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“Enter through the narrow gate.” That is not a suggestion. It is a command from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ.
> “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
> — Matthew 7:13–14 (NKJV)
This is the central theme of your song: two gates, two roads, two destinies, and two kinds of people—“many” and “few.”
The lyrics echo, expand, and reinforce this solemn warning:
The narrow gate is not an idea. It is a Person. Jesus Himself says:
> “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
> — John 14:6 (NKJV)
So we are confronted with a decision of eternal consequence: Which gate? Which road? Which destiny?
The purpose of this teaching is to show, from Scripture, what it means to enter the narrow gate, to walk the difficult road, and to persevere until we reach life everlasting.
As always, we begin by seeing what the Word of God actually says, in its context.
---
Matthew 7:13–14 is part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), the greatest recorded sermon of Jesus. He is speaking primarily to His disciples, with crowds listening in (Matthew 5:1–2). This is not a message to casual onlookers only; it is a message to those who want to follow Him.
By the time He reaches chapter 7, Jesus is drawing His sermon to a point of decision. He gives several pairs of contrasts:
All of these are saying one thing: Not every path that looks religious leads to life. Not every enthusiasm about Jesus is accepted by Him. There is a real separation taking place.
Historically, Jesus is speaking to Jews who assumed that being part of the covenant people of Israel guaranteed them a good standing with God. They were surrounded by religious forms—temple, sacrifice, Sabbath, law, teachers of the law. Yet Jesus speaks of a “broad way” that leads to destruction and says “many” go on it.
So we must not imagine that the broad road is only for the obviously ungodly, the openly immoral, the atheists or idol worshipers. The broad road often includes the religious who refuse the terms of God’s righteousness and insist on their own way.
Jesus, the King, is announcing the laws of His kingdom. He states very clearly: entrance into this kingdom is not automatic, not casual, not broad. It is narrow. It is costly. It is specific.
The song you have shared simply repeats that call. It places us, like those first-century listeners, at the fork in the road and demands that we choose.
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To understand more deeply, we will look at two key Greek words from Matthew 7:13–14: “narrow” and “difficult.”
### 1. “Narrow” — στενός (stenos)
In Matthew 7:13–14:
> “Enter by the narrow (stenos) gate…”
The word *stenos* means:
The emphasis is on something that does not accommodate excess. There is no space for baggage, no room for alternatives, no parallel options. It is exclusive.
This destroys the modern idea that there are many legitimate ways to God, and Christianity is just one among them. The narrow gate does not say, “Choose whatever path is meaningful for you.” It says, “One gate. One way. One Lord.”
This corresponds exactly with the words of Jesus in John 10, where He describes Himself as the door:
> “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
> — John 10:9 (NKJV)
Not “a” door. “The” door. The narrowness of the gate is the exclusiveness of Christ.
### 2. “Difficult” — τεθλιμμένη (tethlimmenē) from θλίβω (thlibō)
In verse 14, Jesus says:
> “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life…”
“Difficult” translates *tethlimmenē*, a perfect passive participle of *thlibō*. The verb *thlibō* means:
It is the same root used for “tribulation” (*thlipsis*). So the “difficult” road is literally a road under pressure, a road of affliction, a road that presses you, squeezes you, strips you. It is a path where you are opposed.
The narrow gate excludes alternatives; the afflicted road exposes and deals with what remains in us that cannot enter the kingdom. It is not simply a hard life because the world is hard; it is a life of intentional pressure from God and opposition from the enemy that shapes us into disciples.
When the lyrics say:
> “Narrow is the gate and difficult the road
> that leads to life,
> and only a few find it.”
they are echoing this reality: the road is not only morally demanding; it is spiritually contested.
The narrowness and the pressure are not accidents. They are part of God’s appointed way to life.
---
Let us take the lyrics as a teaching outline and relate each part to the wider testimony of Scripture.
### A. “Enter through the narrow gate…”
These words are a direct quotation of Matthew 7:13. Note the imperative: “Enter.” It is a command, not a description.
This implies:
1. There is a definite point of entry.
2. You cannot drift through it; you must choose it.
3. Not to enter is already to remain on the broad road.
In John 3:3, Jesus says:
> “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The new birth is the gate. You cannot bring your old nature into the kingdom. It must die. Paul states:
> “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
> — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
So the narrow gate is:
The broad gate, by contrast, allows you to keep your old nature, your self-rule, your independence. You may add religion to it if you wish, but you are still your own master.
### B. “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”
The broad road is not chiefly a moral description; it is a spiritual one. It is the way where man is at the center and God is adjusted to suit man.
It includes:
The word “destruction” in Matthew 7:13 is *apōleia*: ruin, loss, eternal waste. It does not mean mere annihilation; it means the loss of the purpose for which you were created. Eventually it culminates in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).
Notice the solemn emphasis: “many enter through it.” Numerically, the majority are on the wrong road. Popularity is not a sign of truth.
### C. “Narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Choose the narrow way—it leads to life everlasting.”
Three key truths are compressed here:
1. The road “leads to life” — *zōē*, the God-kind of life, both now and forever (John 10:10).
2. It is “difficult” — pressed, afflicted, opposed.
3. “Only a few find it” — it must be sought, and it is not obvious to the natural mind.
