Blessed Assurance

Luke 13:22 - 14:6

When someone asks Jesus if only a few will be saved, Jesus turns the question around (as he often does) and makes it personal: "Work hard to enter the narrow door to God's Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail."

We hear Jesus describing the people pleading outside the locked door, "But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets." For many of us, this can be a sobering passage. We might ask ourselves if somehow we've fallen short, and will also be refused entry.

I think a modern analogue to this pleading might be "But we went to all the church pot-lucks, even the Bible studies, and we were always there in the front pew every Sunday to listen to the sermon." These are people who have entered into Christian society, but have never let the message of Christ work in their hearts. Christianity is a "good idea" to them. They may agree with all the precepts. But it has no transforming power.

We "work hard to enter the narrow door" when we let Jesus work in us.

But even then, eternal security is a difficult concept to embrace. We live in a world where acceptance is often conditional. We live in a world where our place -- among co-workers, friends, even family -- is secure as long as we stay in line, stick with the group, and don't do anything wrong.

Jesus isn't like that. But because of who we are -- fallen people in a fallen world -- assurance doesn't come easy. And we marvel at the people who seem to have the "blessed assurance" of the old Fanny Crosby hymn.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!

But scripture tells us again and again that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1), that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:39), that no one can snatch us from his hand (John 10:28). The Word of God is full of assurances like these.

This passage should be sobering only in the sense that there are people who haven't yet found the door. It is a sober reminder to get out there into the crowds of people and point them toward the narrow entry into God's Kingdom so that they, too, can have that assurance and security.


Drew Clausen