Striving to Enter is Non-Negotiable

God’s Way for Christian Maturity (Part 2) encourages Christians to consider the four reasons God creates or allows storms in our lives. One of those – to force a decision – references a conversation between Jesus and His disciples.

Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there?few who are saved?”

And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for?many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Luke 13:23-24

I recently heard a Christian speaker attribute his past failings in ministry to his “striving” to make ministry work. I knew what he meant (i.e., doing ministry in his own strength), but the comment left me wondering if such a comment might be confusing to young-in-the-faith Christians, particularly when they encounter Jesus’ sobering command above.

According to Jesus, MANY will not enter through the narrow gate for lack of striving. Though they seek to enter, they will find themselves outside the gate on Judgment Day. Using the storms in our lives to force the decision to strive is the loving mercy and grace of our Father in heaven, for He knows the dire consequences of our loitering around at the gate (vv. 25-27).

This leads to a couple of critical questions: What does it mean to enter through the narrow gate, and how do we properly strive to enter through it?

Before we answer those critical questions, we must affirm a few important foundational truths.

Important Things to Keep in Mind

First, striving to enter through the narrow gate does not imply a works-oriented salvation. Whatever we come to understand here must align with Ephesians 2:8-9:

For by grace you have been saved?through faith, and that not of yourselves;?it is?the gift of God, not of?works, lest anyone should?boast.

For by grace we strive through faith, and that not of ourselves. God is working in us to will and to do to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20).

With this clearly in mind, we must also accept our responsibility to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of us (Philippians 3:12). Striving is not a passive exercise. The Greek, agōnizomai, means “to endeavor with strenuous zeal, strive: to obtain something”. God grace is conditional on our response – our obedience to the faith, and the perfecting work of faith.

Lastly, we can only strive for ourselves. I cannot strive for you, nor can you for me. However, we can and should encourage others to strive to enter the narrow gate. Their eternal security is at stake. Entry into the kingdom of God is not a passive exercise. Failure to strive will leave MANY loitering at the gate, eventually wondering why they were not allowed in (Luke 13:25-27).

To shed some light on this matter of striving, we will consider three “enterings” described in Scripture: entering the kingdom of heaven, entering into God’s presence, and entering into eternal life.

Striving to Enter the Kingdom of Heaven

Not everyone who says to Me,?“Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who?does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we?not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And?then I will declare to them, “I never knew you;?depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”?Matthew 7:21-23

Only those who do the will of their Father in heaven shall enter His kingdom. MANY will assume they have done the Father’s will only to be left wondering why their miraculous works did not qualify them for entry.

This begs the question: How do we know the Father’s will, that we might avoid this tragic surprise? The Bible suggests three important steps.

First, we must desire to do His will.

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or?whether?I speak on My own?authority. John 7:17

Second, we must seek to know His will.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For?everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

Third, we must allow the Holy Spirit to transform us by the renewing of our minds, that we might understand and prove (i.e., examine) the meaning of His answer and the application of His will.

And?do not be conformed to this world, but?be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may?prove what?is?that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

Desire, seek, and submit are three exercises in striving to enter the kingdom of heaven. As you can see, these are not active in the sense of working, or the application of human strength. They are more like attitudes or postures of the heart – a leaning in, we might say. That being said, it is important to recognized these attitudes are not passive responses to God’s will. They are attitudes we strive to develop and maintain.

Striving to Enter into the Presence of God

Therefore, brethren, having?boldness to enter?the Holiest by the blood of Jesus… let us?draw near with a true heart?in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22

Here and in chapter four, verse sixteen, the writer of The Epistle to the Hebrews encourages us to come and enter boldly into the presence of God. But – and this is a big “but” – we must be careful how we enter. There are four conditions we must meet before entering:

1.?????A true heart – How do we ensure we have a true heart? We ask God to inspect it. Psalm 139:23-24 is a great place to start.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if?there is any?wicked way in me,

And?lead me in the way everlasting.

2.?????In full assurance of faith – Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (rhema) of God (Romans 10:17). Rhema is “the spoken word”. The Father loves speaking with His children. Regrettably, few desire to hear what He has to say. Our enemies – Satan, the world, and particularly our carnal mind – distract and deceive us to believe we are better off avoiding what God might say. We must forcefully resist them! Truly, our eternal security is at stake.

3.?????Hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience – God has given every human being a conscience to aid in our determination of right and wrong. An evil conscience determines right and wrong based on a moral code which is contrary to God. It seems the writer is referring to the power of Jesus Christ’s blood to set our conscience right. Our part: avoiding the influence of our enemies in polluting what has been made good.

4.?????Bodies washed with pure water – This phrase brings to mind the importance of baptism as a sacrament of God – not just a symbol, in my humble opinion. We have written about this at length in the Foundation Series. Water baptism is a non-negotiable expectation of God for our entry into His presence. One commentator suggests the phrase may also related Romans 12:1 – that our outward man has also been prepared for God’s use. In this case, presenting our bodies?a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God is our reasonable response.

In summary, striving to enter into God’s presence involves inviting God’s inspection of our heart, desiring to hear His voice, resisting the influence of our enemies, receiving His blessing in baptism, and presenting ourselves for His use. I am reminded that God has put a desire in our heart for everything He commands and has promised to give those desires to the children who surrender and commit their way to Him (Psalm 37:4-5).

Striving to Enter into Eternal Life

The phrase “eternal life” appears in thirty-two New Testament verses, and this article has already surpassed recommended length. So, we will come back to this subject in Part 2. In the meantime…

God bless you with desire to enter into His kingdom and His presence – a desire you cannot resist.

Have a strong day in the Lord,

Rob

#iamjustthepen