The Bible teaches unequivocally that Jesus is the only way to forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. The Lord said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). The apostle Peter preached of Jesus, saying, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). These and many other passages of the Bible clearly teach that Jesus is the only source of God’s most precious spiritual blessings.
Because Jesus is the only Savior, the way of salvation is very narrow and exact, and many will miss it as they follow the broad and inexact ways of the world. Jesus said, "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. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:13-14). Jesus affirmed His teaching regarding the few who find the narrow way when He said, "For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14). Furthermore, when the Lord was asked whether only a few are being saved, He said, "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24).
One narrow way may at first seem limiting to us, but in truth it is unlimited in its power to save. We should not interpret the narrow way as a weak path that is incapable of saving all people. Jesus said that there are few who find the narrow way, but that does not mean the narrow way cannot accommodate many more. In truth, the narrow way of Jesus Christ is so powerful that everyone can enter by it. The apostle Paul wrote, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). This verse clearly teaches that the only limiting condition of the gospel’s saving power for sinners is their willingness to believe in Jesus. In other words, every sinner is capable of entering into salvation through the narrow way of belief in Jesus Christ.
Consider how powerful the saving gospel of Jesus Christ really is. Quite simply, it is the awesome power of God’s word. For those who do not appreciate the power of God’s word, the gospel may seem no more powerful than any other message, but Christians know better. Indeed, Paul wrote, "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1Cor. 1:18). To appreciate the power of the word of God, let us consider what the word of God has done. By faith, we believe that "the worlds were prepared by the word of God” (Heb. 11:3). "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host…For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:6, 9). The great power of God that created the whole world has been offered to us for our salvation through the gospel of Christ. Now that is great power!
Furthermore, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available through the gospel to save us and give us every spiritual blessing. In Ephesians 1:3, Paul wrote that God "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” He then explained this further in verses 18-21:
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
As the apostle prayed, may the eyes of our hearts be enlightened to see that the same power that declared Jesus to be the Son of God by the resurrection (Rom. 1:4) also declares Christians to be children of God by faith in Jesus.
Therefore, let us see that while the way to salvation may be narrow and exact, it is tremendously powerful and effective for all who believe in Jesus. God has not chosen to offer many different ways of salvation or a broad and ambiguous way to eternal life. Instead, He has chosen to offer one powerful way to salvation that is available to everyone. No other way is needed besides the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without exception, every person who is faithfully obedient to that blessed gospel of God will enter in to salvation through Christ’s one powerful way. What more does anyone need?
Stacey E. Durham