God Loves… Himself

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

The narrow gate that we must enter though to be on the narrow road that leads to life is quite instructive. It teaches us that there are many things that are not in accordance with true Christianity. There are many things that glitter, but the reality of them is that they are not true gold. We know that Jesus and Paul fought bad teaching and those who would distort the Gospel. Paul had strong words for those who would distort the Gospel, yet it appears that throughout the New Testament there were people who were constantly adding to or taking away from the Gospel.

It is easy for scholars to add to the Gospel and make it something other than the true Gospel when their mindset is on scholarship rather than a simply and faithful teaching of the Gospel. It is easy for preachers to add to the Gospel when they become concerned with numbers, money, and honor rather than a love for the Gospel out of a love for Christ. It is easy for anyone to teach a false Gospel and yet it is hard and laborious to fight through all the arrows of the evil one who is hard at work to distort the Gospel and hide the glory of Christ in the Gospel. In other words, it is hard to find the narrow gate and hard to be on the narrow road because there are so many teachings that are opposed to the narrow gate and the narrow road as set out by Christ Himself.

The Gospel is 100% pure grace and nothing is to be added to it. This is easy to see when Paul taught (in Romans 11:6) that when we add works to the Gospel it makes grace no longer to be grace. This should cause a shiver to go up and down our spines. If at any point we add a work or works to the Gospel, we are guilty of making grace no longer to be grace. It is a hard teaching, but anything we do or say that adds something to grace is a terrible sin worthy of damnation. We may have good intentions, but if we add anything to grace we have adjusted the Gospel to be a non-Gospel.

In our day we are afraid of people being immoral while professing to be Christians, so we do certain things to try to prevent that. However, the Gospel must never be added to. The Gospel is always of pure grace and nothing but pure grace (true by definition) and we must not bring legalism or add anything at any point. Our intentions may be good, at least in a sense, but we must not add to the Gospel in the slightest. Moralism is a great opponent of the Gospel. God saves sinners to the glory of His name and not just to make people behave as we wish. While we may think of people as immoral, it is also great immorality to add to the Gospel. But again, when we add to the Gospel we are teaching others something other than the narrow gate and the narrow road that leads to life. When we add to the Gospel, we are teaching people that the wide gate and the broad road that lead to destruction in fact a way that leads to life.

The Gospel of grace alone teaches us that God saves sinners by His doing and not by anything they can do. The Gospel of grace alone teaches us that God saves sinners according to Himself and not according to what they can do to change themselves inwardly or outwardly. The Gospel of grace alone teaches us that sinners must be humbled from their pride, but it is God who must humble them and not their own proud hearts. The Gospel of grace alone teaches us that it is the will of God that is the power that saves sinners and not their own wills. In these areas it is so easy to add some little something, but in fact we are adding to grace which makes grace no longer to be grace and the Gospel no longer to be the Gospel.

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Perhaps the point can be stressed too much, but one would have to stress it for a long time and focus on nothing else to do so. The Bible sets out two roads and those two roads are for religious people. Those are not two roads that each person in the world is on, but is instead two roads for religious people or perhaps it can be said that those two roads are for professing Christians who think that they are on a road to heaven. Perhaps we should go even further and say that these roads are for people who are serious about their Christianity. This would be consistent with the context as Jesus was speaking to Jews who were serious about their religion. He was not speaking to Gentiles and the world, but to a specific and very religious people.

If this is a correct way of viewing the text, it should also be an awakening way of viewing the text as well. It may be that “I” am on the broad road. It may be that “I” am religious and yet do not have Christ in truth. It may be that “I” have chosen my own narrow gate and am on the broad road rather than taking the gate of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ in some way is always pointing to Himself. He and He alone is the narrow gate through which people must pass through in order to be on the narrow road that leads to life. The Pharisees wanted to set out laws and make rules by which they could be righteous in their own eyes, but Jesus points out how they actually violated the real law. This should instruct us not to find ways to be righteous in our own eyes, but instead look to Christ and His righteousness. This should also teach us that we need grace to look to Christ as well. It is the Lord Jesus who can give us grace that we may look to Him.

