the narrow way (short thought 2)

The Narrow Way. (Matt 7:13-14)
There are two paths in this life: narrow and wide. That is not a lot of options, and not choosing is the same as choosing the wide (Matt 12:30). Christ tells us to enter by the narrow gate. First, what are the “gates”? The gates are the entrances (assumed) to lead to heaven. People have many theories as to these “gates”, what they are, and how many there are, and how to access them? We know that our modern times tell us all roads and paths lead to heaven, that sincerity and effort are what matter. We have all heard somebody say that Jesus is Buddha is Muhammad is God. I think that it is safe to say that the majority of people that I know believe that all roads lead to god, sincerity and effort matter most and that when we get to heaven we will all be surprised by how many people will be there that we never expected, everybody from Muslims to Buddhists to well meaning philanthropists. I tend to agree that we will be very surprised, for this verse tells us the very opposite is true.
Our times tell us most people go to heaven; Jesus tells us “few” go to heaven and that “many” are on the road to destruction. How ever many “few” is we are not told but we can be certain that it is less than “many”. Again, our times tell us there are many ways paved with sincerity to heaven. Christ tells us there is a (one) way, one narrow, difficult way. Far from being many easily accessed ways, there is one difficult way that is hard to find and hard to enter by. In fact so hard to enter by that Jesus tells us that “many will seek to enter and will not be able,” (Lk 13:24).
We are told that if we want to go to heaven we must find the narrow gate and the difficult way and then we must strive to enter by it. This is not the gospel that you or I am familiar with and yet the words are unmistakably clear. So what is the gate and way that we need to be striving to find and enter by? Christ Jesus. Not a thing but a person, not an event but a person, not us but Him. Jesus tells us that He is the way (Jn 14:6) and he is the gate or door (Jn 10:7-9). So if we are to go to heaven then we must go to Jesus.
Jesus is the narrow difficult confined way, and it has to be His way. This is not selfish, nor unreasonable. It is simply right. It seems so unfair and maybe even harsh but that is nothing more than our sinful natures rearing their ugly heads. We hate that it is God’s way or no way and the bible has plenty to say about this. This has been man’s problem since man fell. We see it in Adam and Eve eating the one thing God said don’t eat. We see it with Cain, when God warns him of sin waiting for him and he ignores God and kills his brother. We see it in everybody that wants to have it their way and not God’s. We think that our way is more just, kinder, and loving. We scoff at Christ for even offering a single way. But why do we think that we know better than God, why is it that we think our way is the better way? Because of our natures, we are so selfish and arrogant as to think that we could ever know better than the One that created us. But if you look around our world, what do you see? Religions and Cults and sects and philosophies, everything saying they are right, or that everyone is right.
Proverbs 16:25 tells us that there is a way that seems right unto man but the end is death. It is interesting because the way seems right. It does not seem wrong, man is not on this path because he is willfully intentionally seeking to be destroyed. The way seems right, this should let us know that we can not trust our hearts (Jer 11:8, 16:12, 17:9). The way that appears right is good intention and sincerity. The problem is that good intention and sincerity are nothing but works. It is relying on your own merit to get you to heaven. You have not yet come to the place of utter hopelessness and desperation, your are not poor in spirit(Matt 5:3) You have not realized that this way that appears right only appears right because you are spiritually blind (Matt 15:14, notice that both the leaders and the ones being led are blind; Jn 9:39-41). We will notice this pattern in each group of people we examine. They are trusting in the wrong thing. They are trusting in their sincerity in following Christ, they are trusting in their good intention towards Christ, rather than trusting in Christ himself. As Spurgeon said, “Never make a Christ out of your faith.”
The way is narrow, confined, tight. There is no room for anything extra. If we are trying to bring anything with us through the narrow way we will not fit. When we come to the narrow way we most be emptied of everything. There is no room for works, there is no room for pride, there is no room for good intention. To enter by the narrow way we can not do in our own strength. I think of the apostles asking Christ, “who then can be saved?” and Christ response, “With men this is impossible but with God all things are possible” (Matt19:25-26). It is only by Christ, in Christ, that we can enter. And this is not easy. It is difficult, it is striving. “How does one do it,” is a good question? And the answer may be a little confusing. For the answer is, “by not doing”. For Jesus has done it all.
Entering by the narrow gate is only possible when we cry out to Jesus, but the crying is not what does it. It is not repeating a prayer, or saying your own prayer, though it could be, it is in realizing that Jesus must save you and that he is not obligated to do so. Today we often think Christ is obligated to save us, we see this as justice. But truly, justice would be wrath. Salvation is mercy and grace. And we should be careful not to presume upon either, for we are not entitled to either! Again, let me say, it is not the crying out for salvation that saves us, that is works; it is the mercy and grace that applies the blood of Jesus that saves us. It is not faith in faith that saves (!); but faith in Christ, which is better understood: not so much that faith saves but that Christ saves through faith. (which is my paraphrase of B.B. Warfield.)