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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
The narrow gate, also called the narrow door, is referred to by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 and Luke 13:23-24. He compares the narrow gate to the "broad road" which leads to destruction (hell...
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Dan Rivers
The gate was NARROW and the road was HARD before the cross.
It was impossible for people to save themselves by trying to obey the letter of the Law.
When Jesus speaks about HIS way to salvation, he doesn't say it's narrow or hard.
He says it's easy and light!
{Mat 11:29-30 NKJV} {29} "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. {30} "For My yoke [is] easy and My burden is light."
To be saved ALL one has to do is believe and confess in Jesus name, Rom 10:9, John 3:16, john 6:28,29
Is that HARD to do?
As to "few" finding it that also was true BEFORE the cross, But after the cross Paul and Jesus say "MANY" are saved...
Mat 20:28 NLT - For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for MANY."
Rom 5:19 NLT - Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, MANY will be made righteous. Heb 9:28, Jesus also says "MANY" Rev 7:9
All Praise and Glory to the Lord! :-)
Marvin Reynolds
Use of the phrase "narrow gate" is a construction fact of the age of the Bible and its writing. When you build a walled city then it is ALWAYS an open type door on the wall BUT it is so narrow that you could only move through one at a time on your knees. This allows troops to move in and out of the walled city to secure supplies, water or observe the enemy but NOT open the sealed doors!. Its use in the Bible speaks of the narrow door which is designed to ONLY allow in the people of faith where the evil ones would be destroyed by the defense of the Angels.. This might be hard to understand today as this is not a tool today but checking construction and military planning for a city walled gives this saying a lot of sense to open the door for you and make it impossible for the enemy of God to enter.
James Kraft
To enter in at the narrow gate is to believe that Jesus work on the cross is the only way to be saved. That faith in what he did for us is the way of salvation, and all who have trusted Him as the only way are saved and have eternal life. We are all sinners. God hates our sin, but He loves us. So He sent His Son Jesus to die in our place to take the punishment we deserve so that we could be saved by what He did for us on the cross. Since He paid for all our sin, we do not have to go to hell to pay for them. First John 1:8 say, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. What is the will of God? John 6:40 And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, and I will raise him up on the last day. Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted after ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after ye believed, ye were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me, will come to me, and all that come to me, I will in no wise cast out. Eternal security. John 6:39 And this is the Fathers will who hath sent me, that of all that He hath given me I should lose nothing. Jesus says He has never lost one. He is the one that keeps us saved. First John 5:13 We know we have eternal life because we have believed on the name of the Son of God. Eternal security. When we received the free gift of salvation by faith alone, We are sealed by the Holy Spirit that says I will never leave you or forsake you. We are given the righteousness of God. We are given eternal life. It is all grace. Romans 11:6 It is all grace, not works, (what we do or do not do) if it was by works, it would not be grace. Salvation is a free gift of God by faith alone without works. Ephesians 2:8-9 It is not by anything we do or do not do, (our works) but by His grace He saved us by His blood sacrifice for all our sin. Romans 4:5 but to him that worketh not, but believe on Him who justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name So, if you have trusted Jesus as your savior, you are saved and HAVE ETERNAL LIFE NOW. Jesus has never lost one. Those who are trusting in their works, what they do or do not do, are not saved. Only those that trust in Jesus work are saved. Salvation comes when we quit trusting in what we do, (our works) and trust in Jesus alone to be saved.
Bruce Lyon
Just how narrow is the narrow gate? The gate is a symbol of the lord Jesus and all those who are in him can path through and find pasture - life in the coming new age.
Chuck Smith Jr
Supporter
As I see it, Jesus' reference to the narrow gate in Luke was in response to exactly the type of question that is posed here. Someone wanted what appears to be statistics--i.e., "Lord, are there just a few being saved?" As is typical of Jesus' teaching method, he did not respond to the question with a direct answer. That Jesus rarely gave a straight answer to questions may have been his way of saying, "You're asking the wrong question." In this instance, the emphasis of Jesus' answer is that the person who asked the question needed to make certain that he was one of those people who passed through the narrow gate. It wasn't enough to say they had encountered Jesus over meals or heard him teach in their streets. There was some personal striving required. In Matthew's gospel, the narrow gate saying follows what may be the very heart of the Sermon On the Mount, the so-called "Golden Rule"; namely, "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Cf. Mt. 22:37-40 & Ro. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:12-15)
Jack Gutknecht
God’s people have always been a remnant, a small minority in this world. The reason is not difficult to discover: The way of life is narrow, lonely, and costly. We can walk on the broad way and keep our “baggage” of sin and worldliness. But if we enter the narrow way, we must give up those things. Here, then, is the first test: Did your profession of faith in Christ cost you anything? If not, then it was not a true profession. Many people who “trust” Jesus Christ never leave the broad road with its appetites and associations. They have an easy Christianity that makes no demands on them. Yet Jesus said that the narrow way was hard. We cannot walk on two roads, in two different directions, at the same time. https://bethelchurchmuncie.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/wiersbe-commentary-new-testament.pdf It is narrow to get through but once you are through the gate, God's welcome is big! “Strait Is The Gate To All That Come” (by Carolina Sandell): Strait is the gate to all that come, And narrow is the way, Which leads unto the heav’nly home, Where yet is room for thee, Where yet is room for thee. In Heav’n, where God His own shall take, There’s also room for thee. In Jesus’ Name, for Jesus’ sake, The gates shall opened be, The gates shall opened be. Where thousands stand arrayed in white, Whom God His own declared, There yet is room and life and light, By grace for thee prepared, By grace for thee prepared. In Jesus’ heart there’s room, I know, And in His Heav’n of bliss. He in His Gospel tells me so, Thanks be to God for this, Thanks be to God for this. Now God be praised, that even I May in that city dwell, Where peace shall reign eternally, And all with me be well, And all with me be well.
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