In like 13:22-30 is Jesus saying to work your way to heaven? He says make every effort to enter and then seems to imply anyone who makes effort can be turned away, because many who try to enter and not be able to. Can I get an explanation of this??
So, the passage in question reads:
Luke 13:20-30
"22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
So, first, we can know that Jesus isn't teaching salvation by works, because Jesus says through Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9 that, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
So what does this mean? His use of "strive" here means to fully apply yourself, or to take very seriously the task of passing through the "narrow door," or "strait gate" in some translations. The narrow door is the Gospel; there is only one Gospel, only one way to be made right with God, only one way to have our sins wiped out. The true Gospel is simple, and also very difficult. It's simple in that the concept is easy to grasp and anyone can do it. It's very difficult in that it requires us to relinquish control of ourselves; to embrace death by "taking up our cross," to forsake our own opinions, our own ambitions, our own desires, our pride, and all the parts of ourselves that are contrary to God.
To put it together, Jesus is saying that we must fully commit to Him. When we surrender to Him and swear fealty to Him as our King, we give all of ourselves over to Him. We are no longer our own; Jesus has bought and paid for us with His blood. We now live our lives in service to Him.
Our salvation is by grace through faith, and not of works. But once saved, we offer up ourselves as living sacrifices to God; we seek to obey Him and honor Him in all we do, and this requires no less than our best effort.
The many who will seek to enter and fail are all those who refused to obey the Gospel, whether in whole or in part; false converts who claim Jesus' name now, but their hearts are far from Him. Jesus speaks of these same people in a few other passages (Matthew 7, and Matthew 25).
Make sense?
