The Narrow Way

When we enter into the narrow way we are free from sin and free to live and move with in the boundary of moral law.

Paul expresses this concept well in his letter to the Romans: “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6.18-23 KJV).” Let those who call themselves people of the way live like people of the way. Let us put off worldliness and flesh out righteousness. Let us live according to the calling to which we have been called by God. May we truly be those who reflect the light of Christ in this world of darkness.

Principle # 3 - It is a Careful Way

By careful I mean planned out or thought out. In other words God’s plan of redemption was not a reaction to the fall of man. God was not caught off guard when Adam sinned. In fact God knew Adam was going to sin and created him anyway in spite of his sin. There was no crisis meeting of the Godhead after the fall to determine what must be done to rectify the situation. God before the world began had carefully planned the redemption of man before He ever spoke the world in to existence.

To understand this concept we must understand that our salvation has nothing to do with us and everything to do with God. I understand that we must “choose … whom [we] will serve (Joshua 21.15 KJV),” however, our choosing and our responsibility as it relates to salvation is limited to our accepting or rejecting the finished work of God. It is “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2.8-9 KJV).” That gift is the gift of His Son. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish should have everlasting life (John 3.16 KJV).” This gift was “given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (2 Timothy 1.9 KJV).” God’s gift of redemption was more than a plan it was a promise. It was and is a promise that God “promised before the world began (Titus 1.2 KJV).” In fact this plan was more than a promise it was an eternal fact in the mind of God. In the mind of God “the Lamb [was] slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13.8 KJV).” The Godhead had carefully planned out the plan of redemption before the foundation of the world was laid.

Not only did God lay out the plan of salvation in eternity past, He also accomplished it here on earth. God planned every aspect of the life of Jesus in heaven and on earth. “As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God (Luke 3.4-6 KJV).” God the Father made straight the way for the Son to accomplish the will of God on earth as it was already accomplished in heaven and the Son was faithful to follow that path to the cross. God’s plan of redemption was not plan “B”. The sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sin has always been God’s plan “A”. God’s plan of salvation has been carefully laid out from the foundation of the world and He has made that plan available to anyone who will confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in their heart that God has raised Him from the dead (see Romans 10.9).”