Jesus said,
“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” (Matthew 7:13-14).
In these verses Jesus tells us that as we go through life there are two roads on which one may travel. One is broad and the other is narrow. Many are on the broad way, and only a few are on the narrow way. The broad way leads to hell and the narrow leads to heaven.
It should be pointed out that all people must travel in one of these ways. That includes you and me; we cannot be indifferent and reason that we are not interested in either, so we will travel in one of these ways. To reject one means that we accept the other. Neither can we travel on both of the ways at the same time. It is possible, though, to finally reach the point of realizing that you are traveling on the wrong road, and therefore you may take steps to move to the other road. If you are on the narrow way and you become indifferent and careless, becoming unfaithful to Christ, you will find yourself on the broad way again!
We are not forced to travel on the broad way or the narrow way, but rather, we are given a choice as to which road we will travel. Satan would encourage and invite you to take the broad way that leads to destruction, while Christ would urge you to follow Him on the narrow way, which leads to God and heaven itself. But the decision is yours to make.
When a person reaches the age of knowing right from wrong—the age of accountability— he comes to that point in his life where he must choose which road he will take. Will it be the broad way or the narrow way? Perhaps you are at that point now, or maybe you have long since passed that time in your life and therefore you find yourself on the broad path by default since you did not choose Christ. Maybe you were not aware of Christ and the Narrow way—not aware that you had a choice. In that case, let us discuss the broad and narrow ways so that you might know more about them, enabling you to make an intelligent decision concerning them.
First, let us consider the broad way. Christ says that it has a wide gate, that is, there are no constraints or restrictions: everyone is allowed through this gate and into this broad way. When one chooses this wide gate, he finds himself upon a broad way, traveling along with the vast majority of the people of the world, but there is something else that we must keep in mind about this way. Christ says that it leads to destruction. It may be that you like being on the side of the majority. But do you want to be with the majority when they are all headed for destruction? Being with the majority in this case is a tragedy.
But let`s take a closer look at this road. Let`s see what it represents and the kinds of people who travel on it. If it leads to destruction, then it is Satan`s way or the devil`s way. Peter describes him as our adversary and as a roaring lion. He says, “Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Since the broad way represents Satan, a way that leads to destruction, it represents all that is evil, and ungodly. People of the world are traveling on this way. Because of their sinful and ungodly living they cannot be a part of the Lord’s kingdom, and therefore they are lost. Paul says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionist will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10). If these people cannot inherit or become a part of the Lord’s kingdom, the church, where are they? They are traveling the broad way that leads to destruction.
The Apostle Paul goes on to talk about the words of the flesh. Listen to him: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness’s, revelries, and such like, of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). According to Paul, those who do the works of the flesh cannot enter the kingdom of God or the church. Why? Because,their deeds are wicked and sinful. Then on what road would such people be traveling? On the broad way, since the wages of sin brings death or destruction, according to Romans 6:23.
Do you want to be a part of such a group? Do you want to keep company with them and share their reward of eternal destruction?
But the evil are not the only ones on the broad way. There are a lot of good people traveling that road too. That is, they are living good moral lives but they still have not obeyed God. There are even a lot of religious people traveling on the broad way. Christ said,
“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! (Matthew 7:21-23).
Since there are religious people on the broad way, I must tell you that there are even unfaithful Christians who are traveling that way. These are the ones who are said to be hypocrites, or they have slipped away from God and have gone back into the world and sin. At any rate, they are lost and are on the way to destruction.
Would you like to travel on this road and be associated with the devil, the wicked, the immoral, those in religious error, unfaithful Christians, etc, and to know that your final destination will be destruction? If you don’t want to be a part of all that, then you must take steps to change to the other road, the narrow way, the road that leads to heaven. It is up to you.
Let us briefly take a look at the narrow road to see what kind of way it is, and the kind of people who are traveling on it. First of all, it has a strait gate. The word “strait” here means narrow, strict and difficult. You have to look for it and you have to put forth effort to enter. Unlike the wide gate and broad way that requires no real effort to enter and to travel, only a few restrict themselves to the narrowness of truth. It is the singleness of truth that defines the “strait” gate, in contrast to the millions of forms error and lies can take in reference to the broad way. The “strait” gate requires total surrender to Christ and faithfulness in traveling to the end of the road to receive the reward of eternal life.
This narrow way is the way of Christ. He is there, leading those who follow Him. Christ said,
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
There are not many ways, but one way, and that is through Christ. He invites us to come to Him. Hear Him,
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Those who will accept the Lord`s invitation by obeying His gospel, that is, by believing in Him, repenting of their sins, confessing Him as the Son of God, and being baptized, Jesus saves and adds to His church (Mark 16:15,16, Acts 2:47). Through their faith and obedience, they enter the strait gate and are able to travel on the narrow way. That means the Christians, godly people, the righteous, those who have been washed in the Lamb’s blood and whose lives are all that is good and right, are on the narrow path that leads to heaven. Christ said,
“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be rested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
Again, we read, “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). James tells us, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).
Are you on the narrow path? If so, you have obeyed Christ, you are following Christ, you are a Christian, you are saved, you are a member of the Lord’s church. If you will remain faithful to the end, then this narrow way will lead you to heaven. If you are not on this narrow way, you are on the broadway where Satan is Lord and where the wicked, the deceived, the hypocrites walk. This way leads to destruction. Wouldn’t you prefer to be on the narrow way? You can change from the broad way to the narrow way if you will turn to Christ, who can save you. Through your faith and obedience, you will enter the strait gate and travel on the narrow way where Christ and His people are, and where all spiritual blessings exist. This will lead you to the New Jerusalem, the eternal city of God, heaven itself.
Lesson brought to you by: Brother Robert H Brown
