The earliest of the Apostolic fathers believed that everyone has enough grace to apprehend that Jesus was the Christ and that they needed Him as our Savior. They did not believe that we inherited Adam’s guilt from the time we were born, such as to feel that even babies were damnable—so they did not believe in “Original Sin,” as it was taught by Augustine. The church fathers felt that Adam gave us a tendency to sin; but sin is limited to those who know right and wrong, so it is not necessary that babies had to be baptized to save them from hell if they died as infants—they were sinless. They believed that whatever guilt we earned, it was because We, in an accountable state (knowing good and evil), Chose to Sin. This view of the church fathers was what Augustine himself taught, at first, but he changed his mind, offering a deterministic view that he became known by—and passed onto Luther and particularly Calvin. (I have several blogs on this.) This false view that God originally determined who was elect and who was damned, Augustine learned from a Gnostic sect known as Manicheism, that he was a member of for 10 years. It was heretical in every way. They believed in two gods, one good, one bad. (I don’t have room for it all here. Other blogs)
With that as prelude, let’s begin our discussion with the Words of Our Lord at the end of the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 7:13-14:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and Broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Jesus is saying, in effect, “since you have listened to this whole sermon (Matt. 5-7), you must make a choice about heaven or hell, life or destruction. There are two gate entrances; which will you take?”
Many of His Jewish listeners believed that as long as they were trying to follow the Law of Moses, they’re already leading the “narrow-gate” life, so they’re good for heaven. But Jesus, in this Sermon, was trying to correct that assumption. He went so far as to focus on the mind as the real cause of sin. Here is one example: Matthew 5:27-28
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
A stricter standard than the Law of Moses, don’t you agree? Many people, He knew, were proud that they didn’t engage in terrible sinful behavior, but they still thought sinful thoughts. They thought it was OK, if you don’t murder, to hate somebody. Jesus said no, judgement awaits you there, too. Sinful thoughts are sinful too.
We can’t get away from it; we’re sinners. We don’t deserve eternal life with God. In case YOU have any false assumptions about gaining eternal life, let’s talk about that eternal life or death choice in those two important verses. You should know, first, all of us began on the evil, Broad path. Ephesians 2:3 spells this out, too:
…among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others…
The “by nature” reference means we have a tendency to sin. But we have a free choice at each decision—to sin or not to sin? We tend to be selfish, to want things for our pleasure. We do this even with our rational minds, knowing that doing good should be better than sin in every possible way, but we make the wrong choice anyway. We have corrupted our minds too. As Romans 3:10-12 says (with hyperbole) about the failure of trying to stick to the Law:
“There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”
Sin brings a judgement of hell. You may feel this is harsh. But this is God’s standard. He makes the rules, and He is the Judge, in the end, of our eternal destiny, and we have to accept it. It’s like, He lives in perfect white, so our black sins and keeping God away are an abomination in His sight. Since we are all sinners, we all live in dark shadows of gray; we don’t even know what white is really like. So a “good guy” to us (he seems a lighter shade of gray) is still near-black to God–but He knows white, and none of our lives are anywhere near the standard of white for eternal life with Him.
Secondly, God has given us a free choice between two Gates. As we said, with that tendency, we choose sin—and we enter the Wide Gate, and get on the Broad path. But that’s on the way to hell. But, for conversion to the difficult path, through the Narrow gate, you must believe that Jesus is God, that He died to pay for your sins, that you repent of such sinning knowing that there is hell’s judgment. And that He was resurrected. Then you must, out of a humble heart, realizing that Jesus died for us, enter the Narrow path intentionally, asking the Holy Spirit for help. People just don’t get on the right path by inheritance or by growing up in it, as the Jews often believed. If you ask someone, “Are you a Christian?” some will answer “Of course—I go to church every week.” Well, I’m hoping they mean, “I’m a Christian AND I go to church,” or “I go to church every week BECAUSE I’m a Christian.” No, sadly, most are saying that that activity makes them a Christian. It doesn’t. Another bad response is, “I’m a Christian; I was raised in a Christian home.” Or, “I was baptized in infancy, so I’ve been a Christian all my life.” Actually, that last one is the worst response of all: It’s a theological impossibility, because Scripture clearly says it takes a reasoning person to intentionally seek God, which you can’t do as an infant. If you really believe “I have been all my life,” you are probably not a Christian at all. Because you have not done the intentional move—which has to be entered into by Repentance and by Faith in Jesus (see other blogs). What does Jesus say in His first Gospel presentation? Mark 1:14-15:
Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Unfortunately, too few people intentionally find their way to the narrow gate. We have a self-deception problem; we don’t see where we stand with God. We should beg God to show us the narrow gate. The London Baptist Confession puts it this way:
This saving repentance…whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit made sensible of the manifold evils of his sin, doth, by faith in Christ, humble himself for it with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrency, praying for pardon and strength of grace, with a purpose and endeavor,
The problem with this confession is, it was inked in 1689; few people today feel “self-abhorrent” or feel the necessary repentance, because few people have a consistent awareness about how bad their sin is to God. He doesn’t think like we do. They think God forgives their “peccadilloes.” They think they’ve gained salvation because they “accepted Christ” once, so they are always saved. But there’s more to it. See Romans 11:22:
Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off
There is a contrast between “those who fell” people and “toward you” people. We conclude that this verse is speaking to an initially saved person. But notice a requirement: “If you continue in His goodness.” Otherwise, you will also be cut off. What does it require to continue in His goodness? It means living a godly life, and relying on the help of the Holy Spirit to do that. Note again the 1689 phrase: “by supplies of the Spirit, to walk before God unto all well-pleasing in all things.” Another blog explains that is necessary to abide in Christ (see John 15:5-6). If you want heaven and not hell, you need to seriously examine the word “abide.” You are to learn to love Him; you want to hang with Him, tell Him your troubles and temptations. Praise Him daily. Live with gratitude. To read His Word to find out more about what He likes, or doesn’t like. Few people do this. It’s why the gate is narrow, and few stay on the narrow path.
