by Jacob Ninan
Why is it that with a God who is love, only a few people are getting saved? God says that He wants all to be saved (1Tim.2:3,4). In fact, He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins because He did not want anyone to perish (Jn.3:16). He had already made the plan of salvation through Jesus before He had even created the world (1Pet.1:20). But with all this, most people are still not getting saved!
Jesus said that we would have to make an effort to get through a narrow door if wanted to be saved because very few would be able to (Lk.13:23,24). He said that there was another broad way that many people were walking in, but that was going to lead to their destruction, and because the road that led to life was narrow, very few were going to choose it (Matt.7:13,14).
Why is the door that leads to life narrow? Jesus said that He was the door and the way, and that no one could go to the Father except through Him. First of all, the main mission for which Jesus came to the world was to save us from our sins (Matt.1:21). It is only those who want to be saved from their sins who go to Jesus to receive this salvation. It is not that we have to struggle and earn our salvation. But very few people see themselves as sinners who need salvation, and they are unwilling to come before God and humble themselves. Many also realise that if they came to Christ they would have to give up many things in their life, and they are not willing to do that either. So, even with a loving God who made a sacrifice to make salvation available to all people, very few think they want it. So, it is certainly not God's fault but ours. God knew this when He created us with a free will. He prepared this salvation, presents the Gospel to people, and warns people what would happen if they rejected it. But He would force no one to take it.
The door that leads to life is narrow because we have to go before God as sinners, acknowledging our sins and admitting that we deserve His judgment, and give over our life to Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. When we want to follow Jesus, we will have to place ourselves on the cross daily, deny our own desires and do what He says. Most people are not willing to do this, even though many are willing to make a one-time payment of an 'insurance premium' by 'accepting Jesus' by which they would be assured of a place in heaven, and then live the rest of their life as before!
The broad way that leads to destruction is not just about Christianity versus other religions. Even among many who consider themselves to be Christians, this is the way they prefer, where there are no restrictions on them, they can live as they like, and still expect God to take care of them and assure them a place in heaven. The gospel that they like to hear is about how Jesus has done it all, how we don't have to do anything on our side at all, and where Jesus will offer them health, wealth and a trouble-free life they can enjoy, follow their dreams, etc. They are willing to attend church whenever it is convenient for them, read the Bible daily and pray as a routine, etc. It is no wonder that this path has attracted a large crowd. People there think that God must be happy with them because they have accepted Jesus, they attend church, read Bible, etc., and they are convinced that this way must lead to heaven because, according to their logic, so many people cannot be wrong! They have no idea that they are headed for destruction, and when they find out, it will be too late!
There are people on this wide road who perform miracles, cast out demons, prophesy, etc., in Jesus' name. Many of these miracles are fakes, which are arranged on stage and meant to fool people. But some of them are genuine too, from God who wants to bless people. Matt.7:22,23 mentions people who did miracles in the name of Jesus, but who were disqualified on the final day. The issue is not about the validity of the miracles, but the fact that these people were living in sin, even as if they had no law at all over them. Is it not possible that we do mighty works in the eyes of people and at the same time lack integrity, faithfulness or truth in our life? That is not going to lead us or those who listen to us to life!
Caiaphas, the hight priest in the days of Jesus, thought that it was better for Jesus to die, not being concerned about whether Jesus was innocent and that He was the Messiah they were waiting for. His aim was not to lose the country to the Romans, or more importantly, their position as religious leaders (Jn.11:49,50). This is an example of how people on the broad road give importance to expediency rather than faithfulness before God.
The life that the narrow path leads to is the life of God – His character. Those who choose to walk on that road are seeking this life, rather than blessings on earth, wealth, fame, pleasure, etc. Only who seek God like this from their heart can find Him (Jer.29:13).
We can see that much of the so-called gospel being preached nowadays is aimed at leading people to the broad path. Preachers talk about self-improvement, loving oneself, getting a good self-image, following dreams, making a bucket list to pursue, etc. The topic of sin is usually shunned or dealt with as if Jesus has totally dealt with it! There is no warning about the punishment or the consequences of sin or the need to repent. But everyone is welcomed and accepted into the church. Many churches are trying to make themselves 'seeker friendly' so that newcomers will feel comfortable in the church, with no restrictions on how they live, dress, behave with others, etc., listening to the same type of music they have been used to earlier, etc. It is true that God welcomes everyone to come to Him in whatever state they are in, but He does not want to leave them there to continue in that state. He begins to transform their lives. But the messages on the broad way are comforting, encouraging, accepting, etc., without any instructions, warnings, or corrections, leave alone rebukes! It is no wonder these people are headed for destruction.
Let us try to understand some of the reasons why people do not want to seek life, but instead follow the broad way.
Some think only about the grace of God and imagine that because of His love, He will ultimately save everyone. They cannot imagine a God of love punishing people for their sins, and hell is a concept they cannot accept. But they forget that God is not only loving and gracious, but He is also righteous, just and impartial. He cannot deny one part of His being in order to satisfy another. A loving God does not want to punish people or send anyone to hell, but people make that choice for themselves when they go against God's instructions and warnings, and then blame God for the consequences!
If God were responsible for everything that goes wrong, then there is reason to blame Him. But it is we people who have misused the free will that we have been created with, and then suffer the consequences. He is neither forcing us to do evil or even to do good. God has also made salvation easy for us. But people think that they can repent later after enjoying themselves till then, but then they might die earlier!
Some people think that they are good, decent, civilised people who are not doing anything wrong to others deliberately. Then they imagine that it will be unfair for God to punish them. But they do not know the holiness of God and how He looks at the sinfulness of sin. They do not realise that the self-centred lives they have been living apart from God is the essence of sin. But those who know God tremble before Him and see themselves as sinners unworthy of His love.
One major reason why people do not seek salvation is that when they sin they do not get punished immediately (Eccl.8:11). They begin to think that what they do will not hurt them, and so they begin to go ahead and continue to sin. But they do not realise that God is only waiting for them to repent and get back to Him, and giving time for them to repent. When they go on sinning, they harden their heart and lose the sensitivity in their conscience concerning sin. Also, they are only accumulating their punishment for the final day of judgment.
Some others are not willing to give up their sinful life because of the pleasure they get from it. They think they deserve to enjoy life and that God is there to take away their happiness. They also think that later on, when they are old, they can seek God. But it is not only true that they cannot be sure when they will die, but the more they delay coming to God, the more they reduce their ability to relate to Him.
Many preachers are saying that since Jesus has completed everything for us, we don't have to do anything. But they forget that we do have to respond to Him in the right way, and it is not automatic that people get saved just because God has completed everything that He needed to prepare salvation for us.
Some people feel a sense of entitlement for privileges and enjoyment in life, perhaps they grew up with pampering parents or a rich environment. They think of Jesus waiting for them to accept Him as if He was looking for their favour! They get offended easily when God does not meet their demands or expectations. But Jesus warns us that those who are rich in themselves without God will find it very difficult to enter the kingdom of God.
If we want to be saved, we must, first of all, know who God is with whom we have to deal. He is the one who has created everything from nothing. He is not only our Saviour but also our Lawgiver and Judge. We must then see ourselves as sinners before Him and as those deserving punishment for the all the sins we have committed right from our birth. It is only when we are ready to humble ourselves before Him that we can receive mercy from Him.