The Gate of Salvation
Introduction
There stands at the intersection of eternity a gate. Not a metaphorical construct of religious imagination, but the living reality of God's provision for fallen humanity. When Jesus declared in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture," He was making an exclusive claim that would either offend or save every person who heard it.
The ancient psalmist wrote in Psalm 118:20, "This is the gate of the LORD, through which the righteous shall enter." For centuries, God's people wondered about this gate. They passed through temple doors, they observed ceremonial entrances, they followed ritual prescriptions for approaching the Holy One. But the gate remained a mystery wrapped in shadows and types until one day in Jerusalem when the Word became flesh and announced, "I am the door."
This morning, we stand before the most consequential truth in all of Scripture. There is a gate to salvation, and that gate is a Person. Jesus Christ is not showing you the way; He is the Way. He is not pointing to the door; He is the Door. The question before every human soul is simple yet eternal: Will you enter through this gate, or will you seek another entrance that does not exist?
The religious leaders of Jesus's day had constructed their own gates. They had built elaborate systems of righteousness based on heritage, ceremony, and human effort. When the Shepherd stood among them and declared Himself the only door to the Father's house, they stumbled over the scandal of particularity. The same stumbling continues today.
I. The Narrow Gate
Before Jesus revealed Himself as the Door, He taught about two gates in what we call the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:13-14, He said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." This was not mere illustration. This was diagnostic truth about the human condition and prophetic warning about eternal destinies.
The narrow gate stands in stark contrast to the wide gate. These are not two sections of the same entrance. They are two completely different portals leading to two completely different destinations. One opens to life eternal; the other opens to destruction. The choice between them is the most significant decision any human being will ever make, yet most people sleepwalk past the narrow gate without ever recognizing what they have missed.
A. Two gates, two destinies
The reality of two gates and two destinies runs throughout Scripture like a crimson thread. Moses put it before Israel in Deuteronomy 30:19: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." The choice has always been binary. There is no third option, no middle ground, no neutral territory where the uncommitted can wait out eternity.
Proverbs 14:12 warns us, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." This is the deception of the wide gate. It appears reasonable, inclusive, tolerant of all paths. It makes no uncomfortable demands. It requires no death to self, no surrender of autonomy, no acknowledgment of sin. The wide gate celebrates human potential and dismisses divine standards. It is paved with good intentions and lined with the approval of crowds. But its destination is destruction.
Jesus Himself confirmed these two destinies in Matthew 25:46 when He said, "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." There is no annihilation of the wicked, no second chance after death, no universal reconciliation that overrides human choice. The gate you enter determines your eternal destination, and that choice is made in this life, not the next.
The narrow gate leads to life because it leads through the death of Jesus Christ. Every person who enters this gate must come by way of Calvary, where the Son of God bore the judgment that sinners deserve. The gate is narrow not because God is exclusive by temperament, but because there is only one sacrifice sufficient to satisfy divine justice. The blood of bulls and goats never could take away sins, as Hebrews reminds us. Only the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, can cleanse us from all sin.
B. Why few find the gate
When Jesus said that few find the narrow gate, He was making a sobering observation about spiritual reality. Why do few find it? Not because it is hidden or because God has made salvation difficult to obtain. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 explains: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
Satan has a vested interest in keeping people from the narrow gate. He does not do this primarily by promoting obvious evil, though he does that too. His most effective strategy is to promote alternative gates that appear spiritual, moral, and acceptable. He offers religion without regeneration, ceremony without conversion, morality without the Mediator. People pass through these false gates feeling virtuous, never realizing they are on the broad road to destruction.
Jesus said in Matthew 22:14, "For many are called, but few are chosen." The invitation goes out universally. The gospel is preached to every creature. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, as Peter tells us in his second letter. But few respond to the call because few are willing to acknowledge their need. John 3:19-20 explains why: "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."
The narrow gate requires something that human pride finds intolerable: admission of guilt. You must come to this gate as a sinner with no righteousness of your own, no merit to claim, no bargaining position with God. You must come with empty hands and a broken spirit. This is why the religious leaders of Jesus's day missed the gate while prostitutes and tax collectors entered. The sinners knew they were sinners. The Pharisees had convinced themselves they were righteous.
