{"id":24268,"date":"2025-02-20T00:20:30","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T00:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/?p=24268"},"modified":"2025-02-20T00:20:30","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T00:20:30","slug":"enter-in-at-the-strait-gate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/2025\/02\/enter-in-at-the-strait-gate\/","title":{"rendered":"Enter In At The Strait Gate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201dStrive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, but shall not be able.\u201d\u2014Luke 13:24<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thou feeble-minded disciple, weak in faith, thy Jesus speaks not thus to discourage thee from seeking salvation by him only; for he also says, \u2018Every one that seeketh findeth.\u2019 But rather he hereby animates and encourages thy soul in striving against every enemy that opposeth thy entering his kingdom by the strait gate, even by his one atonement, and one righteousness only. He designs also to show that men may not only seek, but strive as in an agony, \u2018to enter in, but shall not be able.\u2019 Why? Because they expect to enter the kingdom by some other gate than Jesus. But, says the apostle, \u2018No man is crowned, except he strives lawfully.\u2019 Earnestness, zeal, activity, avail nothing, while Jesus is not the only object; his blood the only plea for pardon, his righteousness the only hope for acceptance. But this, in the eyes of self-righteous professors, makes the gate appear too strait indeed. Hence they seek to enter by ways more pleasing to their pride, and more agreeable to the corrupt lusts of their nature. So that striving is not so much opposed to seeking, as the strait gate, Jesus, is to every one method of salvation of man\u2019s devising. There is an awful denunciation against such, Isa. 45:9. \u2018Woe be to him that striveth with his Maker.\u2019 Shall potsherds of the earth dare contend against the sovereignty of God\u2019s wisdom, power, and grace? Here is the strife of the pharisee. And in opposition to the sloth and licentiousness of the antinomian, says our Lord to all his disciples, \u2018Strive\u2019\u2014strive, by my power which strengthens you, against every enemy that opposeth your entering my kingdom by Me.<\/p>\n

As surely as there is a devil in hell, there will be false teachers on earth. So long as thou continuest in the body, thou wilt have corrupt lusts, carnal reason, the workings of pride, unbelief and self-righteousness. Now all these unite to oppose thy faith, and contend against thy hope; but thy master, who calleth thee to arms, bids thee be of good courage, and strive for the mastery. In his strength thou art sure to conquer and win the prize. Press forward, \u2018striving against sin.\u2019 Heb. 12:4. Strive for the faith of the gospel, strive fervently in prayers, strive according to his working, who worketh mightily in all his people. Phil. 1:27<\/p>\n

Give light, oh Lord, to see the gate,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And strength to strive to enter in<\/p>\n

By Thee, who art the Truth, the Way,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From Satan’s power the world, and sin.<\/p>\n

Turn off my eyes from other hopes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That would beguile my soul;<\/p>\n

Oh fix and keep my wandering heart<\/p>\n

To thee entire and whole.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M.<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thou feeble-minded disciple, weak in faith, thy Jesus speaks not thus to discourage thee from seeking salvation by him only; for he also says, \u2018Every one that seeketh findeth.\u2019 But rather he hereby animates and encourages thy soul in striving against every enemy that opposeth thy entering his kingdom by the strait gate, even by his one atonement, and one righteousness only. He designs also to show that men may not only seek, but strive as in an agony, \u2018to enter in, but shall not be able.\u2019 Why? Because they expect to enter the kingdom by some other gate than Jesus. But, says the apostle, \u2018No man is crowned, except he strives lawfully.\u2019 Earnestness, zeal, activity, avail nothing, while Jesus is not the only object; his blood the only plea for pardon, his righteousness the only hope for acceptance. But this, in the eyes of self-righteous professors, makes the gate appear too strait indeed. Hence they seek to enter by ways more pleasing to their pride, and more agreeable to the corrupt lusts of their nature. So that striving is not so much opposed to seeking, as the strait gate, Jesus, is to every one method of salvation of man\u2019s devising. There is an awful denunciation against such, Isa. 45:9. \u2018Woe be to him that striveth with his Maker.\u2019 Shall potsherds of the earth dare contend against the sovereignty of God\u2019s wisdom, power, and grace? Here is the strife of the pharisee. And in opposition to the sloth and licentiousness of the antinomian, says our Lord to all his disciples, \u2018Strive\u2019\u2014strive, by my power which strengthens you, against every enemy that opposeth your entering my kingdom by Me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":325,"featured_media":20656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1571],"tags":[1197],"class_list":["post-24268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-william-mason","tag-spiritual-growth"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/325"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24268"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24274,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24268\/revisions\/24274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}