The road to Heaven is not an easy one. Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but almost nobody wants to live for Jesus. Preachers today make it easy for people to think their eternity is secure by preaching a gospel of “easy believism.” These churches are exploding in numbers, and a great move back to God is being lauded in the press. It seems people are coming to Christ in droves.
But Jesus said, the path that leads to life is narrow, and few will find it (Matthew 7:13-14). What then to make of all these coming to the Lord? The only option is they are coming on the wide path that leads to destruction. It is notable that Jesus’s warning against the wide path comes just before His warning about false teachers (Matthew 7:15).
Luke’s account of these verses states that many will try to enter the narrow gate but won’t be able to (Luke 13:24). This was in response to someone asking him, “Are there few being saved” (Luke 13:23)? Even in Jesus’s time on earth, people noticed great crowds surrounded Him, but few seemed to heed His message. They liked the healings and the feedings, but that’s as far as it went. Is it so different today? People like the programs and entertainment offered by churches, but that’s as far as it goes. They remain on the wide path, ignorant of the cliff it is leading them towards.
All the crowds that followed Jesus in His time left when He taught the hard truth of the gospel and revealed how significant the commitment was to follow Him (John 6:47-67). Following Jesus requires us to carry our cross each day (Luke 9:23). You can only drag so many crosses down the same road. It’s hard work, making for inconvenient travel. Few will find the effort worth it when there is an easier option. But the way that seems right to a man will only end in death (Proverbs 14:12).
Entrance to Heaven is exclusive. Admittance is only for those who do the will of the Father (Matthew 7:21). Entering through the narrow gate is difficult, but Jesus says we are blessed when we endure the persecutions along the way (Matthew 5:10-12). The wide gate is general admission, open to all, but its destination is eternal damnation. Make no mistake; God will destroy those who choose to go against Him (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
All will and must enter the gate of eternity. The only difference between eternal joy and eternal regret and suffering is the path we choose to walk and the gate we pass through. The only path leading to life is to love and obey Christ (John 14:15; John 15:10). We must be perfect as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:15-16), and we can only do that by being covered by the sacrificial blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:14).
We must forsake everything for the sake of Jesus (Matthew 10:37-38), even our families and our dreams (Matthew 10:39). The narrow path leaves no room for deviation, while the wide path permits and encourages careless wandering and destruction. We choose to live in obedience to God or bow to Satan and this world (Romans 6:16). It is indeed a narrow and sometimes lonely road that leads to eternity with Jesus. But oh, the joy and celebration when we arrive at last (Revelation 19:6-9)!