On numerous occasions in our lives, we have to choose between two different paths. Even when we use GPS for a long car trip, it will often give us more than one option. One road may be quicker, while another may be fewer miles. One might be more scenic than another.
The Bible tells us that the same thing is true in the spiritual realm. Probably the most well-known passage that teaches this is Matt 7:13-14. The Lord says that unbelievers travel a certain highway. They are convinced that eternal life is not given by faith in Christ alone. Some believe there is no future kingdom of God. Others believe they will get into the kingdom by their good works. All the belief systems that reject eternal life as a free gift by faith alone are described by the Lord as a “broad” highway. Lots of people travel it. It is a highway that leads to destruction. If a person remains on that road, they will spend eternity in the lake of fire. The believer, on the other hand, is one who has believed in Jesus Christ for eternal life. At the moment of faith, he finds himself on a different road. Since eternal life can never be lost, this road leads to life. Every believer will live in the kingdom of God forever.
Matthew 7:13-14, then, deals with where a person will spend eternity. When we believe, we move from the broad road leading to destruction to the narrow one leading to life.
But the person who has already believed can also travel one of two roads. We must choose which one we will travel.
Mark 8:34-38 describes these two roads. The Lord was on the road to Jerusalem, where He was going to die. He called for His disciples to take up their crosses and follow Him on that road. This was not a call to eternal life. They already had that. It was a call to suffer with Him and be great in His kingdom. If they traveled that road, they would be greatly rewarded.
But they could choose to travel a different road. Even though they had eternal life, they could live according to their fleshly desires. They could refuse to walk on the road with the Lord and instead travel where they wanted to go. If they did, they would forfeit all the rewards they could have in His eternal kingdom.
Solomon also speaks of two roads a person can travel. In Prov 14:12 he writes: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Much of the book of Proverbs is written for the benefit of Solomon’s son. He tells the young man to walk on the path of wisdom instead of the path of fools.
Proverbs emphasizes the rewards of obeying God in this life. But it is easy to see a parallel with Mark 8:34-38. Solomon says that our flesh will tempt us to travel a certain road. For various reasons, that road will seem to make sense. There will be pleasures, fame, riches, and instant gratification. But in the end, the things we do on that road will have no eternal value. They can even lead to our physical deaths.
When we travel by car, the route we choose from GPS can make a big difference. It can make the difference between an enjoyable trip and a miserable one. It might result in the loss of money.
The road we travel as believers is infinitely more important. One road leads to intimacy with the Lord and abundant life here and now as well as eternal rewards in the world to come. The other leads to ruin and can only be described as death. Solomon and the Lord both tell us to pick the right road.
