The Narrow Entrance of Truth in Christ Alone

Matthew 7:13-20

The Narrow Way

13 "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. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits

15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

The way to eternity is through the narrow way giving entrance to salvation from the wrath of God on our sin.  That gate to Him is only (Acts 4:12) in Jesus Christ as the way to the Father, the truth of the gospel revealing our sin needing everlasting atonement, and the true life unending from here to eternity.  It is easy to accept any other way and pretend it will lead to the same destination but that simply is a lie that deceives many and only offers promises without fulfillment.  Many will tell us that there are many ways to God and even salvation but they do not have God’s word to back up their false claims.  Some will even dare to say that idolatrous religions such as Islam and other gods will lead us to heaven, but these all deny the Christ Jesus who alone is God come as a man among us to lead the way to the only door to heaven which is Himself (John 10:1-3, 8-9).  This doorway is not popular nor easy to see among all the faux entranceways widely promising hope much but delivering nothing of substance when entered into.  Only the one narrow way is true and can truly offer entry into God’s glory of His kingdom.  Those false prophets who deceive many to take the easy way that seems so inclusive can be detected if we stand back and look at the fruit of their teachings and lives.  They appear to be righteous without the accountability to the God in heaven of the Bible, but they actually only put on outward appearances and convincing words contrary to the teachings of the scriptures which have been breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16) who alone is the Creator and Savior of all those He calls to Himself.  The appeal to take the wide inclusive road to the gate offered as the way for vast numbers of those only wanting and willing to gain access to God is very alluring and leads to denial of the truth that Jesus the Christ is the only way, the narrow and exclusive way.  Narrow because there is no other God or savior, and exclusive because it cannot be obtained simply by wanting it if not according to the scriptures and not by faith alone in Christ alone for His called and chosen sheep alone.  These false prophets of faux religion can therefore be observed to lack the true righteousness of a converted follower of Christ in the fruits of their lives.  Bad fruit is a sign of the real hearts of those offering paradise without the authority to grant it.  Good fruits of holiness and humble righteousness can only be found in Christ because they emanate from Him in us and not by our own tainted claims of personal righteousness obtained by certain works or worship of any other than the Son of God and Son of Man.  The good trees in Christ alone can bear truly good fruit; the bad trees can only grow rotten fruit from themselves according to their sin nature.  Their end is not heaven but the lake of fire which consumes them forever.  Knowing these truths, who would want to follow such impostors in sheep’s clothing to that hopeless end when seeing the single narrow way of hope that leads through the door to eternal standing in God’s presence (Revelation 21:3-4, 22:3-4)?  The narrow entrance of truth to heaven is in Christ alone by faith alone.  Inclusiveness is found only by faith on the narrow way of exclusiveness through Him.  There is no other way.  It cannot be bought or earned by anyone else but Him for us.  May we find our rest in Him and hope springing eternal in this assurance.