but two paths through life, denoted here as the narrow and the wide gates.
The Wide Gate:
- No restrictions
- All are welcome
- Everything is permissible
- “Easy sailing” through life
The Narrow Gate:
- Jesus is the door (John 10:9)
- Jesus is the only way (John 14:6, Acts 4:12)
- Suffering and persecution are part of the journey (Luke 21:12)
- Narrow, limited access
The majority of mankind from all time will ultimately find that they’ve journeyed through life on the broad path. For some, that will have been an active choice. For the majority, however, in failing to choose the narrow gate, they have chosen the wide gate. By default, mankind is on that broad path.
The narrow gate requires choices. First, one must be called by God through the agency of the Holy Spirit. This calling is known as election. Then the individual must actively choose Christ. In God’s providence, all that He calls WILL choose Christ. Finally, all on the narrow path will submit to the authority of Christ and be obedient to all He commands.
Figuratively speaking, the banner over each gate is marked with the same sign: “This way to heaven!”. Many seeing the vast number of people on the broad path will be swayed by the sheer number, reasoning that so many people couldn’t be wrong. Those on the broad path rightly see that the narrow path is difficult, it is single file, with few people on that narrow path. They reason that the path to heaven couldn’t be that difficult, and so are lulled into complacency.
Fortunately, there are many points along the broad path where, by God’s grace and calling, an individual may exit the broad path and enter onto the narrow path. May the Lord reveal Himself to the elect currently traveling on the broad path and bring them onto the narrow path, and a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
For an in-depth study on this topic, see The Broad Way and the Narrow Way by Arthur W. Pink, copyright 2014 by International Outreach, Inc. ISBN 9778-1-892838-28-5