“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7: 13, 14.
Hell’s gate is wide, impersonal and about mass destruction. The narrow gate to life is about individuals, not just because few find it, but for the simple reason that God is our shepherd who counts us one by one. The way to Hell is impersonal, detached and careless of the individual; the way to life is careful about each and every person that goes through it.
A wide gate allows many people through it; counting that many would take skill beyond my ability to accomplish. The gate to life allows one to two through at a time because it’s narrow. Jesus used this illustration to show not only the difficulty of being saved and how few find it, but to make sure we understood God’s personal interest in each one of us. A sheep pen in his day would have a small gate for the animals to go through in order for the shepherd to count the sheep. Now more than one sheep could enter at a time but the narrowness of it allowed the shepherd to keep track of who was present and who was missing.
To further emphasize my point let me give some references from Scripture:
Isaiah 40: 26; Revelation 3: 20; John 10: 3; Luke 15: 3-7.
And these are just a few references, there are many more, I assure you. If God has the stars numbered (a thing astronomers can only approximate) and knows them each by name, we have a God that is intricately involved in His creation. The act of standing at the door of our hearts, knocking, willing to come in and eat with us speaks volumes about how personal our God is in Jesus. In the disciples day to eat with someone meant you were on personal terms with them–especially if you ate with them alone. What would it mean for us if we knew that God considered us His children? If He calls all His sheep by name, He knows mine and your’s. For Him to go out after just one sheep on a rescue mission means so much in the argument for a personal God.
Those who argue against a personal god have a point, I guess, but not in the teachings of Christ. God wants to be personal with us, it’s part of His nature for that is how He created us!
How does God get involved in our lives? Is it through giving us everything we want or desire? Isn’t that more like an impersonal Santa Claus who comes into our lives once a year?
Ask yourself this: Do we give our children everything they ask for, allow them to go anywhere they want or teach them adult themes before they are ready? Then why would God do any different? To understand God even a little, we have to grow up to the faith of a child and get rid of childish ways.
Sounds like an oxymoron or dichotomy, but really it points to taking on the childlike faith and ridding ourselves of self-absorption. I disagree with those who say we must be others centered, for that is a world view rather than a godly view. Instead our view must be Christ centered. All other people and issues must be filtered through this POV.
Last point: If God is personal with His children and knows them each by name, what does that tell us we need to be with each other?
Tags: a personal God, community, eternal life, family of God, hell, life, Love, wide and narrow gates
