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“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
— Matthew 7:14 (NIV)
Let us look at what the Word of God says. These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They are not a suggestion. They are not an opinion. They are a divine warning and an unchanging spiritual law.
The central theme of this song is the narrow gate and the narrow way. It confronts us with a sobering truth: there are two ways, two destinies, and only one way leads to life—and only a few find it.
The lyrics echo and expand the biblical emphasis:
> Narrow is the gate and difficult the path
> that leads to life—
> only a few find it.
> Enter through the narrow gate—
> the way to life is hard but true.
We are not dealing here with a marginal doctrine. This is at the heart of Christian discipleship. Jesus is addressing:
The song confronts a dangerous error in much modern preaching: the idea that the Christian life is easy, casual, and broad. Jesus says the exact opposite. The way to destruction is broad; the way to life is narrow, confined, pressured, and demanding.
If you want life—real, eternal, God-given life—you must face the narrowness of the gate and the difficulty of the way.
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The primary scripture comes from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Jesus is not speaking to pagans. He is teaching His disciples in the presence of the crowds (Matt. 5:1–2). So these words are directed to people who are already interested, already listening, already “following” to some extent.
In Matthew 7, Jesus is bringing His sermon to a climax. He sets before His hearers a series of sharp contrasts:
He is saying: *It is not enough to hear Me, admire Me, or even call Me Lord. You must actually enter the right gate and walk the right way.*
Luke records a similar, slightly varied statement:
> “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”
> — Luke 13:24 (NASB)
In Luke 13, the context is again urgent and sobering. Jesus is asked: “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” (Luke 13:23). His answer does not speculate on numbers. He directs the question back to the hearers: *“Strive to enter.”* The issue is not statistics; the issue is your response.
So historically and biblically:
This is the spiritual environment in which we must hear the lyrics:
> Strive to enter through the narrow door,
> because many, I tell you, will try to enter
> and will not be able.
The words are not meant to soothe. They are meant to awaken.
---
Let us look more closely at two crucial Greek terms:
### 1) “Narrow” – στενός (*stenos*)
In Matthew 7:14:
> “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
> — Matthew 7:14 (NKJV)
The word translated “narrow” is *stenos*. It comes from a root meaning “compressed, constricted, confined.” It carries the sense of a space so tight that you cannot bring much with you. You must enter stripped down.
This speaks to us of:
The narrow gate demands repentance and renunciation. It confronts us with the words of Jesus:
> “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.”
> — Luke 14:26 (NKJV)
This is the narrowness of the gate.
### 2) “Difficult” – τεθλιμμένη (*tethlimmenē*, from *thlibō*)
The phrase “difficult is the way” (Matt. 7:14 NKJV) uses a participle of *thlibō*, often translated “to press, to afflict, to trouble, to oppress.”
The idea here is that the way is under pressure. It is a path marked by:
The same root appears in:
> “We must through many tribulations (*thlipsis*) enter the kingdom of God.”
> — Acts 14:22 (NKJV)
So the narrow way is not merely “morally demanding.” It is a way in which external and internal pressures will press upon you. You will be opposed by:
So when the lyrics say:
> Narrow is the gate and difficult the path
> that leads to life—
this is not pessimism. It is realism. It is the plain language of Scripture.
And this realism protects us. If you expect an easy, broad road, you will be confused, offended, and possibly fall away when you meet pressure. But if you accept from the start that the way is narrow and pressed, you will interpret trials correctly and stand firm.
---
Let us now walk through the themes in the lyrics and see how Scripture interprets Scripture.
### A) “Small is the gate… Narrow the road that leads to life”
> But small is the gate and narrow the road
> that leads to life,
> and only a few find it.
Here we must distinguish between the gate and the road:
Jesus said:
> “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved…”
> — John 10:9 (NKJV)
> “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
> — John 14:6 (NKJV)
The gate is not “religion,” not “good works,” not “sincerity.” The gate is a Person—Jesus Himself. But He must be entered on His terms, not ours.
