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“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. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 NASB1995)
A gate is a passageway, an entrance or a doorway into something or to someplace. So, if the way (the doorway) which leads to life is narrow, it is restricted, confined, and controlled by God, and it requires the forsaking of our sins and genuine walks of faith in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For it is the way of holiness, righteousness, moral purity, uprightness, faithfulness, honesty, integrity, and obedience to our Lord.
But the gate (passageway) that is wide, and the way that is broad is the way of sinful lifestyles and deliberate and habitual sin and disobedience against our Lord. It is the path of rebellion, lying, cheating, stealing, committing adultery, faithlessness, dishonesty, apathy and worldly pleasure, which rejects the Lord and his commandments and which lives for self and for self-pleasure. So it is centered in self-centered living, and not in godly living.
But in our world today, or at least here in the USA, this has largely been flip-flopped. For the broad (wide, all-encompassing) way has been turned into the right (correct) path, while the narrow (restricted, controlled) way has largely been turned into the wrong (incorrect) path. The truth has been turned into a lie, while the lie is largely being accepted now as the truth. And so God’s restrictions are now being considered legalistic, and thus wrong.
So, if you are one who is teaching or sharing the truth of the gospel, as was taught by Jesus Christ and by his New Testament apostles, in the correct context, you are probably being rejected, cast aside, ridiculed, forsaken, forgotten, persecuted, called all sorts of names, lied to, and lied about by those who are taking the broad road while believing that they are on the right path which leads to salvation from sin and eternal life with God.
But please know that if you take the way that is most popular, and that the majority are traveling, and so you feel that you have the freedom to keep on in your sinful practices, and that God will not judge you, and so you live for self and for self-pleasure, and not for God in holy living, you will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. So, rather than being welcomed into his heavenly kingdom, you will face the wrath of God, instead.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
And..
By God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).
And..
The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)
So, read the Scriptures in their correct context, and believe what they teach (in context), and then walk in obedience to the Lord, and no longer in sin, and you will have salvation from sin and eternal life with God.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
Songs in the Night
An Original Work / December 18, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84
Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.
I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!
Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.
I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!
Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.
Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!
The Way is Narrow
An Original Work / June 9, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
