Then said one unto Him, Are there few that be saved? And He said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able. Luke 13:23,24
A man I tried to invite to a Gospel meeting declined the invitation, and then proceeded to tell me his theory about getting to Heaven. He said there are as many roads to heaven as there are religions, and there is one more road than that to get to hell, one for each religion and one for those with no religion. It’s an interesting theory, but it has no basis in Scripture, as we know. The theory is based on the assumption that religion plays a role in reaching Heaven. And the Word of God plainly declares that the gateway to Heaven is not in a religion or a work or a price, but in a Person. Jesus declared that nobody would go to His Father except through Him (John 14:6). So it would be safe to declare that the strait gate in our text is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. So why does our text tell us that some will not be able to enter the gate?
Some would tell us that the strait gate is not available to most people because God has already determined that they will not be saved. These people teach us that God does not love everyone, only those who He has predetermined to be saved. They also teach that the blood of Christ was shed only for the sins of those who will be saved. Such a doctrine is called limited atonement, and is blasphemous. All of scripture tells us otherwise. The rank doctrine of Calvinism does not answer the question as to why the strait gate is not available to some.
Neither does the falling-away doctrine that insists that we must hold onto our salvation after we receive it, or we will lose it. This teaching ignores the Scriptures, including the declaration that the blood of Jesus Christ (God’s) Son cleanseth from all sin (1 John 1:7). This must include the sins committed after conversion as well as before; otherwise the verse would not include the word ‘all’. Neither good works before or after salvation have any bearing on entering the strait gate. Nor does the number of sins committed have any bearing on it because the Lord Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). No, the strait gate is unavailable to some, but it is not God Who makes it unavailable.
The Lord Jesus would not tell us to enter the strait gate if it were impossible. And we who have entered that gate know it is not impossible. A miracle, surely, but not an impossibility. The Gospel is available to all who will receive it. John 3:16 reminds us that it is for whosoever believeth. That means that those who choose not to believe make the strait gate unavailable to themselves. And that is why we need to make our Gospel messages clear and simple, so that no one who hears will be mistaken about their responsibility for the strait gate.
The gate is strait because few enter it. But it is wide enough for all who do not close the gate on themselves. -Jim MacIntosh