Once upon a time, an old man, a moral man, died. He walked along a wide path looking for a way to enter heaven. The first gate he came to had the inscription : “The Gate of Good Works” posted high up on the iron bars. He clanged the door knocker and waited for the gatekeeper. He felt sure the good deeds he had done – giving a hitchhiker a ride, paying for a neighbor’s groceries, and giving to the poor – would count in his favor. The gatekeeper did not smile as he said, “God desires that everyone do good works and to be kind. However, good deeds alone will not gain entrance to heaven for you. I am sorry.”
After heaing that he was denied entrance, the old man turned and walked away.
He continued his walk until he came to the next gate: “The Gate of Regular Church Attendance.” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of beinng admitted to glory. Again, he clanged the iron knocker. He looked longingly toward the gatekeeper as he made his way to the gate. The gatekeeper said, ” You have come to my gate, but I do not have a key to open it. You see, going to church regularly is not enough. It takes faith.”
And with those words said, the old man sadly turned and shuffled away.
With shoulders slumped and head down, the man continued his walk. Soon he came to the gate with the inscriptiuon: “The Gate of Ten Commandments.” It was here he began to weep. He rememered the words he had heard in church, “No one can keep the Ten Commandments perfectly. They are not meant to save you. They are only a guide to lead you to the One who can save you – the One who died to pay for sin.”
The old man thought about his free-style living, and for the first time, he began to understand that he was not judged for the good things he had done, but rather for his sins. He did not even raise his hand to the door knocker as the heaviness of guilt and same of his many unconfessed sins brougnt him to despair.
As the old man turned to walk away, he noticed that this gate, like all the other gates had never been opened. He looked up and saw another gate – a much narrower gate and was amazed to see a man being welcomed into heaven. He ran to “The Gate of Faith.” The gatekeeper had very kind eyes, and the old man looked hopefully into them. “Have you repented and trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior?” The gate keeper’s voice was tender. “No,” the old man admitted. “I knew about Jesus, but I never…”
He bowed his head as he heard the sentence pronouned: eternity in darknes and anguish and separated from Jesus. Forever! O, if only I had believed. The old man pounded his chest and wept bitterly. If only. If only. He continued to weep tears that would never stop. He was ushered to a very wide, fearsome and grotesque-looking gate with the inscription: “Those who enter here have no hope.” The old man began to wail and gnash his teeth.
Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but through Me.” And the narrow gate to heaven swings open.