The difficult narrow gate
Dear Editor,
Recently many theologians are discussing the narrow gate in the Bible and what kind of people takes that road.
The question is what is the narrow gate and why is it difficult? In Luke 14:26 Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” This instruction seems strange until we understand the meaning of it.
In other words, a Christian’s love for living God’s way of life has to be greater than the love he or she has for any human relationship, as well as for himself or herself.
Luke 14:27 – And whosoever do not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luke 9:23-24 – And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
Luke 14:28 – “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?
Luke 14:33 – So likewise, who so ever he is of you that forsaketh, not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 – “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
1 Corinthians 6:9 – Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolater, nor adulterers, nor men or women who submit to or perform homosexual acts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 John 2:5 – Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
James 4:4 – You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
The conclusion is I now understand why the world hates true Christians and why people call the Bible teaching hate speech. Because the world cannot accept the truth. The truth is offensive.
Now I know why many preachers hate to teach these scriptures, it is because many of them are not truly men of God. If you look at these scriptures probably 95 percent of the people in the world if they do not repent and turn away from our sinful ways will go hell.
The narrow gate is very difficult. We all have to keep trying because choices have consequences. We can only do it with Christ’s help, to succeed let Christ’s will be done.
The Patriot Miguel Arrindell
