I have walked the path of pilgrimage toward my true nature all my life.
A Sermon on the Salvation and Damnation of the Soul by the Great Puritan Author John Bunyan
About the Extremely Difficult Entry into Heaven
Not only the vulgar and worldly, but also the great confessors of faith
The Bible's clear testimony that the majority will not reach heaven

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

This book contains the contents of a sermon preached in 1676 by John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim's Progress, an epic pilgrimage to the Holy Spirit that was read the second most after the Bible, warning against the hypocrisy of those who confessed their faith during the Restoration period following the Republic established by the Puritan Revolution.
This book, which preaches the terrifying truth based on the Bible that the gates of the city of heaven, the only refuge from eternal misery, are firmly shut to ungodly hypocrites, was written for a time when evil was rampant and virtue and faith were objects of ridicule and contempt. However, it also allows modern Christians, whose spiritual tension has been relaxed, to look back with fear and trembling on true salvation and the Christian life that God is pleased with and accepts.

Bunyan, who was like the Son of Thunder, who had no mercy for the sinner who was complacent and spiritually dead, but who also wanted to provide comfort and help to those who were tempted and suffering, declared the merciless truth and earnestly encouraged those who read this book to make a correct judgment about themselves and their salvation and to strive to enter the kingdom of God in preparation for eternal life.


“What we want to discuss now is the salvation and damnation of the soul.
Furthermore, it is a story that proves that only a small number of people will be saved, and that the majority of those who profess faith will not attain eternal life.
Some people make the gates of heaven too wide, while others make them too narrow.
I will preach the Word of God in the exact dimensions it presents, as best I can.
Read my writing and compare it with the Bible.
So if you feel that it is in line with God's word, accept it.


If this article has caused you to lose your composure, I hope you find peace in the blood of Christ.
If this writing is useless and costs you everything, then buy from Christ “gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourselves, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see” (Rev. 3:18).
The Lord will give you the heart to judge yourself correctly and prepare you for eternal life.
So you will not only expect to enter heaven, but you will also be received into the kingdom of God and Christ.
amen."

If anyone other than the author of the Bible deserves the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder, it is the author of this book.
He shows the narrowness and precise specifications of the most important questions with great care and fidelity.
That gate will not allow many confessors of faith who have committed fatal errors to enter heaven.
For those who truly love Jesus Christ, the door is not a narrow, tight gate, but a wide gate that allows everyone to enter.
It is a narrow gate that others who are not like that can never enter.

This topic is designed to awaken and stimulate serious thought among all believers.
And this theme is aimed at the hypocritical confessionalists who were prevalent in John Bunyan's time, especially in the latter part of the Stuart dynasty, and is intended to dismantle their beliefs.
During the Protectorate era (the period following the Puritan Revolution, from 1653 to 1659, when the Lord Protector was the head of state), evil was not tolerated, and it began to creep into the human soul.
When a corrupt monarch, who had taken refuge in the most obscene court in Europe, was asked to take possession of the crown of his ancestors, the most debauched and worldly people were running wild throughout the land.
Evil was openly promoted, while virtue and faith were openly ridiculed and despised.

At this time, Bunyan said the following correct words:
“Just as the text of Scripture demands sharpness, so too does the age.” “In this age, the kingdom of heaven is overflowing with people who are focused only on religiously superficial matters.” “They will stand before the gates of heaven and shake like the surface of a swamp.
Their false beliefs, their hypocritical love, their showy solemnity, their formal words will be of no avail.
Some professing believers hang their faith on the wall all week long, like their best garment, and then take it out and put it on on Sunday.
They just keep their faith in storage until they attend a meeting or meet a visitor of good faith.”

This social situation demanded extraordinary sharpness, and Bunyan published his sermons in 1676 as a book, issuing a fierce warning to such confessors of faith.
There is perhaps no topic more applicable than the theme of 'the gates of heaven' and 'the difficulty of entering heaven'.
This is the subject that most interests all of humanity.
This theme stimulates the careless to seek the gates of the heavenly city, the only refuge from eternal misery, and fills the hearts of God's children with love and joy, hoping for a blessed eternal life.
It also pierces the hearts of hypocrites, revealing to them the terrible truth that the gates of heaven are forever closed to them.
[Omitted] They are the confessors of faith who pretend to have found the gates of heaven and the way to heaven, and they are the ones who pass as pilgrims in search of a better place or even heaven.
The victims of this delusion are the most pitiful of all people.
[syncopation]

There can be no hope for those who live openly and worldly.
Are you a professing believer? Even so, danger still lurks.
It would be of no use to claim, “We prophesied in your name and drove out demons in your name” (Matthew 7:22).
Whatever they may confess, there can be no firm hope of entering the gates of heaven for those who live secretly and worldly.

