The Narrow Door (Pt.1)

(Part 1)

“13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”-Matthew 7:13-14

I am a huge fan of the Sermon on the Mount. This collection of mini-sermons by Jesus, also known as the Beatitudes, are all amazing and life-changing. However, one of them is designed to settle a question that is still imposing itself on the minds of men still today. 

Is there more than one way to get to heaven? 

Surprisingly, nearly sixty percent of evangelical Christians have grown to believe that there is. Listen to this statement taken from a Time Magazine article from 2008 entitled: No one Path to Salvation:

“The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life last year surveyed 35,000 Americans, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that "no one comes to the Father except through me.”

However, Jesus could not have made himself any clearer here in Matthew 7:13-14. 

First, Jesus affirmed the existence of two eternal destinations: heaven and hell. Everyone reading this column is going to end up in one of those two places.

Second, He affirmed that each of us choose the road we wish to travel. God doesn’t assign anyone to heaven or to hell. We each choose which path we will take. 

Lastly, Jesus describes each of these paths for us: The one that leads to the Kingdom of God has a narrow gate, is difficult to travel, and few find it. The one that leads to hell has a wide gate, a broad road, and is chosen by many. 

Let’s talk about the narrow gate. Jesus, while teaching another large crowd of people, doubled down on this point:

22 Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He replied, 24 “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.”-Luke 13:22-24

What is this narrow door that Jesus is talking about and why will only a few enter it? 

Scott Burr 

Dayspring Community Church