The Gate of the Church

The Gate of the Church

“But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:2-5.

The doorkeeper had for generations faithfully guarded the door that leads to life. Because of sin, all of mankind was locked out, and a death had to take place for the redemption from the transgressions under the first covenant. Heb. 9:15.

Through His death on the cross the door was opened by the doorkeeper Himself, and the Shepherd of the sheep, the Captain of our salvation, went in as the first among brethren.

The word of the cross is the only door that leads to life for the followers of Christ. “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him . . . .” Rom. 6:8. “For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.” 2 Tim. 2:11.

The cross is mankind’s only salvation. It has been there since the death of Christ as the only certain place of refuge for this despairing, fallen, and lost generation. The cross is the gate of hope and glory and the only way to life and blessedness.

It is the strait gate, and everyone who wants to enter in has to put off the old man. Rom. 6:6; Col. 2:11. It is presumptuous to let the old man live and then come to the cross every day and ask for forgiveness for all the folly he has committed. This is despising the blood of Jesus and turning the grace of God into licentiousness. Jude 4. Jesus has given His precious blood so that the old man shall die.

By the cross we die to the world, and the world is dead to us. Gal. 6:14. The cross is there as a clear division between death and life, darkness and light, lying and truth, justice and injustice, pride and humility, haughtiness and poverty of spirit, etc. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Gal. 5:24. They have put off the old and have begun to walk on the way of light and life in Jesus’ steps. They hear the voice of the Shepherd and faithfully follow it, but they flee from the voice of the stranger. Flee youthful lusts! 2 Tim. 2:22. Flee the love of money! 1 Tim. 6:10-11. Flee sexual immorality! 1 Cor. 6:18. Flee idolatry! 1 Cor. 10:14. Flee the corruption in the world! 2 Pet. 1:4. They flee from the devil and all his works and all that comes from him. They separate themselves from everything that is impure so that they can be sons and daughters of Christ. 2 Cor. 6:17-18.

Jesus is now calling His sheep by name, and those who are known by Him and have been chosen from before the foundations of the world were laid, hear the voice of truth and enter through the door. He leads them out of the dark prison of sin and, one by one, into light and life in Himself. He Himself goes before them and leads them onward on the narrow way.

If anyone does not enter through the door but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.

The church of the living God is to form an impregnable wall around the city. No one must diminish the truth, because of a human zeal to win great multitudes, and let anyone into the church who does not want to enter through the strait gate. “Forsake everything” were Jesus’ words to everyone who wanted to be a disciple.

Such robbers have completely taken over the power and leadership in many of today’s assemblies and they have changed the churches into dens of thieves and houses of merchandise.

It is characteristic of such people that when they come to the church of the living God, they never feel at home there. They are constantly complaining over the fact that they cannot get the fellowship they desire, and the place they think they deserve, that they are misunderstood and overlooked, etc. Such people must be shown the proper entrance as quickly as possible. They have no right to say a single word in the church of the living God until they have forsaken everything and have entered through the gate of the cross, in the death of Christ. If someone lets such people in, their part will be together with them.

Those who enter through the door are doing extremely well within the sheepfold. They receive abundant nourishment; they are refreshed by the blessed fellowship, and are free indeed.