Through the summer I have been meditating once again on Dallas Willard’s book The Divine Conspiracy. It is a reflection on the Sermon on the Mount.

The call to discipleship is radical. Jesus doesn’t mince words about this call. In Matthew 7 it is the picture of the narrow gate. The definition of the narrow gate then comes into dispute. It’s very easy to define it as correct doctrine.

Willard sees it as obedience. The rest of Matthew 7 seems to verify that.

We’ve heard what Jesus has said, we’re confident of his powerful ability, so we decide to follow. We decide to obey him. (Quite honestly, you can get a lot of doctrine “wrong” and still follow Jesus. This will upset the Calvinists, I’m sure.) It’s not about willingness to be wrong on doctrine. It’s the understanding that there are a lot of things doctrinely we may not understand and we can STILL follow Jesus.

Quite honestly, we can have all our doctrine correct and have hearts full of hatred and unforgiveness. Is that a life following Christ?

The broad gate, by contrast, is I do whatever I want to do.

It is so easy to play that game. “This is who I am. Jesus loves me. Jesus understands.”  We look for every excuse possible NOT to truly obey Christ. He simply becomes our “Excuse Santa,” as to how I can stay exactly the same and still have his name attached to me.

This is not Jesus. His Kingdom must rule in our hearts and lives. For that to happen we have to attach ourselves to him and allow HIS Kingdom to come. HE is the Master. WE are the apprentices. HIS rules, HIS house. The call is to be WITH him.