Jesus Christ is the narrow gate because it is in Him alone that a person is on the way of life since Christ is Life Himself. In order to go through the narrow gate a person must repent of self, of pride, and of ownership to self. But of course it should be clear that no one can repent of those things by the power of self since self would not be repented of at that point. It is only grace that can work a true repentance from self in the heart. Jesus taught us in Matthew 18 that unless we are turned (passive) and become like children we cannot enter the kingdom. Ah, now we can see just how narrow this really is. Men and women must give up their free-will in order to be converted by the free-grace of God. They must be humbled to the point where they see and in reality rest in nothing of self to convert self or help them in obtaining Christ. It is a very narrow gate.

We are saved/justified/redeemed by Christ plus nothing else. The only salvation there can possibly be is Christ and Christ alone and He only saves by His grace alone. The gate is so narrowed to Christ that sinners have no room for self, for pride, for self-righteousness, and for their own religion regardless of how strict it is. The gate is not narrow and therefore men must be strict in their religion, but the gate is narrow because men must give up all their religion. The gate is narrow because men must give up on self-ownership and the very essence of self. The gate is narrow because only those who are sinners and have no hope in self or anything but Christ are allowed in. The gate is narrow because there is no room for self-righteousness as the only righteousness needed or wanted is the righteousness of Christ. The gate is narrow because only grace is allowed there. How we must seek the Lord to give us grace that we may seek more and more grace from Christ and also in Christ.

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

The narrow gate and the narrow road can also be understood from different perspectives. This is not to say that the absolute truth is relative, but that people can think that they are on the narrow road but simply not have a biblical perspective of what the narrow road is. They may have built their own narrow road rather than following the narrow road of the Bible. It is not that one must go through just any narrow gate and it is not that one may follow just any narrow road, but one must go through the narrow gate and be on the narrow road that has been built by God. In other words, it is not just any narrow gate and road that will do. Many have entered through a narrow gate of their own making and are on a narrow road of their own devices and wisdom. Those are truly narrow in one sense, but a narrow road of man’s own making is still part of the wide gate and broad road that leads to destruction.

The Pharisees certainly were following a narrow road, but it was one that they had made by making their own laws. Anyone who sets out a way to life that is possible to obtain by the strength of men (even if they say it takes grace to do it) is setting out a false way and is building their own road. Anyone who says that Christ has paid for his or her sin and yet that person adds something to it by faith or by works for sanctification, that person is on the broad road of human effort. Jesus Christ saves sinners from beginning to end and He becomes their life or He does not save at all. The broad road is any road that is not Christ alone by His grace alone.

The broad road is not just filled with people who are absolute heretics or those who deny the faith, but it would appear from the context that it is filled with people who think that they are on the narrow road to life. We are warned sternly and clearly that we are to enter through the narrow gate because there are many who have entered through the wide gate and are on the broad road to destruction and there are many who do that. We are not to understand that all these people are careless and that all these people are just hopping and skipping along with no practice of religion at all. No, we must not think that. The broad road is full of people who are quite religious and perhaps quite orthodox. The broad road has people on it who practice many good works.

There is plenty of room on the broad road for those who are proud of their knowledge, though indeed they may think that they are humble. There is plenty of room on the broad road for those who practice good deeds in their own strength. What the text is reminding us is that the people who have entered through the wide gate are those who know that there is a gate to enter and they think that they are on the gate to life. The text is reminding us that the people who are on the broad road think that that they are on the road to life and yet they are on the way to destruction. Those that the text speak of who are on the broad road are not the openly profane and open mockers, these are people who are serious about their religion and desire to enter life.

Could it be that the broad road is full of people who are faithful church members and hold their creeds and confessions as true? Could it be that the broad road is full of people who are zealous for their religion and their good works? Could it be that the broad road is full of people who study the Bible diligently and say their prayers on a regular basis? Could it be that the broad road is full of people who evangelize and give to mission or go out as missionaries? Could it be that there are many on that broad road that leads to destruction are pastors? What if these things are true? Could it possibly be that it has been 500 years after the Reformation and we are desperately in need of a new Reformation? Could it be that there are many Reformed who the Reformers would not recognize as Reformed? Could it be that there are those who trust in being Reformed rather than Christ alone? Could it be that the broad road includes many more than we think? If there are few who find the way of life and there are many who are on the road to destruction, we must seek the face of God to find out the truth of our own road.

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

With all the polls being taken and showing that there is no real difference between those who attend professing churches and those who don’t, at the least we should wonder if those in the professing churches are truly converted. Those who are on the narrow road will be different from those who are on the broad road. Those who are on the narrow road have life in them and those on the broad road are possessed by the death that is in them. There are huge differences between those who are on the broad road and those who are on the narrow road, though it must be stressed that the differences are not always obvious to the physical eyes. The difference in many cases is the attitude and love of the heart. One can do an outwardly good work out of love for self rather than love for God.

