Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait [narrow] 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 [narrow] is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
When Jesus spoke these words, He was speaking to the Jews who were under the law of Moses. The narrow gate was in reference to living by the Mosaic law. The law brought about many constraints that made life challenging and 'narrow'. The wide road represented a way of life with no constraints, no demands, and no expectations. Those who ignored the law lived as they pleased and hence the road was wide and easy, but the end of it was destruction.
The concept of the narrow gate and the wide gate is trans-dispensational and still applies today in this present age of grace, however the circumstances that determine the narrow from the wide have changed. Today, it is not the Mosaic law that determines the width of the road, but rather the gospel of grace.
The narrow gate is the gate through which all those who truly believe the grace gospel pass to eternal life. The wide gate is the gate to destruction through which everyone else passes. Who is everyone else? They are all those who have not heard and responded in faith to the gospel, which was the good news message of truth during their lifetime. The gospel of truth today is the grace gospel. To get a full understanding of the grace gospel, see here, but Paul defines the outline of it in the verses below,
1 Cor.15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Today, the narrow way has nothing to do with how we live. It is not defined by rules and laws. It is not defined by our good deeds or our failures. It is not defined by any form of works, or offerings, or sacrifices. You might ask, "How is it then distinguished from the wide road? If it does not have anything to do with how we live, or our good deeds, or sacrifices, surely everyone is on the narrow way?"
No. That is not the case. Works and sacrifices cannot bring you to the narrow gate. The end of works and sacrifices is destruction because there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. No matter how devout we become in our activities and rituals and programs, or how hard we work to be good and perfect, there is absolutely nothing we can do to be worthy of God. When Jesus says, "the flesh profits nothing" (John 6:63), He is referring to all the things people do in their striving to please God. But, "nothing" means nothing! Our human efforts of righteousness are "filthy rags" in God's eyes. (Isaiah 64:6)
In John 14:6 Jesus clearly stated,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me".
Jesus is the ONLY way. You see, when Jesus died on the cross he completed all that was required to save us. Jesus did the work of righteousness that we could not. Jesus offered His sinless life on our behalf. Jesus was the perfect and complete sacrifice. He has done all that was needed so save us, to make a way for us. So, since nothing you can do can exceed that which Christ has already done, we need to receive Him, trust Him, believe Him. He is the narrow way. By going through Jesus Christ, we find ourselves on the narrow way. All other ways end up on the wide road that leads to destruction.
For additional reading about your walk on the narrow way, read this post.
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