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Are You on the Right Road?
What determines whether you are on the right road? How many other people are on the same road? How nice the scenery is? No, you are on the right road if it leads you to the right destination. You are on the wrong road if it takes you to the wrong destination. You are traveling on some road now. Where are you going?
Many are on the wrong road.
"Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace" (Isaiah 59:7,8).
Do you think you are on the right road?
Even so you must be careful because according to the Scriptures: "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12). "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts" (Proverbs 21:2). Jeremiah prayed: "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). Man needs guidance from God.
God shows people the right road: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls" (Jeremiah 6:16).
How can you know you are on the right road?
The Psalmist prayed: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). You can know you are on the right road only by the word of God.
God's way is the right way.
Any other way is a wrong way because it leads to destruction. "The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity" (Proverbs 10:29).
Abraham, the father of the faithful, was to "command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord" (Genesis 18:19).
The right way, God's way, leads to life; the wrong way leads to death. "I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble" (Proverbs 4:11-19).
We must be careful whom we choose to accompany. "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray" (Proverbs 12:26).
"In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death" (Proverbs 12:28). "The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below" (Proverbs 15:24).
The right road is the highway of holiness.
In a prediction of the kingdom of the Messiah, God's Anointed, Isaiah said: "A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray" (Isaiah 35:8).
Christ is the way.
Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
There are only two roads.
Jesus said: "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13,14). "Then one said to Him, 'Lord, are there few who are saved?' And He said to them, 'Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able' " (Luke 13:23,24).
Have you passed through the narrow gate?
Many people think they are on the right road when they have never gone through the narrow gate.
"The way which leads to life" is the way of faithful service in Christ. Jesus admonishes His followers: "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).
"The narrow gate" represents God's conditions for salvation. One must go through this narrow gate to be saved and get on the right road.
The wrong road is broad and has a wide gate.
Some claim that everyone will be saved. Jesus said that few will find the way to life.
Some claim that good people in all religions will be saved. Peter said that salvation is only "by the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 4:10). "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Some claim that salvation can be earned by doing good works. Paul says: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified" (Galatians 2:16).
Some claim that they can be saved by faith only. James says: "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. ... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:24,26). James says about Abraham: "Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?" (James 2:22).
Some claim that they can be saved by performing religious rituals, when their lives are full of sin and their hearts are full of pride, jealousy and hatred. But we are warned: "Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking diligently lest anyone fall short of the grace of God" (Hebrews 12:14,15).
Some claim that they are on the right road because their parents had them christened when they were babies. But Philip told the Eunuch that he had to believe with all his heart before he could be baptized (Acts 8:37).
Because the way to destruction is so broad, we could go on and on telling about wrong ways people think they can be saved.
How do we go through the narrow gate so we can walk on the right road?
Jesus said: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16). Paul wrote: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
The gospel of Christ "is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). The good news is "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).
We must confess our faith to pass through the narrow gate. "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation" (Romans 10:9,10).
The "good confession" (1 Timothy 6:12,13) is: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8:37; Matthew 16:16).
We must also repent to pass through the narrow gate. We must be sorry for our sins, decide to turn away from sin and serve God.
When some came to John for baptism although they had not repented, he replied: "Brood of vipers! Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:7,8).
When we are baptized on the basis of our faith, repentance and confession, we become a part of the body of Christ and receive forgiveness of sins. We pass through the narrow gate and begin a walk in newness of life.
Peter told believers on the day of Pentecost: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
Paul explained to the Romans: "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3,4).
Are you on the right road?
"The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below" (Proverbs 15:24). Are you on the highway of holiness, the difficult way that leads to life?
Have you entered the narrow gate? Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, that He died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead the third day? Have you repented of your sins and completely dedicated your life to God? Have you confessed your faith in Christ? Have you been baptized into His death so you can rise to walk in newness of life?
If so, let us walk together on the way of life that winds upward to the heavenly city where death will be no more.
If not, I urge you to obey the Lord and enter the narrow gate that leads to the way of life.
Roy Davison
The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982,
Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise.
Permission for reference use has been granted.
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982,
Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise.
Permission for reference use has been granted.
Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)
(http://www.oldpaths.com)
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