In some cases, some of the many false evangelists today believe that we don’t even have to ask God for forgiveness on a regular basis—or we can do that just when we “accept” Him, or on our death-bed. This kind of self-deception will send many to hell. There is plenty of self-deception going around. Was I John written to saved people? Yes. So when God says in I John 1:9:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Does He imply, as some false preachers suggest, that we only have to do that once, when we first get initially saved? Nowhere does the verse suggest that. We still need a keen awareness of our sin, to confess it and ask God for help eliminating it, in our intentional efforts to lead a godly life.
What is the “formula” for salvation? There are many who proclaim the “Gospel,” but they make it sound easy. They say, “It’s easy as ABC: A, Acknowledge; B, Believe; C, Confess. Just word your prayer of confession after me.” They may make it sound easy, but Jesus Did Not. Jesus said that entrance into the Kingdom was not easy—we are to surrender our lives to His hands. Since He was persecuted, we should expect to be persecuted. Never pass up a chance to speak for Our Lord, even if we lose reputation.
Here’s what they preach today: “Believe. Believe God loves you and has made you for a purpose. Believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus, Who died on the Cross for you. Believe that no matter what you’ve done, God wants to forgive you. Second, Receive. Receive Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior. Receive His forgiveness for your sin. So I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity. What’s that prayer? “Jesus, I believe in You and I receive You.” If you sincerely meant that prayer, Congratulations! Welcome to the Family of God.” (This is the actual Gospel presentation in The Purpose-Driven Life. Are they talking about confessing sin to God? Notice also that you see no repentance, no wrath of God. Just believe—God loves you. And you’re on your way–so they say.
To God (and He is the Judge, not you), you are a wretched, sinful creature, who, as clearly pointed out in Scripture, deserves to die and go to hell. See Romans 1:32 and 9:22. Unless you repent of your sin. Unless you are aware of the fact that you deserve to be crushed under the weight of the majesty and holiness of God, you don’t “get it;” it’s not deep in your heart.
“Believe in Jesus,” they say…well, which Jesus? Today’s preachers usually don’t define Him—well, you ask, what about the Jesus of the New Age Movement? Or, what if I know Jesus as “lowly Jesus, meek and mild, who wouldn’t hurt a fly?” Then can I be saved? Unlikely, since both those ideas have the wrong view of Jesus. That also means you haven’t truly read All your Scripture. He will disappoint the image you made up of Him.
“It’s really easy,” the experts say. Maybe getting through the Gate, getting initially saved, might be. But there is that Path…you then must endure to the end. As Matt. 24:13 says:
But he who endures to the end shall be saved
So salvation at the end means a journey, a Path, seeking what Christ wants every day, opening up our sin problems to Him; that’s not easy. The difficulty comes because our sinful lusts, still there after we make our emotional confession of belief, lead us to bend toward our own will. We must appeal to the Holy Spirit for help (Gal. 5:24-25). People don’t like to humble themselves and ask for help. They want to keep God far away when they sin. Also, too many people still believe that “My sins aren’t bad.” Especially if they’re rich; they’re convinced God has made them rich because He loves them. What does “being saved” mean to you? That you want to keep following your own path, and you just want God to bless it? You want Jesus to be an appendage on your self-centered life, not an eradication of it? Are you willing to make His will the center of your life? He deserves to be Master of your life, or Lord, since His death saved you from hell. Those things are hard. But…the Holy Spirit is a solid help, if you appeal to Him. It’s possible to stay on the narrow path, and reach heaven. Revelation says that millions of people will be there, as joyful as you. It was all worth it.
Your “old sinful man” (Rom. 6:6) within you doesn’t want to let Christ put the old nature to death. A thought might enter your head, “Hey, don’t go to the narrow gate. On this broad road, there are lots of people who talk Jesus; they go to church, they don’t have that narrow theology…that’s negative; you don’t want to be narrow.” As Voddie Baucham said, “God’s not a politician; He’s not running for God,” so He can afford to be narrow. He sets the rules; our wishes about what we want of His personality have no impact.
