The Narrow Gate vs. the Broad Road: Why Self-Will Leads to Destruction

Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

There is no gate to enter when one travels the broad road.

The Lord uses an analogy to describe the spiritual paths available to all people. There is a narrow gate that opens to a narrow road. It leads to life. And there is a broad road without a gate that leads to destruction. The word ‘narrow’ comes from the word ‘strait.’ It means to draw tight, such as lacing a corset in times past. The narrow gate and narrow road are restrictive. There are some things, many things that cannot pass through. On the contrary, the narrow road has no gate. Nothing is restricted. Everything is acceptable.

Aleister Crowley, an occultist who once claimed he did not merely want to worship Satan, but he wanted to be Satan’s chief of staff, wrote in his work, The Book of the Law, that life should be summed up in the phrase, ‘Do as thou wilt.’ Anton LeVey reiterated this in his work, The Satanic Bible. LaVey also said, “There is a beast in man that should be exercised, not exorcised.” These two men and their philosophies underscore the broad road with no gate. It is to do whatever one desires or wills without any regard for anyone else.

The narrow road requires us to make Christ our Lord. He commands us to deny ourselves, not indulge ourselves, that we might sacrificially serve others and call them to the same life in Jesus Christ.

What was written by Crowley and LaVey was considered taboo, if not vile and utterly wicked. But that time has passed. This philosophy, once rejected outright by the majority of Western society, is now the norm. The Christian idea of self-sacrifice for the well-being of others is now considered hatred.

Casual Christianity is a Christian walk that involves participating in Christian habits, speaking in Christianese, but does not restrict its own will and desires to serve others and help them draw near to Christ. The pervasiveness of self-deification in our culture creates numerous pressures to prioritize one’s own desires and passions. And when everything in our culture presses us toward selfish and immediate gratification that requires no sacrifice, it is no wonder that the narrow gate is so hard to find.

Prayer: Lord, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. Help me live a life of sacrifice to Your way and Your will. Keep me off the broad road. Amen.

---

Schedule Counseling

Subscribe to Daily Devotions

---