Luke’s parallel passage adds an important element:
> “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”
> — Luke 13:24 (NKJV)
The Greek word “strive” is *agōnizomai*, from which we get “agonize.” It is used for athletes competing, soldiers fighting. This tells us:
So the song correctly exhorts: “Choose the narrow way.” It places responsibility squarely on our will. God opens the gate in Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts. But we must choose.
Moses set a similar choice before Israel:
> “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”
> — Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV)
The narrow way is not an accident you drift into. It is a choice you make and a choice you keep making.
### D. “Strive to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.”
This lyric reflects Luke 13:24. There is a difference between “trying” and “striving.”
Many will “try” to enter:
Jesus continues in Luke 13:25–27 with a severe warning. Some will say, “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets,” but He will answer, “I do not know you, where you are from; depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.”
So:
“Strive to enter” means:
### E. “The Lord says: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
This is the heart of the matter. The narrow gate is not merely a moral code or a religious system. It is a Person.
In John 14:6, we have three tremendous claims:
1. “I am the way” — not merely a guide to the way, but the actual way Himself. You cannot walk the way apart from Him.
2. “I am the truth” — the ultimate, final, absolute revelation of God’s reality.
3. “I am the life” — the source and sustainer of spiritual and eternal life.
Then the absolute exclusivity: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
This excludes:
Peter declares the same truth:
> “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
> — Acts 4:12 (NKJV)
So the theology of the song is strong: the narrow gate and narrow way are defined by and centered in the Person and work of Jesus Christ alone.
### F. “Enter by the narrow gate—few find the path to life.”
Note again the combination of command and warning:
The “path to life” is not only about reaching heaven after death. It is a present path of following Jesus as Lord. He said:
> “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
> — Luke 9:23 (NKJV)
That is the narrowness and the pressure of the road:
Many want Jesus as Savior. Few accept Him as Lord. But the New Testament never offers a divided Christ. The Jesus who saves is the Jesus who rules.
---
If this were only a doctrine to admire, it would be useless. The question is: How do we actually enter and continue on the narrow road that leads to life?
### Step 1: Enter Through Repentance and Faith
Entrance is not gradual. The road is gradual, but the gate is definite. You enter at a point in time when you:
Jesus summarizes His message:
> “Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
> — Mark 1:15 (NKJV)
Repentance in Greek is *metanoia* — a change of mind that leads to a change of direction. It is not a feeling, but a decision.
Faith is not mere agreement with facts. It is committing yourself to Christ as Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9 states:
> “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
So:
This is how we pass through the narrow gate.
### Step 2: Accept the Cost of Discipleship
Many enter a form of Christianity without ever counting the cost. Jesus never hid the cost.
> “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
> — Luke 14:33 (NKJV)
That does not mean every believer must give away all possessions literally, but it does mean Christ has the right to everything. Nothing and no one can be above Him in our loyalty.
To walk the difficult road, you must settle certain issues:
If you try to carry your self-will onto the narrow road, you will find it intolerable. The pressure will expose your resistance. The narrow way is only “hard” to the degree that we cling to our own way.
### Step 3: Walk Daily in Obedience and the Power of the Holy Spirit
The narrow road is not traveled in your own strength. God has given the Holy Spirit so that we can walk as Jesus walked.
> “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
> — Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)
On this road:
Obedience is not optional. Jesus links love and obedience:
> “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
> — John 14:15 (NKJV)
As you obey, the road may be pressed and afflicted, but there will also be joy and peace:
> “Narrow is the gate and difficult the way which leads to life…”
Life is not only the destination; it is also the character of the journey—God’s own life in you.
### Step 4: Persevere and Refuse the Broad Road’s Temptations
The broad road will constantly invite you back:
The writer to the Hebrews exhorts:
> “We are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”
> — Hebrews 10:39 (NKJV)
You must consciously reject:
Paul said:
> “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
> — Acts 14:22 (NKJV)
Tribulation does not mean God has abandoned you. Often, it is a sign you are on the right road.
One practical way to strengthen your perseverance is through proclamation: declaring God’s Word aloud over your life. This aligns your mouth with His truth and resists the enemy.
---
### Proclamation
Speak this out, deliberately, as an act of faith:
> I choose the narrow gate.
> I renounce the broad road that leads to destruction.
> I confess that Jesus Christ is the only way,
> the only truth, and the only life.
> No one comes to the Father except through Him,
> and I come to the Father through Jesus alone.
> I turn from my sin and from my own way.
> I submit myself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
> I accept the narrow gate and the difficult road.
> I receive the life that He gives—
> His eternal life, His resurrection life,
> working in me by the Holy Spirit.
> By God’s grace, I will strive to enter,
> I will walk in obedience,
> and I will not turn back.
> I belong to Jesus. I follow Jesus.
> I will walk His way until I see Him face to face.
> Amen.
### Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
I acknowledge You today as the only way, the only truth, and the only life. I thank You that You opened the narrow gate for me by Your death and resurrection. I confess that I have often preferred the broad road, the easy way, my own will. I repent. I turn from every form of compromise, self-rule, and unbelief.
Holy Spirit, come and fill me afresh. Empower me to deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow Jesus. Write the Word of God on my heart. Give me grace to endure pressure, opposition, and affliction on the narrow road. Keep me from deception. Guard me from turning aside to the broad path.
Father, I ask that You complete the good work You have begun in me. Lead me on the narrow road that leads to life everlasting. Strengthen my will to choose Jesus, again and again, until my last breath. I trust You to keep me by Your power through faith for the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Amen.
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