The lover of self can be an extremely religious person and as such be quite rigid in his or her external life. This can certainly have all the appearances of a narrow road. However, this can simply be the activity of the religious self with self being the chief love. Asceticism and legalism is not a way on the narrow road, but is instead the appearance of a narrow road while the person is in fact on the broad road. It appears narrow because it is difficult and there is a lot of denial of worldly things, but the self has not been denied and Christ is not the life in the soul. The person has also entered in a broad gate rather than the narrow gate since the narrow gate involves Christ alone. There is no room for self coming through that narrow gate and only those who truly have Christ by grace can come through that gate.

The narrow road to life will only have those who have died to self by the work of the Spirit in them. The self has been denied and they have been turned from self and pride to a heart of a child (Mat 18:1-4). Those who are severe in their religion are really in the service of self and as such have never truly repented of self. Perhaps they have repented of much outward sin and have turned to the works and deeds of religion, but they have never truly repented of the self. True Christianity is all about the life of Christ in a person and it is about doing all out of love for God. True Christianity is all about doing all for the glory of God or being instruments for the manifestation of the glory of God. In order to do that, the self must be died to because it is the self that is religious for self and seeks self and the glory of self. It is self that does all out of love for self.

The narrow gate and the narrow road of true Christianity in context of the Bible as a whole teaches us that there are few who enter at the narrow gate because few deny self and seek the Lord to die to self. Few will seek true humility that comes from Christ. Few will deny all of their own righteousness and look to Christ alone. Few will come to know that their best works are as filthy rags. Few will be broken of heart enough to realize that they have never done one thing that was truly good. Few will not seek the Lord for a broken heart that becomes the heart of a child by His grace, but instead people want to do it themselves. Few will seek the Lord to show them their utter poverty in the spiritual realm and that if they are going to do one thing good at all it must come to them from Christ first. Few will seek the Lord for a heart that recognizes that the will is not free and so that they will live by grace alone. Actually living by grace alone is far different than saying the words or accepting that statement as true. Those on the broad road can accept those things as true, but they are still relying on self in what they do.

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

In thinking through the meaning of the fact that there are many on the broad way and who have entered in at the wide gate, it is clear that one of the reasons that so many are deluded in this matter is because of false prophets (or perhaps, false preachers). Those who preach a message where people are entering at the broad gate and the broad road have entered at the wide gate and are on the broad road themselves. They will preach false things with conviction and much feeling. They may preach these things because they are convinced that these things are true. They may be orthodox in doctrine in many ways and yet view those who are on the narrow path as off base as they make fun of them. False preachers can be very nice and outwardly produce many good works in appearance.

It would be much easier if God would put a large FP on the back of each false preacher, but He does not. False preachers harden hearts and that is a severe judgment sent upon others by God. It may seem mean or harsh, but God does send people false preachers and people love to hear them as they hear what they want to hear. A false preacher can have a big Bible and wear a white suit, but that person is rotten to the core and is an enemy of the living God. Nice clothing and a big smile are not given to us as marks of a preacher of the true Gospel. While a person must be orthodox in doctrine to preach the true Gospel, one can have much orthodoxy and not preach the true Gospel. One can preach the historical facts about the Gospel and yet not preach the true Gospel.

Jesus warned people to beware of false prophets (preachers). Interestingly enough, a false preacher can be a good speaker with a lot of orthodoxy and warn people against false preaching and doctrine. This is quite deceptive. A false preacher can be an avid follower of an orthodox confession and yet preach a false Gospel. False preachers can be considered orthodox and sound preachers in certain denominations as well. False preachers can write books and receive accolades from famous men. Jesus said to beware of these people and did not say that they would be openly false. If we are to beware of them, we must have great discernment.

The scholars and most religious people of that day were the Scribes and the Pharisees. They were the orthodox and they were the scholars, but Jesus warned them and warned others against them.

Matthew 16:6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 11 “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Luke 20:46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets,

Could it be that in a day when we are slipping away from the heart of the teachings of the Reformation that we need to beware even more and more? Could it be that many of the scholars in our day are closer to the Scribes than to the spiritual teachings and intent of Christ? Jesus taught us this: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way” (Luke 6:26). This is also true of men who are popular speakers. Could it be that they are liked so much because they are not teaching the cross in an offensive way? Could it be that in our modern day we are too politically correct and are too winsome to preach the offense of the cross? The facts of the Gospel and of the cross can be taught while hiding the true offense of them. This is not to say that we are to seek to be offensive, but that we are not to water the Gospel down in order that we would not be offensive to others. Beware of those who speak that way.