Luke 13:24 records Jesus saying, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Notice He says many will seek to enter but will not be able. They are not refusing the gate; they are trying to enter it on their own terms. They want salvation without surrender, forgiveness without repentance, heaven without holiness. But the narrow gate admits only those who come God's way, through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
C. The cost of entry
Make no mistake: entering the narrow gate costs everything. Jesus was crystal clear about this in Luke 14:26-28. He said, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?"
The language here is deliberately shocking. Jesus is not promoting hatred of family, but He is demanding that our love for Him so exceed every other love that all others pale by comparison. He must be first. He must be supreme. He must be Lord. There is no salvation by Christ that does not include submission to Christ.
Matthew 16:24-25 reinforces this: "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Salvation is not an addition to your life; it is an exchange of lives. You surrender your right to self-determination, and you receive His righteousness and His rule.
The apostle Paul understood this cost. In Philippians 3:7-8, he wrote, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Paul had credentials that would impress any religious observer. Hebrew of the Hebrews, circumcised the eighth day, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee concerning the law, blameless in his zeal. He counted it all as refuse for the sake of knowing Christ.
This is the cost of entering the narrow gate. You must be willing to lose everything to gain Christ. The good news is that what you lose is worthless compared to what you gain. What you surrender is temporary; what you receive is eternal. What you give up is corrupted by sin; what you obtain is purified by righteousness.
II. I Am the Door
Having established that there are two gates and that the gate to life is narrow, Jesus now makes the stunning declaration that changes everything. In John 10:7, He says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep." This is not metaphor seeking a reality; this is reality explaining itself through metaphor. Jesus is not like a door. He is the Door. He is not one of several doors. He is the only Door.
The religious leaders would have immediately understood the significance of this claim. In the sheepfold, the shepherd would gather his sheep into the fold at night, and then he would lie down across the opening, making his own body the door. No sheep could leave, and no predator could enter without going through the shepherd. The shepherd was both guard and gateway.
Jesus is declaring that He stands between us and destruction, between us and the Father, between us and eternal life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. This is not religious exclusivism born of arrogance. This is ontological reality born of divine purpose. God has appointed one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, as Paul declares in 1 Timothy 2:5.
A. The only entrance
The exclusivity of Christ as the only entrance to salvation offends modern sensibilities. We live in an age that celebrates diversity of belief and condemns anyone who claims their way is the only way. But truth by nature is exclusive. Two plus two equals four, and that mathematical truth excludes all other answers. The narrow gate of salvation through Christ alone excludes all other paths not because Christians are narrow-minded, but because God has established one way of redemption.
John 14:6 records Jesus saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." The definite articles matter here. He is THE way, not A way. He is THE truth, not A truth. He is THE life, not A life. Every other religious system offers a way to God. Jesus claims to BE the way to God. Every other teacher offers truth. Jesus claims to BE the truth. Every other philosophy offers insights about life. Jesus claims to BE the life.
Peter understood this when he preached in Acts 4:12: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." This was not Peter's opinion. This was apostolic declaration of divine decree. God has given no other name. He has provided no other sacrifice. He has established no other mediator.
The apostle Paul reinforces this in Ephesians 2:18, where he writes, "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." Notice the singular pronouns. Through HIM we have access. Not through multiple doors, not through various paths, not through sincere seeking regardless of object. Through Jesus Christ alone we have access to the Father.
Why is Christ the only entrance? Because He alone is qualified to be the Door. He alone lived a sinless life and therefore had no debt of His own to pay to divine justice. He alone is both fully God and fully man, able to represent both parties in the covenant of redemption. He alone offered a sacrifice of infinite value when He died on the cross. He alone conquered death when He rose from the grave. Every other religious leader is dead. Jesus is alive forevermore.
B. What's kept out
When Jesus said in John 10:1, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber," He was identifying those who try to enter by any means other than through Him. These are not innocent seekers trying alternate paths. These are thieves and robbers who come to steal, kill, and destroy.
False teachers are kept out. False prophets are kept out. False christs are kept out. False gospels are kept out. Anything that adds to Christ or subtracts from Christ is kept out. Anything that claims to supplement His finished work or improve upon His perfect sacrifice is excluded. The Door admits only those who come through faith in Christ alone, by grace alone, through the merits of His blood alone.