The “road” is also Christ-centered. We are not only saved by Christ; we walk in Christ:
> “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
> — Colossians 2:6 (NKJV)
Many want Jesus as a gate (escape from hell), but not as a road (Lord over all life). They want a moment of decision, not a lifetime of discipleship. Yet the same Jesus who is the gate is also the way.
### B) “Narrow is the gate and difficult the path… only a few find it”
This is a direct contradiction of the modern assumption that “most people go to heaven” or “all sincere paths lead to God.” Jesus says:
In contrast, the previous verse says:
> “For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.”
> — Matthew 7:13 (NKJV)
We have:
These are absolute opposites. There is no third way. The broad way is not “less ideal” Christianity. It is the road to destruction.
Theologically, this confronts:
James warns:
> “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”
> — James 2:19 (NKJV)
Demons are orthodox monotheists. They believe in the existence of God. They even tremble. Yet they are not saved. Why? No repentance. No submission. No obedience.
So when the lyrics say:
> Few find the narrow way—
> choose it, and you will find life.
We are confronted with personal responsibility. The narrow way is not accidental. It must be sought, chosen, and entered deliberately.
### C) “Enter through the narrow gate—the way to life is hard but true”
> Enter through the narrow gate—
> the way to life is hard but true.
This line is deeply aligned with the words of Jesus:
> “Enter through the narrow gate.”
> — Matthew 7:13 (NIV)
Notice the verb: enter. It is an action command. It calls for decisive response. There is a moment in which you pass from death to life, from outside to inside.
Elsewhere Jesus says:
> “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
> — John 5:24 (NKJV)
This “passing” is the gate. But the gate is “hard but true.” Why hard?
1. Repentance is painful to the flesh.
Repentance (Greek *metanoia*) means a radical change of mind, turning from sin to God. It touches behavior, relationships, priorities, and identity. The flesh resists it.
2. Self-denial cuts against human nature.
Jesus says:
> “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
> — Luke 9:23 (NKJV)
The cross is an instrument of death. You cannot follow Christ and preserve your autonomous self-life.
3. The truth exposes.
The gate is not only hard; it is “true.” Jesus is “the truth” (John 14:6). The truth exposes sin, hypocrisy, and idols. Many prefer comfort to truth. Jesus said:
> “Everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”
> — John 3:20 (NKJV)
So the gate is hard because it is true—and it is true because it is Christ Himself.
### D) “Strive to enter through the narrow door”
> Strive to enter through the narrow door,
> because many, I tell you, will try to enter
> and will not be able.
This directly echoes Luke 13:24. The key word is “strive”.
In Greek, the word is ἀγωνίζομαι (*agonizomai*), from which we get “agonize.” It was used of athletes in intense contest, or soldiers in fierce battle.
This destroys another false image: that salvation is obtained by casual, half-hearted interest. Jesus says we must strive:
Paul uses the same root:
> “Fight (*agonizomai*) the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life…”
> — 1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV)
There is a paradox here: salvation is by grace, not works (Eph. 2:8–9), yet receiving that grace calls for earnestness, surrender, and a decisive laying hold.
Why will many “try to enter and will not be able”? The context of Luke 13 shows people knocking after the door is shut, claiming familiarity:
> “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.”
> — Luke 13:26 (NKJV)
They had exposure to Jesus but no true submission to Jesus. Familiarity with religious activity is not the same as entering the door.
### E) The Spiritual Warfare Dimension
The narrow way is not only morally narrow; it is spiritually contested. The devil’s strategy is to:
1. Hide the gate – through false religion, false gospels, and counterfeit Christ’s.
2. Widen the gate artificially – by preaching a gospel without repentance, cross, or lordship.
3. Discourage on the way – by intensifying pressure, persecution, and temptation.
Jesus warned of false prophets immediately after speaking of the two ways (Matt. 7:15). That is not accidental. False teachers make the way seem broad, easy, and flesh-pleasing. They remove the offense of the cross.
