How do you know if you are entering by the narrow gate or the wide gate? Jesus warns us in the closing section of the Sermon on the Mount that in this life there are two paths and two destinations. One path leads to Heaven and one path leads to Hell. One is by grace alone and leads to the knowledge of and surrender to the truth of God and His Word. The other trusts in works and self-righteousness and never leads to the knowledge of truth. It is important to make sure that you enter by the narrow gate.
I want to pick up where I left off in Living Truth: Jesus. As I mentioned in that post, so many Christians’ ideas of Jesus come more from the world than from Scripture. As a matter of fact, they try to separate Him from the rest of God’s Word. For many their knowledge of Jesus Christ doesn’t go beyond Sunday School stories, the song “Jesus Loves Me”, and a couple handpicked Bible verses, and it really shows.
Many of the teachings of Jesus found in the gospels are warnings to those who claim to know God and don’t. This is a fitting message since many of the progressive Christians of our time reject Jesus’ real mission which is to save us from our sin and shine light on the darkness of sin. Instead they embrace the darkness and claim that Jesus would too if He were here. One of Jesus’ most powerful warnings is found in this passage of Scripture.
The Wide and Easy Gate
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. Matthew 7:13
For years I was walking through the wide and easy gate. There were many ways on this road, and it seems like most of the world was on this path with me. I was just trying to be a good Christian. This meant being nice to others (however I defined it), donating to charity (but not sacrificially), and doing my good deeds when it was convenient for me. And I made sure others saw my good works because I was more interested in my reward here on Earth (Matthew 6:1).
I believed Jesus was one of the many ways to God. Who was I to judge? I didn’t see the harm in everyone just finding their own way to God. This way of thinking never put me at odds with the rest of the world, which should have been proof that I wasn’t following Christ. I see so many of my friends and family walking through this wide and easy gate. Their idea of Christ comes from the world and not from His Word. They strive to do what the world calls “good.” They refuse to repent of sin in their lives and often compare themselves to others. I’m not as bad as that guy. They reject the truth of God’s Word for the lies of the world.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:18-19
The Narrow and Hard Gate
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:14
I used to watch others walk through the narrow and hard gate and think, they’re too religious. They’re making it harder than they need to. Again, like most progressive Christians today, I put more value on Jesus’ teaching and life than I did His atonement for my sin. And clearly, like most progressives, I didn’t read my Bible because most of Jesus’ teachings were about my need for a Savior and the difficulty of following Him. Following Jesus means denying my sinful self (Matthew 16:24), being obedient to God (John 15:10), and being hated by the unbelieving world around me.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:37-39
The greatest cost of following Christ in my life is that my faith has put me at odds with some of my closest family and friends. Some of the changes are subtle. There are relationships that aren’t as close as they once were because of my faith. Then there are other relationships where my faith has caused hostility and friction. In both situations, I look to God for opportunities to love my friends and family in a way that points them to Christ knowing that the world tells them that I am intolerant, unloving, and a bigot. My heart breaks for these fractured relationships, but my prayer is that my faith points them to the narrow gate.
Good Fruit
A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Matthew 7:18-20
Many believe good fruit is me in my own strength doing good Christian things just for the sake of doing good things. They believe being a Christian is about social justice and inclusivity. They refuse to believe that God would throw anyone into the fire, but Jesus warns us to be sure that we are producing good fruit. According to God’s Word, good fruit requires abiding in Him (John 15:5), repentance of sin (Matthew 3:8), trusting in the Lord (Jeremiah 17:7-8), and pruning (John 15:2).
In order to bear good fruit, we must surrender to God’s commands in Scripture. We must know what He calls sin and repent of it. We must be teachable and willing to make changes when God’s Word convicts us. It means trusting that what He says is truth and rejecting everything else as lies. Our faith should propel us to always be maturing in Him and to help others to mature in Him (Colossians 1:28-29). Bearing good fruit may come at a great cost, but it is proof that your faith is healthy.
Doing The Will of God
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23
I mentioned before that these are the words that convicted me when I came to faith. Jesus says not everyone who calls on Him will enter the kingdom of heaven except the one who does the will of His Father. We must ask ourselves, are we doing the will of God or are we doing the will of the world? The only way we can know is through God’s Word.
I encourage you this week to read your Bible. Stop listening to everyone around you. If God’s Word challenges the way you were raised or what you were taught to believe, let it. Stop googling verses to support your arguments and approach God’s Word with a desire to know His truth. Not a desire to confirm yours. Only then will you be able to enter by the narrow gate. Be sure to visit my Resources Page for Bible study tools. I would love to hear from you. Send me an email through my Contact Page.