Many people ask questions about religion…
Which church is right?
What Bible translation is best?
Why is the world changing?
What do the prophecies mean?
But there is one question most people avoid asking altogether:
“Will I actually be saved?”
In Luke 13:23, a man asked Jesus a question that still echoes through every generation:
“Lord, are there few that be saved?”
Jesus did not avoid the question.
He did not soften the answer.
And what He said next may be one of the most sobering warnings in all of Scripture.
“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 13:24 (KJV)
Jesus did not say:
“Do not worry about it.”
He did not say:
“Everyone will make it.”
And He did not say salvation would come casually or effortlessly.
Instead, He said:
“Strive to enter in at the strait gate.”
The word “strive” carries the idea of effort, urgency, discipline, and determination. It paints the picture of someone pressing forward with purpose, refusing to quit, and understanding the seriousness of what is at stake.
This is not speaking of earning salvation through human works, but rather revealing the seriousness of pursuing the Kingdom of God with sincerity, obedience, faith, and perseverance.
The gate is called “strait” because it is narrow.
It is not the broad path of popular opinion, worldly compromise, or comfortable religion.
Jesus gave a similar warning in Matthew 7:13-14:
“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.”
Perhaps the most sobering part of Luke 13:24 is this:
“Many… will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”
Many will seek.
But not all will strive.
Many will desire heaven,
yet refuse surrender.
Many will want eternal life,
yet reject obedience to the Word of God.
The man in Luke 13 asked the most important question a person could ever ask:
“Who will actually be saved?”
And Jesus answered with a warning that still speaks to every generation today.
Luke 16:16 gives more detail — The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Salvation is not something to approach casually.
It is worth seeking with all of our heart, all of our faith, and all of our obedience while there is still time.
God, in His manifold wisdom, made the beginning of the salvation journey simple and clear. He placed the foundation of the New Birth experience within a single verse of Scripture in the Whole New Testament.
Acts 2:38 reveals the true foundation that begins the New Birth experience:
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”