Paul gives a similar warning:
> “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!”
> — 2 Corinthians 11:3–4 (NKJV)
Satan is content for you to be religious, provided you never truly enter through the narrow gate or walk the narrow way.
The narrow path is not walked in our own strength. It is walked:
The Spirit empowers what the Word requires.
---
How then do we respond? We must move from theory to practice. Let me give you four clear steps, each of which can be turned into a proclamation.
### Step 1: Acknowledge the Narrowness and Renounce the Broad Way
First, we must agree with Jesus that the way is narrow, the path is pressed, and the crowd is few. We must renounce the comfortable lie that we can follow Christ and the world at the same time.
> “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
> — James 4:4 (NKJV)
Practical action:
Proclamation example:
“I accept the testimony of Jesus that the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life. I renounce the broad way and all its compromises. I refuse friendship with the world, and I choose to fear God rather than please man.”
### Step 2: Enter the Gate Through Repentance and Faith
Second, we must make sure we have truly entered the narrow gate. Church attendance, Christian vocabulary, or emotional experiences are not enough. The gate is entered through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus began His ministry with this message:
> “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
> — Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)
The apostles preached:
> “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…”
> — Acts 3:19 (NKJV)
Practical action:
Proclamation example:
“Lord Jesus, I turn from all known sin. I renounce my own righteousness. I believe that You died for my sins and rose again. I receive You as my only gate, my only way to the Father. I step through You—out of death into life.”
### Step 3: Commit to Walk the Narrow Way Daily
Third, having entered the gate, we must commit ourselves to walk the path. The Christian life is not an event; it is a road. Jesus calls us to daily cross-bearing:
> “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
> — Luke 9:23 (NKJV)
Practical action:
Proclamation example:
“Today I take up my cross and follow Jesus. I yield my body, my mind, my will, and my emotions to Him. I choose obedience over comfort, truth over popularity, and eternal life over temporary pleasure.”
### Step 4: Walk by the Spirit and the Word, Not by Feelings
Fourth, we must learn to walk this narrow way by the Spirit and according to the Word of God, not by our fluctuating emotions.
> “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
> — Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)
> “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
> — Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)
Practical action:
Proclamation example:
“I do not walk by sight or feeling, but by faith in God’s Word. The Holy Spirit empowers me to walk the narrow path. God’s Word is my light, my standard, and my weapon. I refuse the lies of the enemy and cling to the truth.”
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### Proclamation
Say this out loud, thoughtfully, in faith:
“I testify according to the words of Jesus that the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and few find it. I choose the narrow gate and the narrow way. I renounce the broad road that leads to destruction and all its attractions.
I confess that Jesus Christ is the only gate, the only way, the only truth, and the only life. By repentance and faith, I have entered through Him. I have passed from death into life.
I accept the discipline, the pressure, and the opposition of the narrow path as part of my calling. I deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow Jesus.
I walk by the Holy Spirit and stand on the written Word of God. I refuse deception, compromise, and the fear of man.
By the grace of God, I will continue on this narrow way until I enter fully into the life that is in Christ Jesus—eternal, abundant, and unshakable. Amen.”
### Prayer
“Lord Jesus Christ, You are the narrow gate and the living way. I thank You that You did not hide from me the cost of following You. I bring to You every area where I have wanted a broad, easy path. Forgive my compromise, my love of comfort, and my fear of man.
Holy Spirit, search my heart. Expose every false security, every divided loyalty, every hidden sin. Grant me true repentance and undivided devotion to Jesus. Strengthen me to strive to enter and to keep walking, even when the way is hard, lonely, or misunderstood.
Father, write Your Word on my heart. Let it be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Guard me from deception. Keep me from the broad road and those voices that would make it seem acceptable.
I choose, by Your grace, the narrow path that leads to life. Lead me, keep me, and finish the good work You have begun in me, until I stand before You and hear, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.”
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