What Exactly is the Narrow Gate, in Mat. 7:13-14

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VCO

Senior Member
Oct 14, 2013
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#1
I know we will find that some of us have a different understanding of what the Narrow Gate actually is, and maybe even a few different understandings. Please post what you personally understand that expression to mean, with the supporting verses that you base your understanding on.

Here is my understanding, and I know some will label me a Lordship Salvationist, but so be it, as I know no other way to Enter the NARROW GATE:


Matthew 7:13-14 (NASB)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] "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.
[SUP]14 [/SUP] "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.


First of all in what many call the Parable of the Gates, I believe that unbelievers are NOT EVEN MENTIONED. Everyone entering either the Narrow Gate or the Wide Gate, thinks they are Christians. The MANY are deceived into entering the Wide gate, and they are the same MANY as we find in Mat. 7:22-23.

I believe that Narrow Gate, is where you enter when out of LOVE FOR HIM, you genuinely cry out for forgiveness, and submit to HIM, receiving Jesus Christ as LORD, which means MASTER. NO that is not works righteousness because NO ONE can say they received Him as LORD as a CONFESSION, except that the Holy Spirit IS at work in your heart. YES, that truly is a work of the Holy Spirit, and not something I figured out and did in my own intellect. This also is an act of LOVE for Him, which was not possible until the Holy Spirit entered our hearts and POURED God's Love directly into our hearts.

1 Corinthians 12:3 (NIV)
[SUP]3 [/SUP] Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

John 1:12-13 (HCSB)
[SUP]12 [/SUP] But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name,
[SUP]13 [/SUP] who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

RECEIVED HIM AS WHAT?

Colossians 2:6 (NIV)
[SUP]6 [/SUP] So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,

Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
[SUP]10 [/SUP] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.


It is NOT a Confession, if it has not already happened in your heart, it would only be a profession and not a confession, if you have not already received HIM. The word LORD means MASTER, so anything less than surrendering to His Lordship, would not be a confession either. Like I said, none of that can happen only in the human intellect, it has to have happened BY the power of the Holy Spirit, before you can say it as a CONFESSION.


Romans 5:5 (NIV)
[SUP]5 [/SUP] And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

John 14:21 (YLT)
[SUP]21 [/SUP] he who is having my commands, and is keeping them, that one it is who is loving me, and he who is loving me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.'

1 John 4:7-8 (NIV)
[SUP]7 [/SUP] Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
[SUP]8 [/SUP] Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

John 15:9-10 (NRSV)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.
[SUP]10 [/SUP] If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

1 John 4:19 (NASB)
[SUP]19 [/SUP] We love, because He first loved us.


No, I do not believe keeping His commandments earns any part of our SALVATION, but we who are SAVED are those who show our love for Him by keeping His commands, because HE loved us first and SAVED US.


Romans 5:8-10 (NASB)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
[SUP]9 [/SUP] Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
[SUP]10 [/SUP] For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.


That is what I believe is the very beginning of genuine Christianity, which is what we call Entering the Narrow Gate.
 

Bladerunner

Senior Member
Aug 22, 2016
3,076
59
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#2
VCO

Simply think of the narrow gate as the door on Noah's Ark and the wide gate as that of the entire earth.

God himself called the Eight into the Ark and closed the door.

All those that did not enter the Small Narrow door of the Ark DIED, They who died took the wide path.

For Noah was righteous!
 
J

jaybird88

Guest
#3
the gate is Jesus. Jesus is the union between the heavens and earth, to go from one place to the other you have to go through Him.
as for those that dont go through, the passage tells us, murderers, destroyers, those that teach others to do so.
 

VCO

Senior Member
Oct 14, 2013
11,967
4,585
113
#4
VCO

Simply think of the narrow gate as the door on Noah's Ark and the wide gate as that of the entire earth.

God himself called the Eight into the Ark and closed the door.

All those that did not enter the Small Narrow door of the Ark DIED, They who died took the wide path.

For Noah was righteous!
I agree that it is FEW who are saved. That is why the popularity of Easy Believism TV Evangelists, scares me. I fear we are well into the Laodicean Age, but encouraged that we could be going home soon.
 

Yonah

Senior Member
Oct 31, 2014
1,074
103
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#5
Joh 14:6 יהושע said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

this text makes it abundantly clear.... mankind has this strange need to complicate things.
 
Nov 22, 2015
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#6
Revelation says that there are so many people in heaven with the Lord that it is almost impossible to count them. There are many that have believed in the Lord but are not living by His life by grace through faith. This doesn't disqualify them for heaven. The blood of Jesus has already qualified us for going to be with the Lord when we die.

