Narrow Minded

            Matthew 7:13, narrow gate meaning hemmed in, or a mountain gorge. (Vines) Strong’s in one of his definitions of this word uses a rut or worn track, path.  Strong’s gives another meaning to this word, meaning, anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble. So, it’s a narrow yet difficult way. Not accessible to all. Narrow mindness, not willing to listen to or tolerate other people views. So, people are accused of having a one track mind. (Narrow) Christian are sometimes referred to as being narrow minded. Truth is narrow. There is nothing liberal about truth. Truth is not accessible from all points of views. As a gorge is not open from all avenues, so truth is not.

2x2 is 4. There is no other answer on earth that is right. It’s no more or no less. Every other answer would be false. The answer is neither 5 nor 3. So if I say the answer is 4. Am I being narrow minded because I excluded all others?

            Water freezes at 32 degree Fahrenheit.  Of all the answers that might be given, this is the correct one. It’s not 36, 34, and 33. It’s 32. Am I being narrow minded? Is it being narrow minded to insist on the right answer? If people insisted it was 36,35,34,33, would they ever know the truth?

You get very little argument from people on the above examples that those answers are correct and do not view this as being narrow minded, because all those are eliminated from what is correct. But they lose all good judgments when it comes to God’s word. They accept things in religion which they would laugh at you in any other matter in other parts of life.

            People have no difficulty at all in understanding why there can be only one answer in math, science or in geographical locations. Which way is north, etc. ,  but when it comes to right answers in religious questions, most agree there are hundred different right answers and those answers can contradict in the most obvious ways. And the only answer you will get, “you see it your way and I will see it mine”. If that be the case, and the Bible does not tell you the correct one, why have a Bible?

Some teach one must be immersed in order to be saved. Another teaches one can be saved by sprinkling or pouring. Both make their appeal to the Bible. Does the Bible teach things that are contradictory?  If so, are we to believe the Bible is of divine origin.

            Some will argue, “Well it’s a matter of interpretation. If there can be a correct way to interpret the Bible, then there also must be in incorrect way. If the Bible teaches that a person must be immersed to be saved, then say a person must be sprinkled or have water poured on them to be saved, then God is talking out of both sides of his mouth.

            It is evident that the Bible has been interpreted wrong.  If it was correctly interpreted correctly, then the world would be like what Paul desire in II Cor. 13:11, “be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love will be with you”. Romans 12:16, “be of the same mind toward one another”. Col. 3:15 “let the peace of God rule in your hearts”. (To make decisions or in deciding matters. Vines) When all come to understand what God’s word says correctly, then and only then will turmoil in religion cease and division which has disgraced the religious world today will be no more.

                       - CL Bruner