The Narrow And The Wide 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. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matt. 7:13-20.

Here Jesus gives us simple and powerful instruction. Two gates are spoken about, each of which leads to a completely different result. The common understanding of these verses is that those who call themselves believers have already entered by the narrow gate and the unsaved have entered by the wide gate. We must then ask, “Have these two groups entered by any gate at all, and if so, when did they do so?” When a person is converted, then he or she stands before these two gates; the true and false prophets are there too, each proclaiming his gate and his way. These two gates stand side by side. “When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defile My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger.” Ezek. 43:8.

It has always been like this. What are these two gates which converts come to? They are the narrow and wide gates. One is difficult to go through, the other is easy. Unconverted people have not come to any gate at all. The narrow gate is: “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33. The wide gate is: “He has done everything; we don’t have to do anything. He was crucified for us, He has suffered for us, He kept the law in our stead, He died for us, everything is imputed to us, and we are to do nothing.”

It is plain to see that most people enter by the wide gate, and there are plenty of false prophets to guide them through it. The way they proclaim is: “Look at Jesus; His blood covers us; we are perfect through Him; God sees us through His blood as though we were without sin,” and so on. These false prophets have no divine life, and the apostles fought a great battle against them. It is not uncommon to see them exposed as those who are covetous and live in adultery. 2 Cor. 2:17 and 4:2. “But beware the false prophets,” Jesus said. They come in sheep’s clothing and speak so movingly about Jesus and grace.

To live is to build. They continue to live without building on the rock. To live is to walk on a way, and Jesus teaches us that those who enter by the wide gate walk on a way that leads to destruction. There is no new life on the broad way.

Jesus goes on to teach that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. This is in accordance with what Jesus also says about the house that was not built upon the rock. When the storm came it fell down, and great was its fall.

We see that the wide gate and the broad way lead to destruction. People who have entered by this wide gate have only one recourse: They can pray for the forgiveness of sins, along with all the ungodly people (if God gives them grace for that), and, like the thief on the cross, be saved “as through fire.” 1 Cor. 3:15. Such people will not receive forgiveness, however, if they do not from their heart forgive their brother his trespasses. Matt. 6:14-15 and 18:35.

Jesus says in Luke 13:24: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Why are they not able? They will not, as Jesus says, forsake everything to be a disciple. They try to enter through the gate and to come to a new life without becoming a disciple. That is completely impossible. It is only by entering through the gate—the new covenant—that they can walk on the new and living way through the veil, which is His flesh.

We can read what is necessary in order to begin to walk this way: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” HEB 10:22. It is no use beginning with a bad conscience. The false prophets say: “Your former life is under His blood; you don’t have to concern yourself with that any more.” The truth of the matter is, however, that if you pray for the forgiveness of sins, but do not put right the wrong you have done or make recompense for things that can be put right, then those sins are bound to your body. If you want to start on the new and living way, you must have your body “washed with pure water.” See also 1 Cor. 6:18 and Ezek. 33:14-16. Without having a true heart—which means that you really have forsaken everything and hate your own life—you can never come to the full assurance of faith. This full assurance is, however, absolutely necessary in order to begin.

“Most assuredly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” John 10:1.

Thanks be to God for true prophets! Can you hear the difference? We have read that false prophets do not confess that Jesus is Christ come in the flesh. “Beware,” says Jesus, “of the false prophets!”

Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with the parable about the two men who built a house. The similarity between them was that both had the words of Jesus and both built. The difference was that the one “dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.” He did not begin to build on top of his former life, but the other man did. He built his house on the sand, without a foundation. Another similarity was that the storm beat against both houses. It was then that the difference between them was revealed. The house of the man who had built on the rock stood firm and could not be shaken. The other house, however, fell immediately, and the ruin of that house was great. Luke 6:47-49.

Everything depends on whether or not we have done according to God’s Word. Paul, who was chosen to preach the gospel, puts it like this: “...through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His Name.” Rom. 1:5. It was in obedience that Jesus, our elder Brother, was perfected.