What is meant by "small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life"?

Question

Matthew 7:13
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.

What must one do to find the truth, versus the deception?

Answer 1

Your last sentence tells me you know what these two gates
lead to; truth or deception. Just as Jesus taught in Matt 24,
(4) "Take heed that no man deceive you"

(5) "For MANY shall come in my name," (Christain) "saying,
I am Christ; and shall deceive MANY". They say Jesus is
Christ, because he was the "I" speaking.

(11) "And MANY false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive
MANY".

(23) "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ,
or there; believe it not".

(24) "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that,
IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, they shall deceive the very elect".

These false prophets preach another Jesus as Paul warned
in 2 Corinthians 11:

(4) "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom
we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which
ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not
accepted, ye might well bear with him".

Did Paul tell them to bear with them, or was he accusing
them of bearing with them? He was accusing them; Gal
1:8-9, "But though we, or an angel from heave, preach
another gospel unto you than that which we have preached
unto you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. As we said before,
so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel
unto you than that ye have received, LET HIM BE
ACCURSED".

WIDE GATES LEAD TO THESE MENTIONED LATER
IN 2 CORINTHIANS 11:

(13) "For such are FALSE APOSTLES, DECEITFUL
WORKERS, transforming themselves into the apostles
of Christ". They come in Christ's name, and saying that
Jesus is Christ.

(14) "And no marvel; for Satan himself IS transformed
into an angel of light".

(15) "Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed AS THE MINISTERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS;
whose end shall be according to their works".

Answer 2

There is NO deception. God is not a man that he should deceive you.
It means so much more than just believing that He was the Son of God, and died for your sins. Even the demons believe and tremble.
Sounds like you are using the NIV. I use the KJV, myself. I feel that much is lost in the new wording.

"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

Christ taught that we are not to expect the majority to follow Him on the road that leads to life. Comparatively few will enter the humble gate of TRUE repentance and thereafter deny themselves to follow Jesus, sincerely endeavor to obey His commandments, earnestly seek His kingdom and His righteousness, and persevere until the end in true faith, purity, and love.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the great blessings that accompany discipleship in His kingdom, but He also insists that His disciples will not escape persecution. Furthermore, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, contrary to some evangelists that preach that "getting saved" is one of the easiest things in the world, Jesus taught that following Him involves heavy obligations concerning righteousness, acceptance of persecution, love for enemies, and SELF-DENIAL.

That is why He said "few there be that find it".

Answer 3

great question...i wondered this, too.

" All forms of the religion of human achievement - from humanism to atheism to fake-Christianity - are going to end up in the same hell. Admiration is not enough. Saying you appreciate Christ and you serve Christ are not enough. Many on the broad road are those who have admired jesus, but they didn't come throught the narrow gate. They didn't come with BROKEN AND CONTRITE HEARTS. They didn't come CRUSHED UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE LAW OF GOD. with a penitent attitude, embracing their true condition as desperate and damned, and crying out for salvation from the only source: The Lord Jesus Christ. "
Hard to Believe - John MacArthur

Another good read - Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - " For some, the entrance to hell is from the portals of heaven.'

Answer 4

Well you always here people complaining about how philosophically narrow Christianity is. It's doesn't take the popular road widely traveled. Like Jesus wasn't being particular ecumenical when he said, "I am the way, the truth , the life. No one comes to the Father except by me." Likewise when it categorizes sin.

Answer 5

God must open your eyes or you will never see it. The narrow road is not one that anybody would ever choose in and of themselves. What it means is that if you are truly Christ's disciple you will strive to stay on the path that leads to life. Of course, as I just said, a natural man who has not been changed by God will not be on that path without God putting them there, and a Christian couldn't stay without God's sovereign preserving power and grace.

Answer 6

This is not really a "Salvation" Scripture to get to Heaven.

Yes, Jesus is the Only Way to get to Heaven.
BUT Many will be Saved (Born-Again) and make it to Heaven.

What this Scripture means is Living in Holiness DOWN on the Earth while your still on the Earth.
The Way to Life (Holiness--living in the Presence of GOD Almighty while your on the Earth) is Narrow and few there be that Find it.

There will be Billions in Heaven.
But Very Few of those billions Learned how to Walk in Holiness while they were on the Earth.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

The narrow gate is JESUS CHRIST. One who enters it ( who believes in Him and repents of sin is saved in Him-- that leads to life, eternal life in Heaven)
One who enters through the wide gate, it is the world, and relegion! One that does NOT have Jesus Christ. That leads to death- for Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death.
But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus! (vs 24)
Jesus says "I am the way, truth and life and no one comes to the Father but through Me" John 14:6
He is the narrow gate that leads to life~

Answer 8

If you could imagine a eight lane freeway merging into a one lane toll booth. The eight lane freeway is jam packed and represents all who say they believe in God (they talk the talk). The ones who are indwelled with the Holy Spirit and have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and truly believe that Jesus Christ is there personal Lord and Savior(they walk the walk) will have what it takes to pay the toll. You would probably faint when you found out how few will have what it takes to pay the toll. GOD BLESS!!!

Answer 9

I think it could mean one of three things - or even all three!

1) that the life as a follower of JESUS CHRIST will be difficult

2) that many other religions, false gods and false prophets will not be saved at the end

3) that Christian hypocrites will have a particularly harsh judgment

Answer 10

It means that the path following Jesus Christ is narrow, and small, and leads to everlasting life. It is not an easy road, and one must have perseverance to walk it. The road that leads to hell, sin, and lost morals, is wide, and easy to walk.