Not Strong Enough To Enter Through The Narrow Gate

[Paladin D]

[b]Luke 13:22-30[/b] - [i]Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.

Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?"

He answered them, [b]"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.[/b]

After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.'

He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.'

And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'

Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!'

And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."[/i]

Focus on the verse that is in [b]bold[/b]. Does this mean that they were made weak, from the beginning, thus they are destined to hell? Or does this mean that they are weak on their own accord if they don't have God's grace to help them?

[ironmonk]

[quote name='Paladin D' date='Aug 23 2004, 11:46 AM'] [b]Luke 13:22-30[/b] - [i]Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.

Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?"

He answered them, [b]"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.[/b]

After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.'

He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.'

And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'

Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!'

And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."[/i]

Focus on the verse that is in [b]bold[/b]. Does this mean that they were made weak, from the beginning, thus they are destined to hell? Or does this mean that they are weak on their own accord if they don't have God's grace to help them? [/quote]
No one is destined to Hell.

People are weak on their own accord... we have the responsibility to strengthen ourselves... what strengthens us is prayer, charity, knowledge of Christ's way, living Christ's way, avoiding occasions of sin, humility, etc...


God Bless Bro,
ironmonk

[Iacobus]

[quote name='ironmonk' date='Aug 23 2004, 09:50 AM'] People are weak on their own accord... we have the responsibility to strengthen ourselves... what strengthens us is prayer, charity, knowledge of Christ's way, living Christ's way, avoiding occasions of sin, humility, etc... [/quote]
Ditto. They are weak from unrepented sins not predesentation.

[Paladin D]

Got it, thanks.

[MorphRC]

[quote]He answered them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.[/quote]

Wouldnt that be a hint, that we have the choice?

"Strive to enter through the narrow gate"

[megamattman1]

I bet you got that from your sermon this Sunday, didn't you? Cuz that's what we had, and I think most churches are the same.

[cappie]

When the questioner asked Jesus “how many will be saved?” he was assuming that the kingdom of God was reserved for the Jews alone, and that gentiles would be shut out. Jesus' answer must have come as a shock. Jesus declares that entry to the kingdom is never an automatic event based purely on faith. Nobody can claim that he is “saved,” possessing a "visa" to heaven. He also clarifies that salvation is an urgent matter -- the "narrow gate" is open now but will not remain so indefinitely (“the master of the house will lock the door”). Then he adds two conditions:
a) Eternal salvation is the result of a struggle: "keep on striving to enter.” (The Greek word [b]"agonizomai"[/b] means strenuous effort in athletic competition. See I Cor 9:25; 1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 4:7). It is like swimming against the current in a river. A man must ever be going forward or else he will go backward.
b) We must enter through the "narrow gate" of sacrificial and selfless service. (Confer Mt. 7:13-14; Jer. 21:8; Deut. 30: 15-20; Joshua 24:15).

Most cities of the ancient world were surrounded by walls that had large gates in them. Jerusalem had about twelve gates that were large enough for two-way traffic. People moved through these gates to do their business, to shop and to visit their friends. These gates, however, were closed at night in case the city came under attack by an invader. There were also smaller gates through which individual citizens could be allowed into the city by the guards without exposing the city to danger. It was these smaller, or narrower, gates that Jesus is talking about. These smaller gates were like turnstiles -- they had to be entered one at a time.
The irony of Jesus' image is that the narrow gates were the proper way to enter the kingdom precisely because they were just wide enough to receive anyone who was willing to do sacrificial service for the glory of God. In other words, entering through the narrow gate denotes a steady obedience to the Lord Jesus -- overcoming all opposition and rejecting every temptation. Mere faith in Jesus and membership in his church by baptism doesn't guarantee salvation. Some of the Fathers of the Church interpret the narrow door as that small place in the heart where one says "yes" or "no" to what one knows to be true. It is the one place through which no external force can enter to shape or coerce one's choices. It is what Teresa of Avila called the "center of the soul" wherein God dwells. It means that Jesus is the narrow gate, the way by which any person must enter the heavenly city.

[Guest JeffCR07]

wow, that was really good. thank you!

[kateri05]

yes, thank you cappie, that was a refreshing and illuminating explanation for that Gospel passage, which before, had always seemed somewhat disheartening to me. thanks!!