“Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it. How narrow is the gate, and how difficult is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it” – Matthew 7:13-14 (English Heritage Version).
Jesus throws no punches here. He plainly states that the way to the kingdom is a narrow way and that many who strive to enter will fail because they try through broad paths. What are these broad paths He speaks of and how are they different than the narrow way?
Confessional Lutherans walk a very narrow and sometimes dangerous path to the kingdom. Now, you might be tempted to think that all Christian churches do, that all “denominations” or “traditions” of the faith strive to enter through the narrow gate and take the narrow path. But no, our Lord is clear, many will attempt to enter through a wide gate and take a broad path and will fall to destruction. But Confessional Lutherans are different than most. This is not to say that no other church or tradition strives on the narrow way with us, but it is to say that many do not. This is our Lord’s word, not mine.
Confessional Lutherans walk very carefully between the wide ways of legalism, which is pietism, and antinomianism.
On the one hand, we are not at all legalists. We zealously defend against a salvation by works where the individual must “choose” or “commit” or “will” himself to God because God only went part of the way. We also reject any notion that salvation is by faith AND works, as is boldly taught in our world’s largest church body and even among many American Evangelicals unknowingly. Our salvation is purely and completely the work of God for us, for each individual and for His Church as a whole, for the whole body and no effort or will of the human contributes to or makes His saving work any more real or effective.
The moment we add even a sprinkle of “butyougotta” to the salvation formula, it is legalism, and Confessional Lutherans strongly repel any attempt at allowing it into our churches or conversations.
But on the other hand, we are also not antinomians. Yes, it is absolutely, unquestionably true that our salvation and sanctification is the work of God for us apart from our own works or efforts. But this does not marginalize or nullify God’s holy and perfect Law in any way. We do not reject the law but truly learn to appreciate and embrace it. For you see, since the Law is powerless to save us, its purpose for the believer changes. Rather than being required to keep it in order to appease God or earn His favor, we instead joyfully seek to keep it out of love for the neighbor.
“God doesn’t need our good works, but our neighbor does.”1
Good works, given by God for us to do, are much like Christ’s good work of becoming a servant for us to save us from our sins. We, likewise, become a servant for our neighbor to bring Him the same salvation. And the Law of God (narrowly, the Commandments) becomes a great and wonderful guide to help us in this work. We are saved, not because of the Law but because of Christ, so we might be with our Lord forever, and so we do good for our neighbor. This is the Christian faith.
But it is a narrow path to say the least. It’s easy to slip into some form of legalism or antinomianism. On the one hand, we might think to judge a church’s effectiveness by how many people are out helping the neighbor, evangelizing, or bringing people into the flock. But this is truly legalism. On the other hand, we might think to ourselves that, since we have God’s grace and forgiveness, we can live our lives in full disobedience to God’s Law and still be considered Christian in the Book of Life. But such thinking does not come from faith but from Adam’s rebellion and is certainly not good.
The wide way and the wide gate is often sought after by those who despise repentance, who wish to remain in sin but still acquire salvation. It is also sought after by the prideful, those who think obedience and keeping the law is their life’s work, so that God will be proud of their achievements and permit them entrance. But both ways lead only to destruction.
As Confessional Lutherans, we must remain steadfast on the narrow way and keep our eyes focused on the narrow gate. This means a faith confessed in Christ and Him alone for our salvation without any work or will or effort on our parts, and also a humble and proper understanding of God’s Law, that we keep it for the neighbor out of love and service. That we daily repent of our own waywardness and also repent of our refusal to forgive and serve the neighbor.
It may be attractive to look at a church with a lot of people and say, “That church is ‘successful,” only to find out the church is a legalistic church or a church that affirms sinful living. We may think that such a church is more welcoming, but in fact, it is only welcoming to our human ideas and the wide path walkers. Those who walk the narrow path seek not a sin-affirming church or a legalistic church, but the true and universal Christian church as confessed in the creeds.
Therefore, if you seek a church where your sins are affirmed and God’s Law is trampled underfoot, do not look to Confessional Lutheranism. If you seek a church that spends its days telling you how to be a law keeper and earn your salvation by works or decisions or commitments, do not look to a Confessional Lutheran church. But if you seek to walk the narrow way, then here you will find it. You may also find it elsewhere but know that you certainly find it in Confessional Lutheranism.
