A NARROW GATE AND A DIFFICULT ROAD 

13 “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. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted (narrow, difficult) that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Many Christians in the church had been taught to believe that the “Christian life” would be all blessings and prosperity. That they can “have their best life now” because God is for them and will give them what their hearts desire. Well, there is some truth to all that, but these same Christians move forward in their life only to become confused, discouraged, and depressed that what they were taught, what they expected, hasn’t happened in their experience.

Are there blessings that God graciously bestows on those He saves? Absolutely! Is this life the ultimate best we have to look forward to? Absolutely not! These verses help us to understand this a bit better.

In these verses, we have TWO gates that everyone will enter:

1. The narrow gate (which speaks of salvation in Christ), OR
2. The wide gate (which speaks of destruction, eternal damnation)

And we have TWO roads to travel:

1. The difficult road (which speaks of the Christians path of sanctification), OR
2. The broad way (which speaks of being wider, more accessible, more pleasing)

Our creator (author of the Bible) encourages each of us to enter, i.e., look for and pursue the narrow gate, not the wide gate. That goes against the grain, doesn’t it? We would much rather take the “path of least resistance,” and if we’re being honest about it, we would admit it, right? After all, we’re pretty good people aren’t we?

The gate or “door” is how a person can get into a home, building, or automobile. So, Jesus is saying, very directly, that there is ONLY ONE entryway into eternal life (which includes forgiveness of sin and peace with God), and that is through this one very exclusive entry point! And, so we wouldn’t be in the dark about what door this is, Jesus, in John 10:7, told those listening, including some Pharisees, that He is the door!

Coming to repentant faith in Jesus grants us entry into what the Bible calls “eternal life.” Positionally regenerated believers live in what Paul called “newness of life,” even now, although not yet to its fullest extent!

Before a person comes to Christ by faith or rejects His kind offer of forgiveness, they have before them two roads. One leads to eternal life, and one leads to eternal destruction (see above verses). But what about after we enter in the narrow gate (Jesus)? Those that will not repent and “look unto Jesus” enter the wide gate and travel the broad way that leads to their eternal condemnation. BUT, those who believe in Christ and His finished work at Calvary enter eternal life through Him and are now walking on the difficult road. The road is also known as experiential sanctification.

This road is the pathway in which God, through His Spirit and His word, conforms us to be more like our savior (Romans 8:29; Philippians 1:6)! We must be conformed unto Him because we have “been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father so that we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). 

This road is not easy. As we walk through this world, we will witness and suffer the consequences of sin, ours, and other people. We will have trials and tribulations in this life (James 1:2; John 16:33; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 4:12; Romans 8:18). BUT, through them God, through His Spirit and Word and with the intercession of Christ (1 Timothy 2:5), in His grace makes even these seemingly bad things work out for good (Romans 8:28), and that includes our “transformation” into the beautiful image of our savior!