God’s Word Interprets God’s Word

Luke 13:24 (LITV literal) Jay P Green 1993

Labor to enter in through the narrow gate, for I say to you that many will seek to enter in and will not have strength.

Luke 13:24 (KJ3) literal Jay P Green

Strive to enter in through the narrow gate, for I say to you that many will seek to enter in and will not have strength

Philippians 4:13 (LITV) literal Jay P Green 1993

I can do all things through Christ, the One giving me power.

Philippians 4:13 (KJ3) literal Jay P. Green

I have strength ( to do) all things in Christ, the (One) strengthening me

Greek definition of Strive

75. agónizomai ►

Strong’s Concordance

agónizomai: to contend for a prize, struggle

Original Word: ἀγωνίζομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: agónizomai
Phonetic Spelling: (ag-o-nid’-zom-ahee)
Definition: to contend for a prize, struggle
Usage: I am struggling, striving (as in an athletic contest or warfare); I contend, as with an adversary.

Comment

To labor, strive or agonize to enter the narrow gate means from one aspect is you are going to be constantly confronted with and struggle with adversaries telling you The Cross of Jesus Christ is foolishness, ineffectual and or that Jesus Christ died and paid the price of each and every person’s sin’s who have lived, is living and will live; but yet He couldn’t save some that end up in hell.

So, according to them the cross in and of itself was ineffectual without some effort or work from those he represented.

The path leading to destruction is very very wide which includes belief in all false religions, false doctrines claiming man has to work his way to God through some exercising of effort or work of self righteous modified behavior rather than by the effectual atoning shed blood and imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:6

for we yet being without strength, in due time Christ died for ungodly ones. (His children of promise) Matthew 1:21 Romans 9:8

Comment

Without strength appears to mean you are without the Holy Spirit and do not belong to Christ and without the Spirit of Christ you are without strength and unable to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and enter the narrow gate

Romans 8:8

And those being in the flesh are not able to please God.

But you are not in flesh, but in Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His.

If you belong to Christ you have entered the narrow gate that leads to life.

John 5:24

Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes the One who has sent Me, has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Comment

He that has passed from death to life has the spirit of Christ. He has strength ( to enter the narrow gate) believing that God promises to save His people from their sins conditioned solely on the atoning shed blood and His imputed righteousness alone without any effort from those He died for as their substitute.

The narrow gate that leads to life is His atoning shed blood and His imputed righteousness as the only grounds of salvation through the gift of faith in the Gospel through generation from above. Matthew 1:21

In order for God to remain just someone has to be punished for the sins of His people that He promised to save. Jesus Christ has to be their substitute for them to avoid eternal punishment for their sins because God is just. He also had to live the perfect life in thought, word and deed that they could not live in order to satisfy God’s holiness and justice.

Only Jesus Christ the God/Man could satisfy making God just, justifier and savior.

In Luke 13:24 …..“ that many will seek to enter in ( narrow gate) and will not have strength”

Luke 13:25

From the time the Master of the house shall have risen up, and He shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. And answering, He will say to you, I do not know you. From where are you? Matt 7:22 Matthew 25:10-12

John 3:3

Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.

Comment

The person that has been generated with a new spirit and heart believes the Gospel of Jesus Christ; shows or demonstrates he has passed from death to life and has entered the narrow gate with the strength of the Holy Spirit

Conclusion

Those who try to enter into the narrow gate after the door is shut will not have strength. They never received prior to the door shutting generation from above unto the belief of Gospel of Jesus Christ showing they are without strength (Holy Spirit) unto belief of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which saves which is the gate that leads to life. Jesus said I am The Way The Truth and The Life

John 3:3, 5, 8 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Highlights, italics added for emphasis Literal translations either from Jay P Green LITV 1993 or KJ3