The Narrow Way

Narrow Lane way (Photo credit: caribb)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”  Matthew 7:21-23

When talking about Jesus, verses like these are often swept under the rug.  We much prefer the Jesus who said to turn the other cheek and love our neighbors instead of a Jesus who could possibly talk about a dismal future.  But it doesn’t work that way.  You can’t pick and choose what to listen to when we talk about Jesus (even though many people try).  This passage has been on my heart all week; let’s dive in!

This passage aligns with Luke 13:22-28, in which Jesus said the way is narrow. Narrow implies that not many people will choose that way, and that passing through the door will take time (if a large group of people walk through a single door it will take more time than walking through, for example, a garage door).  So we understand that the way to Heaven will take longer than any other path, but what does that have to do with Jesus casting you away?

“We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets,” (Luke 13:26).  Many will call themselves Christians and many will go through the actions.  Eating and drinking seems to point at communion, though it may mean anyone who says grace because “it’s what we’ve always done.”  Likewise, saying that Jesus teaches in our streets is the same as saying “well, there’s a church down the road and we sometimes listen to their service.”  That’s all fine and dandy, but who are you trying to fool?  In Matthew, Jesus states that many will claim to have prophesied in His name.  This is saying that many will claim to do works in Jesus’ name, and they believe it should be worthy of entering into Heaven.  Well, we’ve got a few problems.  First, justification is by faith, not by works.  Doing good works in the name of Jesus says nothing about your faith.  There have been (and will always be) many who use the name of Christ in order to further their own agendas.

The big distinction in these passages is separating a true follower from a follower by name.  Jesus will tell them “I never knew you.”  He won’t say “I knew you for a little while but then I didn’t know you,” or “well I kind of know you and I like what I see.”  No.  I never knew you.  This is not an issue of eternal salvation, it’s an issue of a lack of repentance.  False disciples are wolves in sheep’s clothing.  Often they are preachers of heretical churches, founders of cults, or pop culture icons.  Which brings up a huge problem…how can we know false disciples from true followers of Christ?  “By their fruits you will recognize them,” (Matthew 7:16).

These passages aren’t meant to frighten true believers.  Rather, Jesus offered us a warning against would-be teachers who would use His name for their own benefits.

Satan disguised as an angel of the light (Photo credit: Nick in exsilio)