Introduction
Many people ask deep, even difficult, questions about salvation: *Who will be saved? What about those who never heard the gospel? Is God fair?* Often, these questions serve to keep the truth at arm’s length—to debate abstract theology instead of confronting personal responsibility.
Text
In Luke 13, someone asks Jesus, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” But Jesus doesn’t answer with statistics or theological abstractions. Instead, He brings the question home: “Strive to enter through the narrow door.” The point is not about “them” out there—but about you. Will you be saved?
Jesus Turns the Question around. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus regularly redirects questions meant to stay distant and theoretical. Like with the lawyer asking “Who is my neighbor?” or the woman at the well debating which mountain to worship on, Jesus always pulls the conversation into the heart. He confronts the person asking: Are you right with God? Have you repented and believed?
Here, too, He redirects: “Will the saved be few?” becomes “Are you striving to enter?”
Strive—But Grace is Still Free
You might wonder, “Isn’t salvation by grace? Why does Jesus tell us to strive?” The Greek word Jesus uses is agonizomai where we get the word agonize. It refers to intense struggle, like a wrestling match.
This doesn’t mean we earn salvation through effort. Salvation is entirely by grace, through faith in Christ alone. But following Jesus involves a very real struggle—against sin, against the lies of the world, against Satan, and even against our own flesh. Like Paul says in Acts 14:22, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
The Narrow Door
Jesus also warns us the door is narrow—not because God is trying to keep people out, but because there’s only one way in. Jesus Himself is that door (John 10:9). Salvation is not by religion, good deeds, or moral effort. It is through faith in Christ alone. That’s why the door is narrow—but it’s also wide open for all who will enter through Him.
Gospel
Jesus Has Opened the Way!
Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, where He would open that narrow door by stretching out His arms on the cross. There He bore our sin and guilt. There He made full atonement. And then He rose from the dead, securing eternal life for all who trust in Him.
Application
Through Christ, the door stands open today. He welcomes you in—not based on your works, but because of His finished work.
The Great Feast
In the end, people will come from every direction—east and west, north and south—to recline at the table in the kingdom of God. Will you be there? If the answer depended on you, it would be no. But through Jesus, the answer is yes. He is not just your Savior—He is your Champion. He wins the victory for you.
Conclusion
So don’t keep the question at arm’s length. Jesus presses it close: “Will you be saved?” Strive to enter the narrow door.
Today, that door is open—enter through Jesus, and you are saved.
Amen!