The Narrow (and Holy) Way

The Narrow Way

When God has taken you through the narrow gate, which is Jesus, you will find yourself on the road. The way is the distance that we are supposed to walk with God, after the cleansing of the heart, when we received salvation. But also walking the narrow way with God is part of the actual salvation.

13 Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14, NET©

The reason that the road is narrow, is because we have to abstain from what is in the world, and keep to the grace we find in Christ.

The Original Christianity

26 … Now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. Acts 11:26, NET©

What does christian mean? Christian is a moniker for those who follows Christ, God’s anointed one. But before the followers of Jesus was known as christians, the faith was known under a different name.

At several places in the book of Acts (19:9, 23, 22:4, 24:14, 22), a different name is mentioned, the name of the faith that Jesus’ disciples followed was the Way. Paul tells how he himself was a persecutor of those who followed the Way. Later, after Paul’s conversion, he consider himself as a follower of the Way.

Jesus Is the Way

4 And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:4-6, NET©

Jesus is the Way. We walk with him, and the goal for us, is to be like him. When we walk on the narrow road, we become more and more into his likeness.

The Way is the distance we have to walk to fulfill our salvation, without walking this distance, we suffer shipwreck in our faith, when we go through tough situations in life.

The Way to Zion

The Way is not only the narrow path, but also the way of holiness. Isaiah prophesied about this way in chapter 35 of his book.

The way of holiness – Isaiah 35:8-10, KJV

8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

The way of holiness, is the distance that the unclean have to walk, to become holy. The way is the way of holiness, and as we walk on it, we become like Jesus.

A fool can not go wrong on that road, because it is the Holy Spirit who leads them on the way, he who is the helper.

Those whom Jesus has bought, with his shed blood on the cross of calvary, shall come to Zion. This means that the journey is not forever, but there is a final destination to reach.

Thus, salvation begins with the narrow gate, walking a distance called the way of holiness, and finally reaching the destination at Zion.

Heavenly Jerusalem

22 But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly 23 and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, Hebrews 12:22-23, NET©

Zion is the new covenant and the new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem is currently placed in heaven, but is meant to come down to the earth, at the end of this age after the final judgement.

But Zion is also a place that we can come to in this life. Zion is the place where the glory of God dwells. Those who arrives there will have access to the full ineritance of the new covenant.

Leave a Reply