John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Matt 7:14 – Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Jesus did not refer to himself as the destination, but the “way” to the father, He leads us on the “path” to Everlasting Life. When we come to Christ and put our faith in Him, it is not a done deal, but just the beginning, the initial step of a journey that lasts for the remainder of our earthly life. We walk a pathway that IS life, but then ends in Eternal Life with God the Father. That is why we are not called to just “come to Christ”, say a prayer and be done, but to build an abiding and joyful relationship with Him, to follow Him, and to continue walking on a narrow road that *leads* to life. Christ opens the door and we enter in through an initial act of faith, but that faith must continue and we must remain steadfast in that faith until the end of the earthly journey. It says in Heb 10:38 – Now the just shall LIVE (inferring a continuance in) by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Whether or not we ultimately hear the coveted words “Well Done, good and FAITHFUL servant” it will be gauged specifically on how well each of us individually walked out our faith AFTER coming to Christ. This is the essence of the parable of the sower, when Jesus talks about the kind of soil that the seed would fall on. Only the seed which is planted in the good soil, grows and brings forth fruit will receive the reward. Each of us individually determines the condition of the soil of our hearts.
The accounts are not settled at the beginning, but at the end. 1 Pet 1:9 – Receiving the END of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. In Rom 6:22 – But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the END, everlasting life. And the most poignant one: And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the END, the same shall be saved (Matt 24:12-13). Jesus referred to this final “reckoning” when talking about the tares among the wheat. When the servants wanted to pluck up the tares, the master said: “Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn”. It states in 2 Cor 5:9-10 – Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. That all happens at the end.
We are all familiar with the classic, Pilgrim’s Progress. It is an amazing allegory of coming to Christ, being set free, and then walking that pathway, one filled with temptations, obstacles and difficulty, but ultimately ending up at the Celestial City for Christian who remains faithful. Somehow we’ve lost that aspect in modern day Christianity where we say everything is settled at the beginning. We tell believers that once they come to Christ they are guaranteed the main prize and we convey the idea that the narrow road, the one that leads to life, as optional. We “encourage” Christians to walk the narrow road as the best path to blessings and other rewards, but not necessary for the main prize, it’s no wonder that most choose not to walk on it. If it all arrives at the same place anyway, with no final reckoning, why bother? It’s pretty easy to see how that breeds complacency and a lack of seriousness for many Christians in the day-to-day battle to remain sober, pure, steadfast and faithful to Christ. We need to be careful that we are not selling the Gospel short and giving people false assurance of a prize that was meant for those who faithfully finish the race.