There are a number of common misconceptions regarding man’s pursuit of a right relationship with the living God. Perhaps none are more dangerous than the belief that all religious pursuits ultimately lead to Him; that Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, paganism, and all other faiths all reflect different interpretations or cultural manifestations of the same truth, and all spiritual paths ultimately deliver their adherents to the right place.

The reality is that there is only one path to God. By way of His grace and His infallible, authoritative word, many have come to know that one true, personal, holy God exists, that man is estranged from Him because of sin, and Jesus Christ is the only means through which reconciliation is possible.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
—John 14:6

The Bible—God’s final word to mankind—presents no other options. Its declaration that there is only one way to redemption and eternal life is difficult for many to accept, and even within the Christian church itself, misconceptions about the truth of the gospel have fostered self-deception and led many down the path of false faith.

The Sermon on the Mount, given by Jesus to His followers and recorded in chapters 5-7 of Matthew’s gospel, is perhaps the most essential teaching from His earthly ministry. It outlines the personal qualities and manner of obedience acceptable to God, but it also culminates in an exhortation, a warning, and a choice of two paths regarding the eternal prospects of avowed Christians:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” —Matthew 7:13-14

The way of salvation, leading to everlasting life and fellowship with God, is truly a narrow way. It is one not commonly sought, recognized or followed by humanity, yet it represents the only solution for every person’s ultimate problem.

As fallen creatures, we are afflicted by sin, both by imputation and by our own actions. Because sin causes us to fall short of God’s holiness we are spiritually disconnected from Him, and there is nothing that any of us can ever do to make up for that shortcoming. The ultimate consequences of sin are physical death, eternal separation from God's mercy, and conscious, everlasting torment. By our efforts alone we cannot avoid this fate; we simply do not have the credentials for redemption.

Jesus Christ however—God Himself incarnate—stepped into the breach and provided a way out. By taking pity on humanity, entering history and offering Himself as the atonement, Jesus satisfied the justice of God once and for all time for those who place their faith in Him. True believers “in Christ” consequently have this faith credited to them as righteousness. What this means is that believers are evaluated by God of the basis of Christ’s work; when God looks on a believer, what He sees is the righteousness and sinlessness of Jesus; they are justified by it and can thus be accepted into His holy, eternal kingdom.

Jesus therefore is the narrow gate that leads to salvation. He is not one way, but the only way by which we are saved.

The natural man does not instinctively seek God nor recognize his own urgent need for redemption. The things of God are foolishness to him, because he lacks the capacity for spiritual appraisement. There is nothing to be done for him apart from showing him love, sharing the gospel and praying that God will eventually intervene in his life and grant the spiritual comprehension, repentance and faith that lead to salvation.

A professing Christian on the other hand, recognizes God and the concept of sin, and understands Christ’s atonement on at least a basic level. It is to this person that Jesus presents the choice outlined in Matthew 7:13-14: the broad way to destruction and the narrow way to salvation. This is not a choice between Christianity and outright unbelief; though the actual outcomes are very different, each way depicts itself as the way to a life of fulfillment in Christ and the ultimate destination of eternal heaven.

“For many are called, but few are chosen.” —Matthew 22:14

Most will choose the broad gate. Being broad, it accommodates many and affords room for everyone’s worldly priorities, personal sins, preferences, and disobedient nature. This is the way of cheap grace and easy believism, the way of self-indulgence, hypocrisy, and empty religion. Ultimately, as Jesus said, it is the way to destruction. Clamoring through are legions of religious people who think they are saved but are not because their faith is false, evidenced by their lack of repentance and refusal to follow Jesus as Lord of their lives. They may have professed faith, attended church, gave to the poor, and done many wonderful works in His name, but He knows them not because they lacked the true faith and discipleship that necessarily follows it.

Unfortunately these days in mainstream Christian culture Jesus is often portrayed as a benign deity, patiently waiting for people to notice Him and accept His free gift of life with no strings attached. This is not the Jesus of scripture—it is a false illustration supported and perpetuated by today's seeker-driven evangelical institutions and the diluted gospel they dispense. As a result, untold numbers of professing Christians have been and will continue to be led astray from salvation. While it is by faith alone that we are saved, it is obedience that validates true faith. The multitude of unrepentant souls who lack such obedience, who choose the broad gate and disregard the will of God in favor of a man-made religion of compromise and convenience, will find themselves excluded from His kingdom.

