Luke 13:23 (ESV)
And someone said to him, “Lord,
will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them,
In this passage Jesus doesn’t
really answer their question. He notes that many will seek to find deliverance
only to miss it. He is referring to the religious leaders of his day depending
on Law to save them, and to the many in the towns he is visiting who are
ignoring his message. Still, he says in verse 29, “And people will come from
east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of
God.”
He is pointing out that those who
think of themselves as worthy of the Kingdom will find that they have missed
the narrow entrance. Those who are considered unworthy, unclean, and
unacceptable will find their way in. This is not about God making the way
difficult to find. It is about religion and self-righteousness blinding people
to the simple truth of the gospel.
When we begin to think of
ourselves as pretty good people compared to “them,” we are on dangerous ground.
When we begin to think that God is obligated to bless us because of our unwavering
obedience, we have missed the point. God does not accept us because of who we
are or how we live. He accepts us despite of that because of Christ. Jesus’
death and resurrection is the narrow door. Obedience flows out of faith, but
obedience is not faith.
Ephesians 2:8-10 clarifies,
[8] For by grace you have been
saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9]
not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.
When we switch good works and faith,
we have abandoned the gospel. “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works,” but notice that the good works flow out of Christ Jesus. They
do not establish a relationship with him. They flow out of it. We are delivered
through faith, which is not a result of works but rather results in works. The
distinction is critical. The distinction determines which side of the door we
are on.
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