“Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, ‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, “Sir, open the door for us.” But he will answer, “I don't know you or where you come from.”’” (Luke 13:22-25)
There are some troubling phrases in this teaching of Jesus.
One is – “make effort to enter through the narrow door.” I thought it wasn’t by our efforts that we are saved? I thought we were saved only by the efforts of Jesus. The efforts Jesus is speaking about here are not the efforts to earn our way to salvation. Rather, He is speaking of the effort involved in seeking God – the effort involved in opening our heart to the Lord – the effort involved in responding to God’s call on our lives. The work is all Jesus’ – but accepting His work and responding to His invitation, that is ours.
A second troubling phrase is “many will try to enter and will not be able to.” Does that mean that there are some who want to be saved and won’t be accepted? That’s sort of what it means. There are some who aren’t willing to come in the only way Jesus offers salvation. They want to come in some other way, some way of their own making or their choosing. Some want to come on their merits – and even though they do want to be saved, they won’t be, not on that basis. Some want to come through a means other than Jesus – they want to choose their own god or change the nature of Jesus. They won’t come to Jesus as He is; they want to redefine Him in a way that is more acceptable to them. Some only want heaven and want to exclude Jesus from their life on earth. That’s not a way Jesus will allow anyone to come, no matter how badly they want heaven. The salvation that Jesus offers isn’t just fire insurance – hell avoidance – it’s a life here of following Him that opens to an eternity with Him. Those who don’t want to be with Him here won’t enjoy being with Him there, either.
There is no one who truly wants to know Jesus and who is willing to allow Jesus to be Lord, who will be turned away from Him. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
His, by Grace,
Steve
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