The Narrow Door- Luke 13:23-24 ESV

23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

We are told that it is not the will of God that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. However, when asked about the number of people who would be saved, Jesus answered by stating we are to strive to enter the narrow door. In these verses, Jesus is the narrow door he is speaking of. In John 14:6 he told Thomas: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And in John 10:9, Jesus stated: “ I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” The striving to enter this door Jesus is speaking about is repentance.

In addition to the call for salvation from the Holy Spirit, repentance is required for salvation. Not everyone who hears the gospel message will be willing to repent and be saved. Those who refuse to repent, after they die, will find themselves excluded from God’s kingdom.

The time to repent and be saved is when you hear the call for salvation from the Holy Spirit. If you refuse, He may or may not call you again at a later time. The writer to the Hebrews advised us that if we hear his voice, we should not harden our hearts. A hard heart is what prevents people from repenting and being saved. The Bible says that today is the day of salvation. If you hear his voice today, respond to the call with confession and repentance and you will be saved.