ARE YOU ONE OF THE FEW?

“Someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’” (Luke 13:23–24)

Someone once asked Jesus a question that people are still asking today: “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” It is a question about numbers. Will most people be saved, or only a few?

Jesus did not answer the question the man asked. Instead, He answered the question the man needed to ask.

“Strive to enter through the narrow door.”

The word “strive” is important. The Greek word is agonizomai, from which we get the English word “agonize.” It described an athlete giving everything he had in competition. Jesus was not teaching that we earn salvation by our efforts. The Bible is clear that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Rather, He was emphasizing the seriousness and urgency of entering God's kingdom. This is not a decision to postpone or treat lightly.

Then Jesus makes a statement that should stop every one of us.

“For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

Notice Jesus did not answer, 'Only a few.' Instead, He warned that many will seek to enter and will not be able.

As we continue reading, we discover these are not people who had never heard of Jesus. They are religious people. They call Him “Lord.” They remind Him that they ate and drank in His presence and heard Him teach. Yet when they knock on the door, they are left outside.

Why?

Because knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing Jesus.

This is the same warning Jesus gives in Matthew 7:21–23. Many will say, “Lord, Lord,” believing they belong to Him. Yet they will hear the most terrifying words anyone could ever hear: “I never knew you.” The issue was never that they lost their salvation. The issue was that they never truly knew Christ.

That is why the Bible repeatedly tells us to examine ourselves. Church attendance cannot save you. Owning a Bible cannot save you. Being baptized cannot save you. Calling yourself a Christian cannot save you. Salvation is found only in a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ through faith in Him.

People often ask, “How many people are going to heaven?” Jesus points us to a far more important question: Have you entered through the narrow door?

One day, it will not matter how many others were saved. It will matter whether you were.

Jesus did not leave us wondering what to do. He said, “Strive to enter through the narrow door.”

Don't wait. Don't assume. Don't trust in religion. Come to Christ while there is still time.

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“What I write is not for everyone, but what I write is meant for someone.” – Dean Butler

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