Revelation 21:27 describes the New Jerusalem: "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." The Door of Christ keeps out everything that defiles, everything that is abominable, everything that is false. Heaven is not for the inclusive. Heaven is for the cleansed.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 lists those who will not inherit the kingdom of God: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." But notice what Paul says immediately after this list in verse eleven: "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
The Door keeps out sin, but it transforms sinners. Those who come through Christ are washed, sanctified, justified. What they were, they are no longer. Old things pass away; all things become new. The Door does not admit you as you are so you can remain as you are. The Door admits you as you are so you can become what He is making you to be.
C. What's let in
When you enter through Christ the Door, you are not entering an empty fold. John 10:3-4 says, "To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice." You are entering into relationship with the Good Shepherd who knows you by name, who leads you personally, whose voice you recognize and trust.
Ephesians 2:19 declares, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God." When you enter through the Door of Christ, you are let into the family of God. You become a fellow citizen of heaven, a member of God's household, joint-heirs with Christ. You are adopted into the royal family, with all the privileges and responsibilities that come with being sons and daughters of the King.
Colossians 1:12-13 describes what happens when you enter through the Door: "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." You are delivered from darkness and transferred into light. You are removed from Satan's dominion and placed under Christ's lordship. You are qualified for an eternal inheritance among the saints.
What is let in when you enter through Christ? Forgiveness is let in. Peace with God is let in. The indwelling Holy Spirit is let in. Eternal life is let in. Access to the Father is let in. Freedom from condemnation is let in. Hope of glory is let in. Love that surpasses knowledge is let in. Joy unspeakable and full of glory is let in. Every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ is let in.
III. Free to Enter
The most glorious truth about the Door of salvation is that it stands open. You do not need to earn the right to approach it. You do not need to improve yourself before coming to it. You do not need to clean up your life before entering it. Hebrews 10:19-22 declares: "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; 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."
The veil has been torn. The way has been opened. The High Priest has entered and beckons us to follow. We have boldness to enter not because of who we are, but because of whose blood was shed. The entrance is free because the price has been paid. Christ purchased your access with His life. He consecrated the way with His death. He opened the door with His resurrection.
Revelation 3:20 presents the tender picture of Christ standing at the door and knocking. He says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." The Door Himself stands at your door. He who is the entrance to salvation waits at the entrance to your heart. He will not force entry. He knocks and waits for you to open.
A. Bold access granted
Because of what Christ has accomplished, believers now have bold access to God. Ephesians 3:12 states, "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him." This boldness is not presumption. This is covenant confidence. You stand before the throne of grace not on your merit but on Christ's merit. You approach the Father not in your righteousness but in the righteousness of His Son.
Hebrews 4:16 exhorts us: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." The throne that was once a throne of judgment has become a throne of grace for those who are in Christ. You are invited to come boldly, not timidly. You are encouraged to approach confidently, not fearfully. The Door has granted you permanent access.
Romans 5:1-2 explains the basis of this access: "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." You have peace with God. The war is over. The enmity has been abolished. You have been reconciled through the blood of Christ's cross, and now you stand in grace. This is your permanent position. This is your eternal standing.
B. In and out freely
John 10:9 not only promises salvation to those who enter through Christ, but also freedom: "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." This going in and out speaks of liberty. You are not entering a prison; you are entering freedom. You are not submitting to bondage; you are being delivered from bondage.
Jesus declared in John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." This is not freedom to sin. This is freedom from sin. This is not license to indulge the flesh. This is liberation from the flesh's tyranny. True freedom is found only in submission to Christ. Outside of Him, what feels like freedom is actually slavery to sin. Inside of Him, what appears to be restriction is actually the path to abundant life.
Galatians 5:1 commands, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." You have been set free from the Law's condemnation, from sin's dominion, from death's sting, from Satan's power. Do not return to those slaveries. Do not exchange the freedom of Christ for the bondage of religion or the slavery of sin.
2 Corinthians 3:17 declares, "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The liberty you have in Christ is not mere external freedom from restraint. It is internal freedom to become what God created you to be. It is freedom to worship without guilt, to serve without fear, to love without reservation, to hope without doubt.
