Amen! In Luke 13:24, we read "strive to enter through the narrow gate" (multiple other translations say "door") and in John 10:9, Jesus said - "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."
A door and a gate are not really that different. They both are talking about gaining access or entrance in. Yes, we are to enter into Christ and this is by His grace, but it also includes following Jesus, too. If you were to look at the parallel passage for Luke 13:24 in Matthew 7:13, and you were to continue to keep reading, Jesus says, “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” (Matthew 7:19). Jesus also said in Matthew 7, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:26-27). Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”
As for Jesus being a door as mentioned in John 10:9 or Him being the door of the sheep (John 10:7):
Well, Jesus said in John 10:4 that His sheep follow Him. Meaning, they obey Jesus.
Jesus is the WAY, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
But Jesus also says, “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings” (John 14:24).
Paul says, “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.” (1 Corinthians 16:22) (NKJV).
Jesus is not teaching salvation by works here as legalists teach. Strive to enter through the narrow gate/door signifies a struggle against conflict. Christ was not suggesting that anyone could merit eternal life by striving or working hard enough to obtain it based on the merits of their works/performance, which contradicts numerous passages of scripture.
Strive to enter the straight gate in Luke 13:24 means what it says.
“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” (Luke 13:24).
It says many will seek to enter in and will not be able.
Those who were not able to enter said, “Lord, Lord, open unto us;” signifying they were believers in Jesus.
Jesus says depart from me ye workers of iniquity.
Meaning, they justified sin on some level. They were on the wide gate path in doing wrong and evil.
Think. Most Christians today believe they can sin and still be saved on some level. It’s only those FEW Christians today who are striving to enter the narrow way by following Jesus.
Believing in Jesus is more than just believing in the person of Jesus Christ for salvation but it is also believing everything He told us to do, too. So if we are not obeying Jesus, we are not really believing or trusting in Him.
The work of God is His drawing that person to Jesus so as to believe (John 6:44).
Again, to believe in Jesus is to believe in everything He told us to do. If we are not obeying Jesus, we do not really believe Him or trust in Him. Disobedience to Jesus is what would make a person a worker of iniquity.
Right. Paul is not referring to condemning all Law or works. Acts 13:39 says we cannot be justified by the Law of Moses (Which Is the Old Law and not the Laws of Christ).
This is in context to Initial Salvation. Nowhere is Paul and Silas saying that the jailor can disobey Jesus and still be saved. Again, that would be unbelief.
This is in reference to our Initial Salvation in being saved by God’s grace (Which is a process of salvation without works).
This is in reference to man directed works and not the works of God (Which is a call according to His purpose and grace - See: Titus 2:11-12, 1 Corinthians 15:10).
This would be righteousness of the 613 Laws of Moses which no longer apply as a whole or package deal. Yes, certain laws in the Old law have been repeated in the Laws of Christ, but we are not under the Old Law as a whole.
No matter how rigorously people labor, they could never earn their way to heaven by their works/performance. Entering through the narrow gate is nonetheless difficult because of it's cost in terms of human pride which prevents legalists/works salvationists/unbelievers from trusting exclusively in Jesus Christ as the ALL-SUFFICIENT means of their salvation and entering through the narrow gate/door. For such people their hands are full of their works and they will not let go in order to receive Christ through faith.
The unprofitable servant was cast into outer darkness (Matthew 25).
John the baptist said the axe is laid to the root of the tree and to bring forth fruits worthy repentance (Matthew 3).
The Lord did not find a particular church’s works perfect before God in Revelation 3. The Lord said they had a name that was alive and yet they were dead. Faith without works is dead.
In context, Jesus is going through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem and someone asked Him a question, "are only a few going to be saved?" Then Jesus answered by saying strive to enter through the narrow gate/door, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the door is shut, there will be those who stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from...depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ (vss. 25-27) This similar language is found in Matthew 7:22-23 in which we read of many (pseudo Christians/make believers) who said 'Lord, Lord' and (self righteously) trusted in their works for salvation, yet Jesus never knew them and told them to depart from Him and referred to these many people as those who work iniquity/practice lawlessness which is 'descriptive' of unbelievers.
But don’t you believe you can commit sin (iniquity), and still be saved? Are you unaware that be unprofitable (fruitless) is a sin and can lead to outer darkness?