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

It appears that multitudes are flocking along a broad road without noticing all the warning signs that are posted in Scripture. It may appear to them that they are on a narrow way, but it is not the narrow way of Scripture. They may have many false rules and laws that the flesh can keep if it tries hard, but that is not the true narrow way. The way of religion, and even a religion where Christ is mentioned, is not the narrow road. The narrow road may pinch and seem to be too narrow at times.

The narrow way is one where Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. The narrow way is the one where Christ Jesus is all of our righteousness and none else is wanted or needed. The narrow ways is one where the blood of Christ alone washes and cleanses the guilt and filth of sin away. The narrow way is where Christ alone is the redemption of sinners. The narrow way is where Christ alone is our sanctification. The narrow way is where Christ Himself is our wisdom. It is not that the things listed above are things that Christ gives apart from Himself, but Christ Himself is those things to His people. He is our righteousness. He is our cleansing. He is our sanctification. He is our wisdom. It is not just that He gives people those things, but in giving Himself we have those things. The way is so narrow that it does not allow for one thing to be added to Christ and all He is. We come as beggars with nothing we can add, contribute, or have any ability to contribute the slightest thing.

The Gospel is very narrow. It is the Gospel alone that is the power to save. We are not to add or subtract from the Gospel and there are severe warnings for doing so. There is no power in any work done by man or by any faith that a man can come up with on his own. There is utterly and absolutely no power in the “will” of man to do one thing good unless it comes from Christ the vine first. Apart from Christ we can do nothing (good or spiritual), and apart from the Gospel there is no salvation. The Gospel is the message of Christ who alone can save sinners. The Gospel is not just some words thrown together, the Gospel is the Gospel of God. It is the Gospel of Christ. It is the Gospel of the glory of God. It is the Gospel of the glory of God seen in the face of Christ. In other words, the good news is about God Himself in Christ who saves sinners by Himself and for His own glory.

The narrow road is a road where the glory of God’s grace stands alone. There is nothing that sinful man can do to sully the pure grace of God. Sinful man must obtain a broken heart from God and when that occurs that broken heart will settle for nothing but Christ and will settle for nothing but obtaining Christ by grace alone. It is a wicked thing to try to obtain Christ because of what I do or because of a faith (they think) that can be worked up by human strength. Faith is not something in the power of a human to do and it is not what God responds to and so save men when they have it. Oh no, faith is the gift of grace too. In fact, the soul with true faith has Christ and there is no true faith apart from having Christ. Sinners are saved by grace alone which means that there is no cause found within them for which God responds in saving them. No, no and a thousand times no. Sinners are saved because of who God is and that is part of what it means to be saved by grace alone. God is moved by Himself to save sinners and nothing within them or done by them moves Him. He is self-sufficient.

The narrow road is not wide enough for those who think they can work up their own faith. The narrow road is not wide enough for those who think that they can make up for some past sin. The narrow road is not wide enough for sinners who will try to share the glory with God. The narrow road is not wide enough for sinners to keep their pride and selfish hearts. The narrow road is not wide enough to allow for one work to be brought upon it. The narrow road is not wide enough for anything or anyone but Christ Himself and His grace. Those who are in utter poverty spiritually speaking are welcome. The spiritual paupers are welcome. Those without any money or any price are welcome. Those who are broken of heart are welcome. Those who are humbled are welcome. The worst of sinners may come because they alone are called. The proud and selfish hearts cannot walk on that narrow path as they are too proud and too selfish to have Christ and Him alone as their all.

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

I wonder how many people hear or read through these words and pass on by them in a thoughtless manner. I wonder how many people have heard or read through these words and since they have prayed a prayer or walked an aisle they never even gave these passages a serious thought. How many people have been told that if you pray this prayer you should never doubt your salvation and as such they blow off passages like Matthew 7? There are perhaps multitudes that have been inoculated against the truth of Christ because of a false teaching of the gospel and of assurance. Yes, it is true, wrong theology can inoculate people against the truth of Christ and the Gospel.

