Salvation Summaries

My heart grieves when I see young people leave the church and abandon God in order to pursue all that the world has to offer. They are seeking happiness, friendships, and new experiences, and believe they can only find these if they are independent, unconstrained from moral boundaries and free from the expectations placed upon them from their religious relatives, friends and the church.

None of these things (happiness, friendships, etc.) are inherently bad; in fact, they can be good too. It just depends on what road you take to experience them.

According to Matthew 7, there are two roads that a person can travel on in their life: a wide road, and a narrow road. A person can find fun and happiness and excitement on both roads, at least for a time, but over time, the painful consequences of traveling on one road will surface to the despair of those who traffic on it. Despite this, many will live their entire life on this road, and suffer the consequences along the way. I sincerely hope you don’t do this.

Wide Road

The Bible tells us that the wide road is filled with many people, so it will likely include some (or most) of your friends, co-workers and neighbors. On this road, everyone does what is right in their own eyes. It is one of pleasing self rather than God; of doing your will, not His. Because this road represents worldliness, it is one of lust and sexual immorality (which is what the world offers; see 1 Jn 2:16); of partying and drunkenness; of drugs and pornography. On this road, a person will, at some point, hurt themselves (become depressed, an alcoholic, a drug user, addicted to pornography, an adulterer, etc.) and hurt others too (lie, cheat, steal, hate, divorce, etc.). The risks and likely outcomes of traveling on this road will not be foreseen by most of those who travel on it, for they prefer to live in the here and now. Only later will they begin to experience the pain and regret, and the guilt and grief that it caused, and wish they could change their past.

But that’s not even the worst part. According to the Bible, those that stay on this road will end up in hell.

If you, dear reader, are traveling on this road, please ask yourself, “Is it worth it? Is my sinful lifestyle and the temporary happiness and excitement I get from it worth the cost of inevitably hurting myself, of hurting others and of going to hell?”

Because of the dangers this road presents, God warns us to not travel on it, for your life will be plagued with problems, and it won’t end well.

Galatians 5:19-25 ¹⁹ The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

So, what is God’s solution to this problem? He wants you to turn off of this road (at the next exit!), so you can live on the narrow one that He’s paved for you. What is the narrow road?

Narrow Road

The narrow road has relatively few travelers, for it’s not easy to travel on. Why? On this road, you must seek to avoid sinful pleasures and godless living, and instead exercise self-control to conduct yourself in a right and just manner. On this road, your focus is on pleasing God, not yourself. It is a road where you seek to do His will, not yours.

Titus 2:11-14 11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right.

And for those who are currently on the wide road and think the narrow road is no fun, think again. According to the Bible, it is a road that offers love and happiness, joy and gladness, peace and even prosperity. Who wouldn’t want that?

Galatians 5:22-25 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 68:3 But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

The Narrow Road Rebuttal and Resolution

Now, I realize that some of you who view yourself as a Christian may have started out on the narrow road, but didn’t experience all, or maybe even any, of the blessings it supposedly offers. You prayed to God over and over, but He didn’t answer any of your prayers. Your difficult situation at school or work didn’t get any better despite pleading with Him for a change. You had “Christian” friends that hurt you and betrayed you. And because of this, you eventually threw in the towel on the Christian life, for it failed to meet your expectations, and you moved over to the wide road where all of your friends hang out.

Listen, I understand that. I can tell you from first-hand experience that the life of a Christian is not always or necessarily easy, and that many prayers may go unanswered, but the blessings are real IF you seek the Lord with all of your heart and persist in doing this. Then, when the God of this universe begins to clearly answer some of your prayers and to work in your life, you realize that He actually cares for you – a nobody in the big picture – and nothing compares to this. You then find yourself wanting more answers to prayer, more encounters with God, and more of Him. It’s at this point that you will experience more joy, and more peace and more happiness – because it’s all coming from Him. The world cannot and can never offer this.

So don’t lose heart, dear reader. God cares for you, He loves you, and He wants to bless you if you, in turn, are willing to love Him, and worship Him and obey Him.