The Christian life must be lived purposefully—that is, every day you desire more to be sanctified to His pleasure and glory. Sanctification, or fruits, are essential to keep salvation. But modern preachers separate justification and sanctification in such a way that they actually believe that you can be saved, yet not have your life affected at all. On the contrary, the requirement is, there’s not only a gate, there’s a path after that, a lifestyle. Of growing faith-relationship with God. But the truth is, I’ve met a whole lot of people who were led in prayer, and “meant it,” but their life says They Lied. Somebody put the pressure on them; they were uncomfortable, in many cases, and just wanted to agree to get outside and breathe again. The preacher might’ve said “You can die and go to hell, or you can pray this prayer.” “Will you pray that and mean it?” You’re uncertain, intimidated, maybe a little scared. You say “Sure! Absolutely.” That’ll do it, right?
Well, you can “mean it” and not know who Jesus is. You will do well to read Scripture and secure His expectations, not the preacher’s—after all, God is the Judge in the end. Have you been brought to a place of conviction and brokenness over your sin? The Bible says, “Test yourselves, to see if you be in the faith.” Remember, there’s not just an entrance, there’s a path. With intention, get off the broad path, and onto the narrow path.
There are, in Greek, two different meanings that could apply to our word “narrow.” One meaning that we haven’t covered is “compressed, pressed in.” It has the meaning of “harassed.” So we can think of it as “persecuted.” Jesus is also saying, “You can enter a way that is narrow, a life with persecution.” The opposite gospel of our day says “you need Jesus so your life won’t be hard.” Well, here’s the truth: Paul says in II Tim. 3:12: …all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” What can you do? Following Christ points you out to people that you’re weird. How are you blessed? By suffering verbal attack, or even physical violence, God will reward you in heaven. You should be striving for that treasure of reward, not treasure on earth. If we consistently withstand persecution, we feel assurance of salvation. Yours is the kingdom of heaven. This is important enough that Jesus began and ended His famous sermon on the mount with this theme. For proof, see the beginning of the Sermon, Matt. 5:44 (And you can add 10:22, too), on the last days: “…You will be hated by all…the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Not the one who just parrots the “sinner’s prayer” and eventually gets tired of Jesus not making his life what he wants.
The Apostle John says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us.” Those who left the faith had the wrong expectations. If they were of us, they would have remained. Remaining is a proof of salvation. Staying on the Path. Yes, believers can fall into sin—but only for a season. But if you belong to Him, you will turn your behavior about—the Holy Spirit won’t leave you alone, you can’t stand it. Think of Revelation 3:19: As many as I love, I rebuke and chaste: Therefore be zealous and repent. This is spoken to believers, remember. Look at Matthew 24:9-13 for Jesus’ vision of the last days, which we may be getting close to:
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Can you hack this kind of trouble? You may not feel it, but the Holy Spirit will embolden you. The last days may be coming soon. Read verse 13 again. It’s how you keep salvation.
Most of the people on the Broad way believe that they are on the right road. They believe the lie that says, “All roads lead to God; you just need to find the one that works for you.” It says there are many roads, when in fact, there are only two: There’s Christ and His kingdom—and there’s everybody else. Most are on the Broad way because most people believe that Man is essentially good. Where did they hear that? Not from Scripture.
Most people record every good deed in their head, and forget the bad. That’s the way we are. They will lie and cheat, which is active rebellion against God (“no fear of God before their eyes”), but they still think they are “good enough for God.” It’s hard to break from a whole life of ignoring God and from loving sin. That’s why it’s hard to find the narrow gate. But there are still evangelists who make it harder. They lie and tell us, all we have to do is just say a few programmed words, but they end up just sealed in their unbelief! To think about confession would expose them as hypocritical. Remember: You can just say words, only words, and die and be separated from God. And don’t think of trying to match good deeds with bad deeds. God’s not on a scale system.
Part of that Broad path crowd is a group of people who go to church on a regular basis, and know how to use very familiar Biblical language. Crafty folk. The skin of truth surrounding the meat of a lie. Many of the innocents are unaware that they’re on the Broad road—because somebody guaranteed them salvation. If they see a glimpse of that hard, narrow path, they say, “Hey, they’re on a different path than us.” The crafty one will say, “No, that’s just a different KIND of Christian path. They’re just extra committed.” Or, they’ll say, “they’re over-committed.” Could we be wrong, with hundreds of people coming in to our church? God is blessing our work!”
Finally, the Christian life must be completed faithfully. A warning, though: if you endure, you still don’t get to share credit with Jesus for your salvation. You never “earn,” or “joint-earn” heaven. Read Phil. 1:6: I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus. He is the One who works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13). He is our Lord, so we respond in obedience—if we are truly saved. All our greatest and correct thoughts on doctrine come from God and His Word. Study it!
May God help us to “test ourselves,” to see if we are truly in the faith. Do we have the necessary fruits? John 15:5-6 has a warning: he who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned..
Have a faithful relationship with Christ, and His Word, and you’ll abide. The result—heaven!
