Christ is the narrow road that leads to life. But what is the broad road that leads to destruction?

Leaders, point the world that God so loved to our Saviour Jesus Christ when they come to you asking "What must I do to be saved?" -saved from sins and addictions, fear, worry, oppression, depression, sickness, lack, death and eternal damnation in hell.

Doling out prescriptions of works and fasts, asking whether sinners have been obedient and telling them that they have to obey the Ten Commandments or "stop sinning," (as if sinners love to wallow in sin and are not already doing their best to stop!) in order to touch Christ and receive from God is to point such to the broad road that leads to destruction. Many inside the church are on it. Telling people to keep the law in order to get right with God has this result:

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace."

Also see Romans 6:14 "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace."

The more the burden of the law is placed on sinners, the stronger the grip of sin over their lives. And sinful deeds lead to death. See Romans 7:5- "When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death."

The law that many are trying to obey arouses evil desires that produce a harvest of sinful deeds lead to death. The letter kills... When Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

- He was talking to Jews who were all about obeying the law of Moses and saw even the well-behaved Gentiles as unclean. These were highly religious people who hated sin and wanted to "enter." But the way they knew to enter was through the law of Moses that they religiously tried to obey. These were not people who took the issue of sin lightly. When they were given the message of Christ (Grace,) many of them rejected it because the message says in Romans 3:

"and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. 27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

The way that the people (Jews) that Christ was telling to "Enter through the narrow gate" knew was "obey the Ten Commandments and do all the works of the law of Moses to get right with God or perish," much like many in the church today who think that it is because of their power to obey the Ten Commandments, tithe payment and their human effort at attaining godliness that they have influence with God.

But Romans 3:20 tells us the result of all efforts at trying to obey the law in a bid to "enter" the kingdom of God- "For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."

Also see Galatians 3:10- "But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under His curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”"

Those who try to keep the law to get right with God by doing what the law commands are under the curse- the one doing so has to "obey all the commands" and no one can, hence the curse. The law does not understand "I did my best so God will see that I have tried and consider me." It's keep all or die. No wonder we still see many who profess Christ fearful of the devil's works and rushing from pillar to post to break generational and other curses that Christ hung on the cross to redeem us from according to Galatians 3:13.

Many in the church are suffering unnecessary destructions in their lives because they are trying to obey the law to get right with God. This is to reject the gift of righteousness that Christ died that we might have. This is curse ground. Like the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3, many are holding on to their own efforts at attaining righteousness, rejecting Christ's and have locked Jesus outside as He stands at the door knocking to be let inside the church!

Believers, Christ was speaking to religious Jews when He said: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

The people who are on both the narrow and broad roads already desire to "enter." They are not "worldly sinners" who have no heart for God and don't even go to church and don't want to hear the word of God. They came to hear Jesus speak, just like many in the church today who come to hear the word! How we enter is the issue. Law-keeping to get right with God is the broad road that leads to destruction and many in the church are on it. By grace, let's not be found here. This is how we are made right with God: Romans 5:19-

"By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."

Christ paid it all- the price of our salvation from all earthly ills, physical death and the second death. This is grace- undeserved, unmerited, unearned favour. The law is not of faith and "without faith it is impossible to please God."

But Grace, personified by our Saviour Jesus Christ, saves from sins. See Matt. 1:21- "She will give birth to a Son and you will name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

By grace, perish the thought that "other people" love to wallow in their sins. I believe that most are looking for the Way out and even those who enjoy their acts of sin, e.g porn addiction and overeating/overdrinking are held captive by it and would like to be free. But law-keeping and self-determination (human effort at obedience) cannot save. Telling such to "stop sinning or else punishment" is pointless. They have been trying hard to stop long before they heard messages of condemnation from the pulpit. Under law, sin has dominion says Roman 6:14. The more you try, the harder it gets. See what the Lord ssy of our puny attempts to save ourselves in Isaiah 30:15-

"God, the Master, The Holy of Israel, has this solemn counsel: “Your salvation requires you to turn back to Me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on Me— The very thing you’ve been unwilling to do."

The more we try by human effort, the harder it gets.

BUT CHRIST (GRACE PERSONIFIED) SAVES FROM SINS.

Isaiah 64:6 says: "We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight." All of our law-keeping and good works done to get right with God to get His blessing are an abomination to Him. Only that freely-given righteousness which proceeds from the obedience of Christ will suffice for God the Righteous. Anything else leads to destruction. The letter kills.

Christ (Grace Himself) is the narrow road that leads to life. Law-keeping to get right with God is the broad road that leads to destruction.

Forsaking all "menstrual rag" righteousnesses that proceed from self (aka self-righteousness) and receiving God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ is the narrow way that leads to life. See Romans 5:17-

"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."

Not only do we have life through Christ's finished work, we get to live in triumph over sin too. This is the good news. Christ does it all.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.