THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: - Vital Christianity

124THE FIERCE PURSUIT OF THE KINGDOM OF GODLuke 16.16-18Calvinists and Arminians have debated for hundreds of years about divine sovereigntyand human freedom. The issue is whether we should take a deterministic view of the will inwhich man has categorically no role to play at all or is there still some human freedom, thoughgiven by God?The following passages seem to argue for the latter.KEEP ON STRIVING TO ENTER THE KINGDOM (13:24-25)Jesus gives a curious Jewish inquirer a serious exhortation:“He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, becausemany, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of thehouse gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading,'Sir, open the door for us.' ‘But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where youcome from'” (13:24-25).We are told that when our Lord Jesus Christ was asked whether few would be saved, Hesaid, "Struggle to enter in at the narrow door." The Greek word agonizomai is the word fromwhich we get agonize. The word means to agonize, struggle, contend, to combat, strive, laborfervently. 1 Strong says it means literally to contend for a prize and figuratively to contend withan adversary with the idea of endeavoring to accomplish something. 2 Thayer gives the followingdefinitions: 1) to enter a contest: to contend in the gymnastic games, 2) to contend withadversaries, to fight, 3) metaphorically, to contend, to struggle, and 4) to endeavor withstrenuous zeal, strive to obtain something.3 The word emphasizes great intensity of purposeand effort. It was used in referring to Greek athletic contests in which athletes would bestraining every nerve and muscle to win a contest. The idea is to make every effort to make surewe enter in God’s door that leads to His kingdom. Since the verb is in the present tense a literaltranslation is “Keep on striving to enter.”Entry into the kingdom of God is not automatic. It is the result of an agonizing struggle.The struggle to enter in must be so intense that it is best characterized as “an agony of soul andspirit.” 4