The Road Less Traveled: Following Christ Through the Narrow Gate

After explaining the meaning of the Golden Rule from the perspective of grace, Rev. Sang Ho Bae shifted his attention to discuss the nature of the narrow gate, described as the "road less traveled."

Life is a continuous series of choices, and those choices shape our lives. Whom we marry, what occupation we choose, and which path we walk greatly change the direction of our lives. Among all the choices in life, the most decisive choice is which of the two ways Jesus presented—the narrow gate and the wide gate—we enter.

Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road is broad, and many enter through it; but the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road is constricted, and few find it (Matt. 7:13–14).

This choice is not merely a choice that changes the quality of life but a choice that determines one’s eternal destiny.

The narrow gate and the narrow road, in other words, mean a path that is not smooth. Psalm 1:1 describes the way of the righteous as a life that “does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers.” The narrow gate and the narrow road are precisely this path of “not doing.” This does not mean to flee from the world physically but refers to the path of faith that does not follow the values of the world or its sinful patterns. On this path, there are at times suffering and tears, misunderstanding and loneliness. As the apostle Paul says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12); suffering comes not because one’s faith is wrong but because one’s faith is true. Yet human nature prefers the wide and comfortable road and thus tries to avoid the narrow road the Lord has urged us to take.

Many call themselves Christians but in reality choose the wide road that promises comfort. To them, faith is not the center of life but merely a preference or an option. Therefore, the moment they realize that the path of faith is narrow, constricted, and demands self-denial, they cannot bear its weight and quietly leave. It is this reality that Jesus referred to when He said, “Many enter through the wide gate.”

This phenomenon has been repeated in every age. Looking at church history, whenever Christianity became a state religion, persecution disappeared, and becoming a church member brought social advantage, false believers overflowed within the church. The period after the Roman Empire recognized Christianity and the era of medieval Christian states are representative examples. When faith becomes a privilege, people flock to the church not to seek God but to gain benefits, and, as a result, the church faces rapid corruption and the formalization of faith.

The reason the framers of the United States Constitution decided not to make Christianity the state religion when they first drafted the Constitution was precisely because they deeply recognized the harms of the state-church systems of Europe and the colonial era—the historical reality in which church and state became entangled and corrupted. Although Christianity held the greatest influence in society at the time, they chose the path of establishing no state religion in order to prevent faith from becoming a tool of power and to protect religious freedom. Underlying this decision was the intention to preserve the purity of faith, and in fact, the times when the church displayed the most pure and powerful spiritual vitality were not when it enjoyed privilege, but when persecution existed. In times of persecution, those who merely pretend to have faith rarely appear, for a person who follows Jesus even while enduring suffering cannot possibly be false.

Historically, many have sought the wide gate because it is comfortable and without burden, but the narrow gate has always been sought by only a few because it is uncomfortable and demands self-denial. True faith does not pursue comfort but willingly chooses the path that leads to life, even though it is narrow and rough.

For this article, I created two AI-generated songs. The first one in English is The Narrow Road, while the second, translated into Filipino is Makitid na Daan.