We like the idea of having a wide tolerance for access to God. After all, why should one religion be superior to another in this regard? While it may seem overly limiting to consider the path to God as limited, this is the way God, himself described it. Moreover, even nature tells us that a narrow tolerance is normal, even for physical survival. The human body has specific needs and a narrow band of acceptable limits for temperature, water, food or oxygen. While we are remarkably adaptable, we can't live outside those limits. It is not a matter of being unkind or unfair that we must live within these tolerances. They are facts of our existence. The book of John 14, verse 6 has the following quote: "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." In Matthew 7, verse 14 Jesus also said, "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
It's not so much that God is restricting salvation to few. It's more about the clearly defined and distinct path each person must follow to find the Lord. After all, if you'd paid a huge ransom to rescue your children, as the Lord did when Jesus was crucified, you'd want them restored to you, as well!
The path may be narrow, but the directions are clear. As Jesus says in John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;"
blessings,
Rob Smith
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