Only those whom God acknowledges as His sheep, that is, those who hear His voice and obey it within God's pasture, can enter the kingdom of heaven.
For others, the gates of heaven will be closed, and the fearful words, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23), will drive them into eternal darkness.
May the question, “Are only a few being saved?” (Luke 13:23) be planted in our hearts, and the answer, “Strive to enter” (Luke 13:24) be rooted in our consciences.
[syncopation]

What we can be sure of is that empty-hearted, hypocritical professors of faith are always dissatisfied with the faithful dealing with the eternal concerns of the soul.
On the other hand, a humble Christian who is sincere will be most grateful for examining the Scriptures, and if he makes a mistake, he will correct it before his end becomes irreversible.
May our souls obey the size of the gates of heaven spoken of in the Bible and the only conditions under which they can be opened to us.
[omitted]

George Offor, editor of the Complete Works of John Bunyan
---From "About This Book: The Gates of Heaven and the Difficulty of Entering Heaven"

“Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24).
We must pay special attention to these words of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Moreover, the subject of this passage is a very important one, more precisely, it is about how we are saved, so it deserves even more attention.

These words were an answer to a question posed to Jesus Christ by someone who was with the disciples at the time.
The question was, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” (Luke 13:23).
This is not a serious question intended to destroy the audience, like so many questions asked these days.
This question, by its very nature, is one that awakens the crowd in a good direction and demands an answer that can benefit people.
This question was also one that pleased Jesus Christ, causing Him to respond without sharpness or displeasure.

Jesus' answer was helpful to those who asked the question because it contained the clearest answer to the question itself.
“He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter in.’” This is both an answer and a teaching.
First, the answer is clear: the door is narrow and many will seek, but only a few will be saved.
Second, this answer is also good advice and teaching: “Strive to enter.”
I pray that God will help me, my readers, and all who love the salvation they have received to accept this teaching.

I will examine this truth through Luke 13:24.
First, I will explain the text in general (chapters 1-5), and then I will observe each passage (chapters 6-7).
First, the overall perspective of this passage is about the great work, namely, 'salvation.'
Because the text points directly to salvation and gives teachings about salvation.
“Are there few who will be saved? Strive to enter through the narrow gate.” The text tells us how we can be saved, and it not only makes us hope for salvation, but also makes us understand and seek it.
So this word is very important.

What does it mean to be saved? What does it mean to be saved from sin and hell, from God's wrath and eternal damnation? What does it mean to become an heir of God, His grace, His kingdom, and His eternal glory? All of this is contained in the word "saved" and the answer to the question, "Are there few who will be saved?"

But in fact, the word 'saved' is hardly used in the world except by those who truly fear damnation.
This word is from the Bible and is like a good ointment that is well kept at home.
After applying ointment to a wound, you don't think about the ointment for a while.
Because no one in my family has any wounds or inflammation anymore.
What is precious when you're sick, like a doctor's glasses and a container filled with his cherished possessions? But when you're cured, the rest is forgotten.

When people are steeped in sin and fear the curse, how grateful we feel for the word 'saved'.
What a valuable, good, and blessed word these are to someone who is constantly plagued by guilt and anger. But not everyone needs a doctor.
Only those who are stained with sin but fear the curse know what it means to be saved, and they know the meaning of hell, death, and the curse.
“What must I do to be saved?” is the language of a trembling sinner.
“Lord, save me” is the language of a weakened sinner.
If no one is saved, no one will yearn for the glory contained in the word 'saved'.
Also, everything in heaven and earth appears empty.
Those who are saved believe that they have been privileged to receive all the blessings contained in that word, and they bless and honor God who saved them.

Since the question and answer in the text are intended for nothing less than the salvation of the soul, I would like you to pay more serious attention to them (Hebrews 12).
Let's move on to the next step.
As I looked at specific passages in the text in order, I discovered four things.
It is firstly a hint about heaven (Chapter 2), secondly an explanation of what it means to enter heaven (Chapter 3), thirdly an exhortation to strive to enter heaven (Chapter 4), and fourthly a motivation to strive to enter heaven (Chapter 5).

---「Chapter 1.
From "The Narrow Gate"