Matt 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
Matt 7:14 "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
I think these verses are more about the "way" or the "path" than the gate. All through the Bible we see over and over again verses that talk about "the way", "the walk", "the race", "the journey", "the path". Which path do you want to walk on? Where does it lead? Jesus says one path leads to eternal life, the other path leads to destruction. Those are the only two paths. We are all walking on one of those two paths right now even as you read this. Many find the path to destruction, only a few find the path to eternal life. The "gate" is simply a metaphor of the decision in your mind as to which path you will follow.
Acts 9:2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Acts19:23 About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way.
Exo 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.
Exo 18:20 then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do.
Lev 26:3 'If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out,
Deu 5:33 "You shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess.
Psa 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Psa 27:11 Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a level path Because of my foes.
Psa 36:4 He plans wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil.
Psa 78:50 He leveled a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But gave over their life to the plague,
Psa 119:35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.
Psa 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Acts 21:24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.
Rom 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Rom 8:4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
1Cor 7:17 Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.
2Cor 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight--
Gal 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Gal 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Gal 6:16 And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Eph 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
Eph 4:17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
Eph 5:2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Eph 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light
Eph 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
Php 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.
Col 1:10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Col 2:6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
1Thes 2:12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
1Thes 4:1 Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.
1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
1Jn 1:7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1Jn 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
2Jn 1:6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
Do you really believe it's talking about walking in the light as in "daytime" or the darkness as in "night-time", or are these verses about the path to life and the path to destruction? When he is saying we should "walk like him" and "walk in manner worthy" do you think it's talking about physically emulating the leg stride of Jesus, or do you think it's talking about a lifestyle?
Rom 3:17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN."
1Cor 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
I like this metaphor, the Christian "walk" is like jogging or running or hiking. It gets easier the more you do it and you get stronger the more you do it. We may not all be physically fit athletes, but we can be spiritually fit Christians.
Almost all of these verses are metaphors about "way" we should live, a "path" we should follow. A lifestyle we should be living. Many Christians are Christian in name only.
When other people look at you do they know you are a Christian without you having to tell them? We are supposed to be the light on a hill, the salt of the earth, different from other people. Which path on you on?
