Names of Jesus: The Door

In John 10 we learn that Jesus is the door, also referred to as the narrow gate, for His sheep. He explains that those who enter by Him are saved. Through Him is the only way to salvation. We are warned that there are others, thieves, robbers, and strangers, who will try to enter salvation by other ways, and will also seek to prevent others from entering salvation by Jesus.

⁷ Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who ever came ^[a]before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ^9 (C)I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:7-10 NKJV

• The door – G2374 – thyra
  • in parable and metaphorically, the door through which the sheep go out and in, the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance

• Sheep – G4263 – probaton
  • sheep destined for the slaughter
  • of mankind, who as needing salvation obey the injunctions of him who provides it and leads them to it; so of the followers of Christ

• Read more: Names of Jesus: Good Shepherd
• Read more: Invisible Enemy & the Armor of God

The enemy seeks to steal, kill, and destroy

Jesus warns that there are those who seek to obtain salvation and eternal life by means other than Himself, and these He refers to as thieves and robbers. He warns us that they seek to steal, kill, and destroy. With this, they will seek to lure the sheep (believers) away, leading them to the path of destruction. The enemy wants to steal our confidence in the Door we have entered by, our joy in His faithfulness, and our peace in His promises. The enemy also wants to kill our relationships, our progress, and our faith, and lead us into complete destruction, where the enemy himself is headed.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

John 10:1 NKJV

We are commanded to flee from the voice of strangers. This requires us to know the voice of our Shepherd, and recognize the Door by which we must enter, and the path which we are meant to follow. We must learn more about the correct way through Jesus to salvation and eternal life, and recognize when it is His voice and instruction, or that of a stranger leading us astray and away from the godly path.

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⁵ Yet they will by no means follow a ^(A)stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

John 10:5 NKJV

• Stranger – G245 – allotrios
  • foreign, strange, not of one’s own family, alien, an enemy

¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:10 NKJV

• Thief – G2812 – kleptēs
  • an embezzler, pilferer
    1. the name is transferred to false teachers, who do not care to instruct men, but abuse their confidence for their own gain

• Robber – G3027 – lēstēs
  • a robber, plunderer, freebooter, brigand
  • thief, one who takes property by stealth

• Steal – G2813 – kleptō
  • to steal
    • to commit a theft

• Kill – G2380 – thyō
  • to slaughter

• Destroy – G622 – apollymi
  • to destroy
    1. to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end
    2. to ruin
    3. render useless
    4. to kill
    5. to declare that one must be put to death
    6. metaph. to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell
    7. to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed
  • to incur the loss of true or eternal life; to be delivered up to eternal misery

^8 (A)But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, ^(B)their portion will be in ^(C)the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is ^(D)the second death.”

Revelation 21:8 ESV

The narrow gate is the only Way

We enter through the narrow gate when we enter through Jesus. The way to salvation is through Jesus alone, the narrow gate, the only door, and it is a difficult path to follow Him. This difficult path leads to salvation and eternal life, and He promises to provide for us along the way. We will never be left alone. We have His presence, guidance, wisdom, protection, and grace with us always to lead us down His path.

^13 (B)“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. ^14 [a]Because narrow is the gate and ^[b]difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV

⁸ All who ever came ^[a]before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ^9 (A)I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

John 10:8-9 NKJV

Those who belong to Jesus will recognize His voice. They will learn to discern the difference between Holy Spirit guidance and the deceptive tactics of the enemy. In order to tell the difference, though, it is not a matter of simply entering through the Door and belonging to Jesus, but also following His commands and teachings. This requires being committed to learning more about Him through His Word and prayer daily.

¹² And there is ^(A)salvation ^(B)in no one else, for ^(C)there is no other ^(D)name under heaven given among men^[a] by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12 ESV

We abide in Christ when we cling to Him, look to Him, follow Him, and strive to live the life He wants us to live. When we abide in Christ we are more in tune with the difficult path we are meant to walk as followers of Jesus. Those who are of God will not follow the voice of strangers. They will be able to identify the source of the instructions and guidance they have received because they are so close to Him that they know what lines up with His instructions through His Word, and what does not.

³⁸ Then Peter said to them, ^(A)“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the ^[a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38 NKJV

• Pasture – G3542 – nomē
  • pasturage, fodder, food
    1. he shall not want the needful supplies for the true life

• Life – G2222 – zōē
  • life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.

• Abundant – G4053 – perissos
  • exceeding some number or measure or rank or need
    • over and above, more than is necessary, superadded
    • exceeding abundantly, supremely

What door will you go through?

There is the door that leads to salvation, and the door that leads to destruction. Jesus is the only way to salvation, and any other will lead to destruction. Those who enter the door that is Jesus choose to put their faith in Him as the Savior and walk the difficult path to eternal life.

^36 (A)He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the ^(B)wrath of God abides on him.”

John 3:36 NKJV

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am ^(A)the way, and ^(B)the truth, and ^(C)the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ^7 (D)If you had known me, you would have ^(E)known my Father also.^[a] From now on you do know him and ^(F)have seen him.”

John 14:6-7 ESV

⁵ He who overcomes ^(A)shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not ^(B)blot out his name from the ^(C)Book of Life; but ^(D)I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Revelation 3:5 NKJV

Those who choose the wide gate choose to walk through the door of destruction. Although this path may be an easier way of life, it will not lead to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. The struggles we go through in this life for the sake of faith in Christ are incomparable to the joy that awaits us in Heaven with Him.

• Read more: Why do we suffer?

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:18 NKJV

³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is ^(A)born ^(B)again^[a] he cannot ^(C)see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 ESV

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^24 (A)“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for ^(B)many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ^25 (C)When once the Master of the house has risen up and ^(D)shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ^(E)‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ^(F)‘I do not know you, where you are from,’

Luke 13:24-25 NKJV

⁹ And ^(A)they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded ^(B)the camp of the saints and ^(C)the beloved city, but ^(D)fire came down from heaven^[a] and consumed them, ¹⁰ and the devil ^(E)who had deceived them was ^(F)thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where ^(G)the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 20:9-10 ESV

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