Q:  Didn’t Jesus teach that there is a “strait gate” and a “narrow way” that “leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it”?

A:  Yes he did but once again, I remind the reader that Jesus, during his earthly ministry in the flesh, was not teaching believers in general. I have great doubts that organized religion will ever realize this fact. Need proof that his physical presence and teaching ministry wasn't for the world in general? Here it is:

“Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour” (Matthew 15:21-28).

There you have it, straight from the Lords own mouth. See verse 24! Verse 27 is evidence that the woman of Canaan had more knowledge of what Christ was doing in his earthly ministry, than virtually all of the licensed and papered theologians and Pastors that have ever graduated from the world’s seminaries! Jesus gave in to her only because of her love for her daughter; her recognition of who Christ was; her persistence toward him despite realizing her own standing regarding Christ’s having come for Israel and not the Gentiles. Christ's ministry to the Gentiles began only after his ascension to the Father and after his appearing to Saul also called Paul. This occurred in Acts 13:2:

“As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (Acts 13:2).

So in order to correctly understand what Matthew 7:14 [which comes from the Circumcision evangel] really means and who it applies to; it is essential that one rightly divide the word of truth. This entails learning that the Circumcision evangel is separate from the evangel given of Christ to Paul.

Believing that Matthew 7:14 applies to us today, is clear evidence of one’s having wrongly divided the word of truth. I’ll explain:

Christ is known as “the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11,14) but in none of the epistles of Paul is Christ represented in that manner. In fact, Paul never mentions the word sheep in any of his writings. Luke the writer of the book of the Acts, recorded Paul using the word poimnion [flock] in Acts 20:28-29, but the context shows that it was in connection with the Jews whom Paul was speaking to and also of his pending visit to Jerusalem. Paul himself mentions the word “flock” only twice in the Scriptures he was inspired to write, and both instances occur in one verse — I Corinthians 9:7.

The words fold, shepherd, and pasture are never mentioned in Paul’s epistles. The absence of their mention are clues that something has indeed changed.

Sheep are creatures that have no place being anywhere except upon the earth. Sheep are herded in and out of the fold through a gate whose passage or way is narrow.

In connection with Christ's earth-bound kingdom we find these verses:

“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7).
 
“I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (John 10:9).

Therefore, we are certain that the “strait gate” or “door” refers to the Lord Jesus Christ; while the “narrow way” is the sinless life and the death he vicariously experienced for the benefit of all, while he was here on earth in the flesh.

All the instances in the New Testament mentioning sheep as a reference to those who are Christ's have to do solely with him during his earthly ministry in the flesh to Israel. Those references do not apply to Christians today. Believers prior to Acts 11:26 were not known as Christians; the term “Christian” simply did not exist before then.

Very few Christians understand that we are solely under the administration of the evangel which the risen and immortal Lord Jesus Christ gave to the apostle Paul. Not very many understand that the evangel which Jesus gave the twelve during his earthly ministry to Israel, was not our evangel, and can never be harmonized with our evangel. Yet that is exactly what most of Christendom in general has unsuccessfully attempted to do for nearly two thousand years. Very few professing believers actually believe all of the word of God; and even fewer than that know how to discern the difference between the evangels.

Another point that needs to be made, which is further proof that the strait gate and narrow way are not how believers of this dispensation get to be in Christ; is the fact that it has been revealed that all who are in him since the activation of Paul's evangel, actually are there by having been chosen and predestined to it before they were born!

You don't believe me? Here again is the proof.

“According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians 1:4-5).

“In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11).

Predestination completely excludes grounds for boasting.  How can one proudly stand up and declare that he got saved by personally choosing Christ as his Saviour and Lord, when the choice was made by the Father Himself, before the foolish boaster and all his ancestors ever existed?

We have far more to be thankful for than we realize!

May the Spirit of God open the eyes of those who read the answers posted on this website, to the marvelous evangel we are so blessed and privileged to have!