My soul clings to you,Your right hand upholds me.
God is unfair! So you say only those who believe in Jesus can be saved from hell. I can understand this sentiment after all there are so many religions and perspectives in this world. And so many beautiful people we meet, who have not put their faith in Jesus. Yet, this concept should not shock any of us. It would be what we would expect if there is a good and loving God in the midst of a fallen world. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many”. What is this gate that is wide? And why is the gate to life narrow?
If we believe in a God, most believe that God is love. But what does this mean? Is love some ethereal quality, a good feeling, a perspective? Does it exist before God? Does it exist without God? Is it greater than God? Paul writes, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13). The Bible describes love as loosng onself for others. It is the opposite of pride. Love is not greater than God but comes from him. Love comes out of the very essence of who God is. God from all eternity has loved outwardly and relationally, as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. From all eternity God created love. He is the source and fountain of love, just as he is the source of beauty, joy, life, and all that is good.
In love, God made mankind to be in intimate relationship with him. We are made to soak in and thrive in the goodness of God. As beautiful gardens thrive in rich soil, water, and sun, we thrive in the presence of God. We are made to know his love and we are made to love. We are complete when, we are with God. However, when Adam and Eve fell, they decided to become their own source of good and evil, a separation occurred in mankind’s relationship with God. We have become like a rose plucked from a rose bush, separated from our source. Though still beautiful, we are withering away, not only us but the world around us.
What would the strongest love do? God has pursued us. Though we have rejected him and hated him, he continues to pursue us. Though when he came, we spit on him, brutally treated him, and put him to death, he pursues us. He calls us back to himself.
So what is this wide gate? Humanity in our pursuit to define good and evil for ourselves have rejected God. Each of us are our own little god, and each of us defines good and evil in our own way. We each have our own reality. This is the wide gate. Our turning from God to the myriads of other “truths”, other “loves”, other “fountains” to satisfy our thirsts. Yet in all these endeavors, no matter how noble, great, or grand, we are left wanting, because we have left the only one who can satisfy us.
