Matthew 7:13–14
Bible verses · Also called: Matthew 7:13-14, The Narrow Gate, The Strait Gate, Enter Through the Narrow Gate, Enter ye in at the strait gate, The Wide Gate
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13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The text is the New Korean Revised Version (1998), shown under a licence from the Korean Bible Society. Wording may differ slightly from the Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version. Read in the Korean Revised Version
A saying of Jesus contrasting the wide gate that leads to destruction with the narrow gate that leads to life. It is read as a warning that the path of discipleship is not easy, and it frequently appears in discussions about the number of the saved and the exclusivity of salvation.
Context
This passage opens the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. As Jesus brings his teaching to a close, he offers a series of images contrasting two ways: the narrow gate and the wide gate; the good tree and the corrupt tree (7:15–20); those who say "Lord, Lord" and those who do the will of the Father (7:21–23); and the house built upon a rock and the house built upon the sand (7:24–27). In the Gospel of Luke, when someone asks, "Lord, are there few that be saved?" Jesus answers, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate" (Luke 13:23–24).
Interpretation
- As the way of discipleship: On this reading, the narrow gate refers to the life taught in the Sermon on the Mount, that is, the difficult path of following Jesus. Many interpreters see the passage as continuing the Old Testament tradition of contrasting the way of life with the way of death, as in Deuteronomy 30:15–20 and Psalm 1.
- As Christ himself: Another tradition reads the narrow gate as Christ, connecting it with "I am the door" (John 10:9) and "I am the way" (John 14:6).
- The meaning of "few there be that find it": Many interpreters read this not as a statement revealing the number of those who will be saved but as a warning to make a decisive commitment rather than follow the crowd.
Controversies and Issues
The passage serves as a basis for the Protestant exclusivist view of salvation, which holds that salvation comes only through Christ, and it is frequently cited in arguments against religious pluralism, the view that all religions offer a path to salvation. At the same time, some heretical groups use the passage to teach that their group alone is the narrow gate while the established churches are the wide gate. Major denominations criticize this as an interpretation that turns membership in a particular organization into a condition of salvation.
In the Korean Church
The passage is often used in discipleship training and in sermons at youth retreats that call listeners to a decision of commitment. The French author André Gide also took the title of his novel La Porte étroite (Strait Is the Gate) from this passage.
Related Passages
- Luke 13:23–24
- Deuteronomy 30:15–20
- Psalm 1:6
- John 10:9
See also 5
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