Do people really believe that they must enter through the narrow gate and the narrow way? No, they are simply told that they must believe or walk the aisle. The idea that they must enter through a narrow gate and walk a narrow way is unheard and would be unwelcome. Yet the Lord Jesus tells us without equivocation that the gate is wide and the way is broad to destruction. In other words, it is easy to be on the way to destruction and think that you are on the way to life. Yet Jesus tells us that many are on that road to destruction. On the other hand, we are told that the way to life has a small gate and a narrow way. There are few who find it.

The text goes on to tell us to beware of false prophets. Part of what a false prophet does is to tell people that they are on the way to life when in fact they are on the way to destruction. One of the major reasons that there are so many people on the way to destruction is because of the many false prophets we have had and still have. False prophets are selfish and greedy men. They want the honor of being followed so they are not going to tell people that they must go through a narrow gate and follow a way that is narrow. The false prophet, though indeed some may be strict in their external practices of religion, is one that follows the way of self rather than the way of Christ. The false prophet speaks smooth things and does not want to disturb people who are on the way to destruction as they might stop their tithing or their honoring him.

The Sermon on the Mount has been honored as a system of morality and good teaching, but it appears that the passage quoted above is ignored. It does not easily fall into a system of morality and it is not easy teaching. In fact, it obliterates it. Those who go through the motions of an easy religion should be shaken. Those who go through an extreme form of external religion should also be frightened. This passage is speaking to religious people who are aware of eternal things to some degree and it is telling us that the vast majority of religious people are on the way to destruction. The text is not telling us about the careless or the indifferent, it is telling us about those who are in the way of true religion in some way.

What is the problem? Can it be true? Is it still true in our day? Can it possibly be the case that the vast majority of professing Christians are lost and on the way to destruction in our day? What does this say of the prophets or preachers who have such easy ways of salvation? What does this say of those who have such easy and popular messages? What does this say of those who are unwilling to issue a warning to people about what a false profession is? Can we really believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and not take to heart His strong words in this passage? Does it shake us up just a little? Will we just go on in our easy lives with an easy religion? If so, then it sure appears that we are on the broad road.

Matthew 22:29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32 ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB ‘? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.

If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. (Augustine)

Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

The Bible starts off with “In the beginning, God.” It ends with “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.” Virtually the whole time in between is God shining forth His glory in and through sinful men. It is not like we can surprise God with our sins and with the depths of our sinfulness. He has seen it all and from all eternity He has known about the sin of man and in some way He has ordained it. Man hates God and continues to try to hide sin from God and from himself. Sin is truly an abominable thing, yet man makes it worse with his denial and attempt to change God rather than strive against sin.

Man wants to be righteous in and of himself and that is a terrible sin in and of itself. Man was not created to be righteous by his own standards and he was not created to live off of his own strength and wisdom. Holiness will not come by the strength of man and it will not come by the wisdom and power of man. It will only come in utter dependence upon God and His grace. Man not only sins, but in his struggle to be thought of as righteous he goes deeper and deeper into sin.

The proud and selfish heart of man struggles against the thought that he is a sinner and cannot help himself. The proud and selfish heart of man wants to think highly of himself regardless of how low sin has brought him. The proud heart of man will turn to religion in order to better himself, but without realizing it he has just found a way to deceive himself and to feed his own pride. True Christianity is not a way that man can save himself and become righteous by his own works, but instead true Christianity is a way of the grace of God in saving sinners for His own glory. True Christianity is a way where God works in man to make him holy. In other words, the Bible rings with the glory of the grace of God toward sinners rather than ways man can make himself better.

When men are sincere in their belief system and moral system that is either a little off or a long way off, they are sincere but sincerely wrong. Their sincerity can be evident and that will convince others, but when others are convinced they are assuredly worse off than before. False religion is in some ways a hardening of the heart into a false belief system about God. This is why so many modern versions of Christianity are so dangerous. They provide ways for the proud heart of man to be deceived and the proud heart of man does not need more ways. The Joel Olsteens and those of his ilk are obviously teaching error, but it gets worse. There are many who have more truth than Olsteen and yet being closer to the truth is more deceptive in many ways. We live in a day where imposters wear the cloak of truth in many ways and each may be sincere. However, if it does not start with the true God, be filled with the true Christ in all places, and end with His true grace in Christ; then it is nothing more than what deceived people love. People who are deceived love to be deceived in order to keep their sin. They will also give a lot of money (in some cases) to the preachers of deception in order to remain deceived.