Is Christianity Too Narrow? | Today with Dr. Mark Jobe

“Christianity is narrow enough to lead to life, but it is broad enough to lead to grace.”

When I was dating my wife, Dee, I took her to the small town in Spain where I grew up. I was excited to show her the caves I explored as a boy, crawling through dark tunnels by flashlight to discover enormous caverns filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Because we were young and in love, Dee agreed to this adventure. As I led her through the mud in the ever-narrowing passage, I could hear her begin to panic. What if we got stuck? But, twenty feet later, we stepped into this spectacular cave. I said to her, “It’s narrow to get there. But, boy is it worth it!”

I thought about that story because Christianity is like that. Some people say, “It’s way too narrow.” And they are right. But you have to go through something very narrow to get to something extremely great. Living in today’s pluralistic culture, I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “I don’t believe in absolute truth. Each of us has to discover our own truth for ourselves.” Or: “All religions have a piece of truth, but none of them can claim all the truth.” We are pressured to see all religious beliefs as equally valid. We are told that no single view can be completely right, and that if we hold this attitude, we are unreasonable.

But, according to Scripture, Christianity is radically narrow. Listen to Jesus’ words: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many that enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few people find it” (Matt. 7:13–14). Jesus is clear. There is only one God and one way to God. There is no other way but through Jesus. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Here, Jesus instructs us that there are no multiple ways to be right with God. There is no Plan B. There is no other option.

To embrace any other way to God is to deny the salvation of Jesus Christ. If there were multiple ways, Jesus would never have come. He would not have needed to die on the Cross. Friend, Christianity is narrow enough to lead to life, but it is broad enough to lead to grace. God’s truth is indeed narrow, but His boundless, incomprehensible love assures us that grace is wide.

BY Dr. Mark Jobe, President

Dr. Mark Jobe is the president of Moody Bible Institute. He has served as the lead pastor of New Life Community Church, one church that meets at 27 locations. Mark earned a diploma from Moody Bible Institute in 1984, a master’s degree from Moody Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in transformational leadership from Bakke Graduate University. He is the author of What Now?: How to Move into Your Next Season (Moody Publishers) and can be heard on Bold Steps, a daily program on Moody Radio. He and his wife, Dee, have three adult children and one grandchild.