*[[Mat 7:12-14]] RNKJV*
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
*[[Pro 14:11-12]] KJV*
11 The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
*[[Joh 14:6]] KJV* Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
*[[Joh 10:1]] KJV* Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
*[[Num 15:39]] KJV* And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
There are over seven billion people; if we add to that every person that has ever written anything down we come to the number of different paths or ways that lay and lie in the broad way.
These ways have one common denominator...the self. Truth be told whether self is esteemed, helped, worthed, loathed, emptied, punished, controlled, shamed, enlightened,educated, denied or any combination of such things the focus remains self.
The only alternative that can be had to these billions of ways is the way of being one. Now it needs to be said that what I am speaking of here is not the being one with God and universe that mind cult religions and new age speak of. despite their language about loosing self ; if one listens for any time at all to their teaching it is exaltation of self to the point of manipulation of everything being possible. In short the same lie as in the beginning "you will be as God"...and in case you missed it that is still self.
To obtain to oneness with God requires the self to die. This death of self is found when we are crucified with Christ. With the self dead it can no longer generate the actions and motives of life; so it is the Spirit that makes alive our mortal bodies.
In this way it is Gods life living through us as we put our belief, trust, and reliance in His life not what we generate.
It is not God added to our life but a new creation who lives the shared life of God. As Paul would say it is no longer I but Christ in me, and the life I now live is by the power(generation) of Christ, and the preaching of the cross(our shared death) is to them who perish foolishness but to us who have been saved it is the power of God, and to them who believed he gave the power to become the sons of God.
This is what our Lord spoke of when he said if a man would gain his (self) life he would loose his life, but if he lost his (self) life he would find his life(generated by God), and if a seed (him) does not go into the ground and die it remains alone, but if it does it makes much fruit, and I am the vine you are the branches, and as I and my Father are one so shall we be one, and that the Father has given him power over all flesh.
So it is that the life of the believer is not something we can do but instead what we must trust him to make us...hence the way to life is narrow( in Jesus) but the way to destruction is broad (in self)
