by John H. Gerstner

The lessons are now over. Now comes the homework. This is the "lab" part of our course. Here is where you learn by doing, having learned by reading.

Jesus tells us that in spite of the glorious way of divine salvation, not many will find it. "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. Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life; and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). "Then said one unto Him, 'Lord, are there few that be saved?' And He said unto them, 'Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able' " (Luke 13:23-24). "So the last shall be first, and the first last; for many shall be called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).

Our Lord is not telling us these things in order to develop a curiously morbid interest in arithmetic; we are not to attempt a calculation of the number of the saved and the number of the lost. Rather, because we have been given advance information that relatively few will be saved, we are to see to it that we are among those who are. "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able," said Jesus. Because there will be few who enter life, you are not to despair of entering, but are to strive to enter. So finding the straight and narrow path to life must be a top priority!

Why has Christ told us that few will be saved? He did this to stress the urgency of being on the right road. As long as persons suppose that just about everyone is going to arrive, they will take the matter quite casually; they will not be concerned about it; they will tend to assume that they are on the right road, of course, and let things rest there. But when they are told that most people are on the wrong road, and that relatively few are on the right road, it brings every one of us up short and makes us ask immediately: How is it with me? Where am I going? Am I with the majority, walking calmly to perdition? How do I get on the right road? If there are only a few who find it, I had better start looking now!

The very first thing one must do is recognize the simple fact that there are two different roads, and that they lead to two different ends. As long as a person entertains the sentimental, popular notion that there are innumerable roads all going to the same place, there is no hope of his getting on the right road. He must recognize the fact that there are not many roads--only two: a right road and a wrong road. So far from going to the same destination, one leads to hell and one to heaven. This is a simple matter of fact. The one person who knows about these matters, Jesus Christ, has spoken on the subject. He came from heaven and He has gone to heaven, He knows the way that leads where He is and He knows the way that leads elsewhere. His word is clear and His word is final. It is foolish to dispute it; the thing to do is accept it and act on it.

A young Hindu student, studying in this country, heard a speaker at an international group say that Jesus Christ was the only Savior of the world. Afterwards the young student said, "I do not like your idea that there is only one way to heaven, your Christian way. I like to think that there are many ways--your way and mine, the way of the Christians, the way of the Hindus, the way of the Muslims, and of all religions. Your way is too narrow. I like room on the road I travel. I want other people with me, not just my own group."

This all sounds very broad-minded; and it is broad-minded. It is broad-road thinking, and it leads to destruction. Not because the speaker said one thing and this student said another--that is totally irrelevant--but because Christ said one thing and Hinduism says another. If Christ had said that men came to God through Hinduism, the young man could be right. But since Christ said, "No man cometh to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6), the young man is dangerously wrong. He may want a broad road with room for all faiths. There is such a road indeed, but it does not lead where he wants to go. He must simply recognize the fact that there are but two roads and they lead to different places. Until he learns that, until you learn that, you are both on the broad road that leads to destruction. Jesus Christ ought to know.

You will never get on the right road until you recognize that there are only two roads and that only one of these is the right one. But recognizing this fact is not getting on the right road--you have to find it and then enter onto it. You don't need to make any effort at all to find the broad road; men are born on that one. They are born in sin and on the way to destruction; most of them stay on that road all their lives and forever. Many of them never even think of getting off while they still have an opportunity. They like the road until at last, when it is too late, they see where it leads.

But to get on the right road real effort is required. An act of the will is required once the narrow road is found. No effort is required to remain on the broad road. To make no effort is actually the best way to stay on the broad road. It is the road of no resistance; it is the course of the evil world that walks according to the prince of the power of the air. But the narrow road must be found and entered onto with great difficulty.

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This is part thirty-one of John H. Gerstner's small book entitled Theology for Everyman, originally published in 1965 (Moody Press, Chicago). That book was subsequently republished in 1991. It has since fallen out of print and we thought it would be good to revisit this book here on the blog. Over the past weeks, we've been working our way through the book. Here is where we've been so far: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6 Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9 and Chapter 10.