The real question is - do we rely on Christ in this life in the same way that we received Him?

Col. 2:6 " As we have received Christ Jesus - so walk in Him "

Jesus is the gate to that we enter into but how many of us are actually living totally dependent on His life for living on this earth? He is also the "highway" for living and walking on as well.

Here is a prophecy about the ones that are in Christ. He has made us clean by His blood alone. Christ Himself is the "way of holiness". It says that once we are on this highway - even a fool can't err in it.

Isaiah 35:8 (KJV)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
 

VCO

Senior Member
Oct 14, 2013
11,967
4,585
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#7
Joh 14:6 יהושע said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

this text makes it abundantly clear.... mankind has this strange need to complicate things.
YES, and I think the Narrow Gate is also, synonymous with born again, which is what I was describing in detail, in my original Post.


John 3:3-7 (NASB)
[SUP]3 [/SUP] Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
[SUP]4 [/SUP] Nicodemus *said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
[SUP]5 [/SUP] Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
[SUP]6 [/SUP] "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
[SUP]7 [/SUP] "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'


Our human spirit was not alive to GOD, at natural birth, that birthing into spiritual life is a work of the Holy Spirit. Anyone without it, will not see the Kingdom. Plus that birthing by the Spirit is eternal life for our human spirit.


Colossians 2:13 (GW)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] You were once dead because of your failures and your uncircumcised corrupt nature. But God made you alive with Christ when he forgave all our failures.


That is talking about our human spirit being dead because of our inherited sin nature from Adam.


John 3:36 (HCSB)
[SUP]36 [/SUP] The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.


This body will die, but once we are born again, our human spirit will never die.
 
Mar 28, 2016
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#8
if I could add my two cents..

We enter Christ, the anointing Holy Spirit of God as the narrow door. Christ is the way as well as the door/gate by which we can enter into fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.


In that way, as the exclusive way He is the pearl of great price, using pearls to represent the work of the Holy Spirit. His Spirit represents all the gates as the way we enter in. Twelve is used to represent the authority of God represented as one pearl .

Revelation 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

Matthew 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Below the word of God is represented as the pearl that unbelievers see no value in.

Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.


In chapter 13 it represents the buying and selling of God's truth (verse 17) the pearl of great price as the cost of our salvation. In that way we are to buy His truth and not sell it as did Esau for a bowl of soup

Matthew 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

In Number 11 bdellium is used to represent the pearl of great price. Manna which literally means: “What is it”? Is used to represent the word of God, as the thoughts coming from God, as the living word that abides in Christians.

Numbers 11:7 And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.

Tasting like honey is another descriptor used to remind the believer of the sweet fellowship we have when we enter Christ as the door or gate of that fellowship
 

Demi777

Senior Member
Oct 13, 2014
6,877
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Germany
#9
the way to Christ is narrow because itsnot easy. He may carry us but its not easy. we keep having resistance. its our Christian walk..The broad road is the one many go. Easy and simple to hell and condemnation
thats my opinon
 
B

BeyondET

Guest
#10
John 10:9
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
 
Dec 19, 2009
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#11
The narrow gate is obedience to the Lord's commandments.
 
Mar 28, 2016
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#12
the way to Christ is narrow because itsnot easy. He may carry us but its not easy. we keep having resistance. its our Christian walk..The broad road is the one many go. Easy and simple to hell and condemnation
thats my opinon

Amen His yoke is easy, Him taking on the weight of our sin makes our burden lighter.

Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
 

zone

Senior Member
Jun 13, 2010
27,214
164
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#13
Joh 14:6 יהושע said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

this text makes it abundantly clear.... mankind has this strange need to complicate things.
yep.

"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9).
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
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#17
The Gate was foretold to Abraham, contained in the blessing, that his descendants would possess the Gate of their enemies.

The Gate, of course, is our Lord, Jesus Christ.
 
Dec 9, 2011
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#18
The narrow gate is obedience to the Lord's commandments.
Romans 7:20-23
King James version(KJV)

20.)Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

21.)I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

22.)For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23.)But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
 
Dec 19, 2009
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#19
usually obeying completely? (anything less is sin).
Yes, I seem to be obeying the commandments most of the time. I don't think the Lord micromanages our lives. He just wants us to obey the commandments.
 
Dec 19, 2009
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#20
Romans 7:20-23
King James version(KJV)

20.)Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

21.)I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

22.)For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23.)But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it. Psalm 118:20 RSV