Jesus directs us to the narrow gate—faith in Him alone—and the narrow way beyond, a way reflecting obedience to the qualities and principles outlined in the Sermon on the Mount and throughout scripture. It is the way that leads to life. Few will find it and even fewer will choose it. It is a difficult path, because it compels us to live a life that goes against the grain of society, but our adherence to it lets us know that our faith is true and our salvation real.

Being narrow, it offers no room for anything else. It requires that we leave sin and self behind; that we turn from the temptations of the world and focus on Christ’s example as the model for our lives. His qualities are at odds with our natural tendencies, making the way very challenging. It is only through God’s grace that any can endure, and Christians must remember that Jesus, as the firstborn among many brothers, set the pace and shouldered the difficulty. As His church we are obliged to follow, and through Him we find that we are capable. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:

To be called to a life of extraordinary quality, to live up to it, and yet to be unconscious of it is indeed a narrow way. To confess and testify to the truth as it is in Jesus, and at the same time to love the enemies of that truth, his enemies and ours, and to love them with the infinite love of Jesus Christ, is indeed a narrow way. To believe the promise of Jesus that his followers shall possess the earth, and at the same time to face our enemies unarmed and defenseless, preferring to incur injustice rather than to do wrong ourselves, is indeed a narrow way. To see the weakness and wrong in others, and at the same time refrain from judging them; to deliver the gospel message without casting pearls before swine, is indeed a narrow way. The way is unutterably hard, and at every moment we are in danger of straying from it. If we regard this way as one we follow in obedience to an external command, if we are afraid of ourselves all the time, it is indeed an impossible way. But if we behold Jesus Christ going on before step by step, we shall not go astray.*

There is no doubt that the Christian will face consequences in walking the narrow way of discipleship. Jesus draws a hard line, and that is why He implores us to count the cost. This cost comes in the form of sacrificing self, resulting in lost personal relationships, former priorities and desires, material wealth and possessions, and perhaps even our earthly lives. The world may hate and persecute believers, but those who endure to the end will be saved.

Despite the inherent difficulties in opposing a sinful world and the remnants of a sinful nature, joy is found in the journey, because the kingdom of God is not just an eternal heaven for believers after they die; the narrow way leads first to a life of fulfillment on earth. Because of the grace and forgiveness Christians have received, they know a peace and security that others do not. Salvation for them is not only from final judgment, but from the burden of sin in this life. Having been born again by faith, and understanding the value of this incredible gift, the Christian finds himself striving to reflect the holiness of his Savior—to live sensibly, righteously and godly, and finds joy and strength in doing so. While the natural man seeks worldly fulfillment in the things that bring gain to him, the Christian finds true fulfillment in the things that bring glory to God, things that reflect righteousness, peace and joy. As the believer progresses on the narrow way, he is gradually changed by the Holy Spirit to be more like Jesus. He has a greater desire to obey God’s commandments and this desire manifests itself in his actions. He is compelled to live righteously and finds that his capacity to do so increases as he moves along the path. In such a life the fullness of God's blessing is realized:

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers. —Psalm 1:1-3

Today's pluralistic culture bristles at the New Testament’s pronouncement that faith in Christ alone is the only way to God, making it that much more challenging for professing Christians to enter and hold fast to the narrow way. This is one reason why so many wind up pouring through the broad gate. Though God does not wish for any to perish, in His perfect wisdom He has dictated that a relative few will be saved, reflecting a pattern that has been repeated throughout redemptive history. It is a hard but absolute truth.

God acknowledges the difficulty. In Luke's version of the narrow gate passage, Jesus tells us to strive to enter. The term in the original Greek is agonizesthe, meaning to struggle or contend intensely, and from which we get the English word “agonize.” Choosing the narrow way is hard and staying on it requires our constant effort, but we must remember God has provided a way to redemption that none among us deserve.

Those who find it unfairly exclusive should consider that God owes mankind nothing. Rather, He is perfectly justified in sentencing all to eternal punishment. But instead, He extends mercy and the way of deliverance. It is a thing to marvel at, to celebrate, and indeed to strive for.

In the holiness equation, we must always understand who God is and who we are. May we contemplate and recognize our true state, His immeasurable grace, and the narrow way that leads to life.

Quotation reference:
* Bonhoeffer, Dietrich; The Cost of Discipleship, 1937

Image:
Luyken, Jan (1649-1712); Strait is the Gate; Medhurst, Phillip (attribution)