THE
NARROW GATE
"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. Because
narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and
there are few who find it." (Mt. 7:13-14) As Jesus drew His
sermon on the mount to a close, He directed the attention of His
disciples to making application of all that He had taught. Here, He
offers mankind a choice of directions in life. Everyone makes this
choice whether deliberately or without thought. One way ends at
Heaven's gate and eternal joy, the other leads to the bottomless pit
and eternal torment.
Considering
the extreme consequence of each choice, it seems only wise that
everyone should give careful attention to investigating their
"options." Solomon said, "The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
(Prov. 1:7) Only a fool would ignore the greatest choice of life.
However, many make the tragic choice of indifference, ignoring their
only hope from certain, eternal destruction. Consequently, they
choose the pathway of least resistance; the broad and easy
way.
Others
deliberately choose not to believe in Jesus Christ as the only hope
of the world. They reject the overwhelming evidence of His Sonship
and divine authority. They fail to acknowledge His authority to
command our obedience. Their refusal to believe in Christ often
stems from the seemingly hopeless confusion that they see in the
"religious" world. If a person didn't know better, he
would have to conclude that God is a God of confusion based on the
seemingly endless number of denominations that exist, all teaching
different doctrines and at the same time claiming to be "of God"
while saying it doesn't matter what you believe in religion as long
as you are sincere. This sends a contradictory "message"
that destroys men's faith to believe.
But
the saddest choice is the one that so many make in their wandering
effort to seek the right way. That is the choice of those who fail
to beware of Satan's unscrupulous tactics of deception. Peter warns
that we must "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
(1 Pet. 5:8) This is an apt description. As a lion quietly and
deliberately stalks his prey on padded feet, his victim remains
unsuspecting of the eminent danger until he is robbed of his escape
by the sudden overpowering of the lion as he pounces from seclusion
while roaring claim to his prey. No wonder Paul admonishes us to
"walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise..." (Eph.
5:15) We must be "vigilant" and "watchful in every
direction" so that we not be overcome by this enemy of the soul.
After
stating the choice of life's two directions, Jesus gave this solemn
warning to "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." (Mt. 7:15)
Paul warned of those who, at the time of his writing, claimed to be
apostles "...who desire an opportunity to be
regarded just as we (the
apostles, gvw)
are in the things of which they boast. For such are
false
apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into apostles of Christ.
And no wonder! For
Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light."
(2 Cor. 11:12-14) Satan is the master of disguise and deception.
That is why he is so dangerous. There are many who "point the
way" and make a good sounding plea. But consider how many
different directions people are pointing; at least as many directions
as there are denominations and religions in the world. If we follow
the directions of men
we must be on guard, because "There is a way that seems
right to man, but its end is the way of death." (Prov. 14:12)
It
is a sad fact that there are false teachers who so easily deceive
many by their seemingly
good nature, genuine concern, and apparent love for God and His word.
But these are those whom Paul urges us to be on the look out for.
"Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and
offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their
own belly, and by
smooth words and flattering speech
deceive the hearts of the simple." (Rom. 16:17-18) But many
have fallen victim to false doctrine contrived by those who seek to
serve "their own belly" that hungers for personal gain,
power, prestige, etc. Because of the nature of deceptiveness, anyone
can fall victim to it. What makes deceit so dangerous is that you
can be taken in by it and not
know it!
That is the way of deception!
Jesus
knew of this beforehand and therefore gave us this insight into
Satan's devices and those who play into his hands by adopting his
deceptiveness. The Lord tells us how we can recognize them. "You
will know them by their fruits.
Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?"
(Mt. 7:16) I'm not sure about you, but I'm not very good at
recognizing different kinds of trees. But if I can see the fruit on
that tree, I can identify what kind of tree it is. As we can
recognize a plant by the kind of fruit it bears, so we can recognize
the kind of teacher by looking at the fruit of his teaching. As
dependable as is nature's laws of fruit bearing, so is God's law (His
word) the dependable standard by which all teaching is to be judged.
Its Author is the source
of truth, and His word is the evidence of His divine authorship.
The
narrow gate that leads to eternal life may not look as inviting as we
peer down its narrow way, especially when comparing it to the wide
open spaces of the "freeway" where "anything goes."
But don't be deceived, it's what is at the end
of the way that makes our choice of direction worth the trip getting
there the most important one of our life.
-
Gary V. Womack - June 2003