Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter ye at the strait Gate; for wide is the gate, and broad
is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat;
because strait is the Gate, and narrow is The Way, which leadeth unto Life, and
few there be that find it.” KJV
“Enter through the narrow Gate; for the gate is wide and the
way is broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are
many. How narrow is The Gate and difficult is The Way that leads to life, and
those who find it are few.” TLV
Many quote “The straight and the narrow road.” When talking
about the meaning of this scripture and Salvation; we understand the difference
between the two ways and gates. But there is an incorrect understanding about
the difficult Way and the narrow Gate. It is not a road, like the “Long and
winding road” or JESUS would have called it a road, JESUS is not the road of or
to Salvation. JESUS is Salvation and we are called to follow His Way, The Way
of Faith and Obedience
There are so many Scriptures that relate to this teaching of
JESUS, “I Am The Way, and The Truth, and The Life! No one comes to The Father
except through Me!” (John 14:6) JESUS told the people. “Many are called, but
few are chosen.” (Matthew 20:16, 22:14) JESUS defined the conclusion of two
parables with this statement. He also told us that we are to take up our cross daily
and follow Him.” (Matthew 10:38-39, 16:24-27; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-26, 14:25-27;
and so did the disciples Philippians 2:12-18, 3:12-16; 2 Timothy 3:10-14; 1
Peter 2:20-25; and many more.)
The fact is that most of us are not looking for The Way
(JESUS or GOD); some of us come to GOD through the desperate situation in which
we finally understand we cannot help our self and we call out to GOD, Who in
his Mercy delivers us and if we recognize it we can become saved through JESUS.
Some of us are just going through life when we meet JESUS through what seems
like some ordinary circumstance and we begin a process of discovery that brings
us to the realization of JESUS as The Son of GOD, The Savior of the world. Some
of us are trying to disprove GOD, JESUS and the Bible and are so overwhelmed by
the evidence that we can no longer deny Him and must surrender or live a
miserable life of resistance. Some of us grow up in religion and at some point
we understand that JESUS is really The GOD of Salvation and we must surrender
our religious works for obedience to GOD’s Will.
So since the True Way is difficult and The Gate is narrow and
there are few who find it, do not lead people in a prayer of “repentance” and
then send them on their way because most of them do not know any better and
will wind up on the religious road to hell rather than the difficult road to
Heaven (Study the parables of the sowing and reaping, Matthew 13:1-52; Mark 4:1-34;
Luke 8:4-15).
“JESUS said to them, ‘My food is to do The Will of him Who
sent Me, and to finish His Work. Do you not say, “There are still four months
and then comes the harvest”? Pay attention: I say to you, lift up your eyes and
look at the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest! He who reaps
receives wages and gathers fruit for Eternal Life, that both he who sows and he
who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: “One sows and
another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored, others
have labored and you have entered into their labors.’” John 4:27-38
At JESUS’ ascension to The Father’s right hand, He told all
Believers: “JESUS came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given
to Me in Heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the Name of The Father and of The Son, and of The
Holy SPIRIT (JESUS), teaching them to observe (obey) all things that I have commanded
you, and understand this, I Am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” “And
He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach The Gospel to every
creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not
believe will be condemned. These signs will follow those who believe: in My
Name they will cast our demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will
take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt
them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’” “Then He said to
them, ‘These are the Words which I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that all things must be fulfilled that were written in The Law of Moses and the
Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ He opened their understanding that they
might comprehend The Scriptures. Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written and
thus it was necessary for The Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third
day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name
to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. Listen,
I send the Promise of My Father upon you, but tarry in Jerusalem until you are
endued with Power from on High.’” “Then, the same day at evening, being the
first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled,
for fear of the Jewish leaders, JESUS came and stood in the midst, and said to
them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and
His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the LORD. So JESUS said to
them again, “Peace to you! As The Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ When He
had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive The Holy SPIRIT;
if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins
of any, they are retained’” “Being assembled together with them JESUS commanded
them not to depart from Jerusalem, but
to wait for the promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from
Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy
SPIRIT not many days from now.’ There, when they had come together, they asked
Him, saying, ‘LORD, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?’ He
said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which The Father has
put in his own Authority. But you shall receive Power when The Holy SPIRIT has
come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and
to the end of the earth.’” (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:44-49;
John 20:19-23; Acts 1:4-8)
It seems clear, we are not only supposed to tell people about
JESUS (proclaim The Gospel) but when they realize they need to be saved we
must, pray with them to ask forgiveness for their sins, baptize them in JESUS’
(The Father, The Son and The Holy SPIRIT) Name; and disciple them in the Way of
Faith and Obedience to GOD, teaching them the Bible. It is through discipleship
and suffering that we maintain our relationship with GOD on the difficult Way
to the narrow Gate!