C. Abundant pastures
Jesus concluded His declaration about being the Door by promising that His sheep will "find pasture." This is not barely getting by. This is not subsistence-level survival. Psalm 23:1-2 paints the picture: "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." The Good Shepherd leads His sheep to abundant provision.
John 10:10 contrasts the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy with Jesus who came "that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." The abundant life is not prosperity without problems or comfort without challenges. The abundant life is Christ Himself living in you and through you. The abundant life is knowing Him and making Him known. The abundant life is experiencing His presence, His power, His provision in every circumstance.
Philippians 4:19 promises, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." When you enter through the Door of Christ, you gain access to unlimited resources. Not unlimited indulgence of your wants, but unlimited provision for your needs. The One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills will never fail to provide for His sheep. The One who did not spare His own Son will freely give you all things.
The pastures are abundant because the Shepherd is sufficient. You will never exhaust His grace. You will never outgrow His provision. You will never wander beyond His care. Having entered through the narrow gate, you now walk in spacious places. Having come through the Door of Christ, you now feast at His table. Having been saved by His blood, you now enjoy His presence forevermore.
Conclusion
We have stood before the gate of salvation this morning and heard Jesus declare, "I am the door." This is not one option among many. This is the only option that leads to life. The choice before you is not complicated, though it is consequential. Will you enter through Christ, or will you seek some other way?
The wide gate beckons with its promise of ease and accommodation. It requires nothing of you. It affirms you as you are. It celebrates human potential and dismisses divine standards. But it leads to destruction. Do not be deceived by the crowds passing through. Do not be persuaded by the appearance of freedom. Do not be fooled by the absence of restrictions. The end of that road is death.
The narrow gate stands before you. It is narrow because there is room for only one sacrifice, and that sacrifice has already been made. It is narrow because there is room for only one mediator, and that mediator is Christ Jesus. It is narrow because there is room for only one way to God, and that way is through the Door.
The gate is narrow, but the pastures beyond are abundant. The entrance is restricted, but the freedom inside is unlimited. The way is costly, but the provision is endless. Jesus paid the price so you could pass through. He died the death so you could have the life. He endured the cross so you could enter the gate.
Altar Call
The Door stands open this morning. Christ is not blocking your entrance. He is beckoning you to enter. But you must come on His terms, not yours. You must come as a sinner needing salvation, not as a good person deserving reward. You must come empty-handed, with nothing to offer except your need. You must come ready to surrender, not to negotiate.
If you have never entered through the Door of Christ, today is the day of salvation. Do not presume upon tomorrow. Do not assume you will have another opportunity. 2 Corinthians 6:2 warns, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." The Door stands open now. Christ is knocking at your heart now. The Spirit is convicting you now.
Come to Jesus just as you are. Do not try to clean yourself up first. Do not wait until you feel worthy. You will never be worthy. That is why He died. Come confessing your sin. Come believing in His finished work on the cross. Come receiving His free gift of salvation. Come trusting that He is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God through Him.
If you are here this morning and you have been trying to enter the kingdom by some other way, through your good works, through your religious activity, through your moral living, through your family heritage, I plead with you to abandon that false gate and come to Christ alone. Every other door is locked. Every other way is blocked. Jesus said, "I am the door." Not I am one of the doors. Not I am a door among many. He is THE door. The only door.
For those of you who have entered through the Door but have wandered from the fold, come back. The Good Shepherd is calling you by name. He has not abandoned you. He has not given up on you. Return to the liberty you once knew. Come back to the abundant pastures. The Door that let you in will never shut you out.
Let us pray. Father, we thank You for the narrow gate. We thank You that while many miss it, those who find it discover life eternal. We thank You for Jesus, the Door of salvation. There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. We thank You that the way is open, that the veil has been torn, that we have bold access through the blood of Christ.
Now I ask You, Holy Spirit, to move upon hearts this morning. Convict those who are outside the gate. Draw them to Christ. Give them eyes to see their need and faith to believe the gospel. Restore those who have wandered. Comfort those who doubt. Strengthen those who are struggling. And use us all to point others to the narrow gate.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Door of the sheep, the Gate of salvation, the only Way to the Father. Amen.
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Blessings,
Pastor JM Raja Lawrence
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
email: lawrencejmr@gmail.com
Mobile: +91 9933250072
