"Some Bible Doors"

Steven J. Wallace

A door can grant or prohibit access. Our world is filled with various kinds of doors that lead into and out of various places. It is hard to imagine our world without doors. They are everywhere!

We can also find many doors in the Bible. Let's look at some.

The Door to Sin

We are familiar with the story. Abel offers a sacrifice by faith and is approved by the Lord (cf. Heb. 11:4). Cain offers a sacrifice that is not respected by the Lord (Gen. 4:3-7). Both men worshiped, but only one was respected. God requires worship to be of faith—that is, offered by the instructions God has given (see Rom. 10:17; Jn. 4:24). It cannot be "by faith" if it is without divine instruction.

Cain becomes very upset, and the Lord responds this way in Genesis 4:7, "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." 1

Sin is described as lying at the door. Cain could open the door and let it in, or he could resist its temptation and rule over it. He chose to open the door. He invited sin in, refused to repent, and subsequently murdered his brother (Gen. 4:8). Sin will knock on the door of your heart whispering all kinds of sweet nothings. Sin is as serious as the crucifixion. It is dangerous and will take us further than we ever thought we would go. It will also make us pay more than we ever thought we would have to. Cain was cursed from the earth and was sent out to live like a fugitive and vagabond with the fear that another would overtake him to kill him. When sin knocks at the door of your heart, resist the temptation to open it!

God's Doors of Entrance

God designed a door into Noah's ark (Gen. 6:16). This door would mark the division between the saved and the lost. When the rain started, those on the outside would perish and those on the inside would be spared from the floodwaters. While God does not desire that anyone should perish, we read that only eight persons out of the entire world were saved in the ark (see 1 Pet. 3:20, 2 Pet. 2:5).

Jesus is the door of the sheep (Jn. 10:7-9). The Lord spoke of how thieves try to enter by different methods (Jn. 10:1). Jesus is the definitive doorway into salvation: "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture" (Jn. 10:9). How does one enter through Christ? He must obey the gospel by heeding the message. This requires a heart that turns from sin, a mouth that confesses Christ as Lord, and humility to be immersed into the body through baptism. "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27, emp. mine, SJW). 

The door into the wedding (Matt. 25:1-12). Where the door of the ark and the door to the sheepfold define hard lines between the saved and the lost world, the door in this parable is a defining line between the wise versus the foolish disciples.

That these ten represent disciples is evident by the fact that they were all virgins, they all had lamps, and they all trimmed their lamps. The difference is that some were wise and others were foolish. Those who were foolish, although they had lamps did not bring extra oil. Due to the delay in the bridegroom coming to take away his wife, all ten slumbered and slept (25:5). While sleep overtook all, the five wise virgins slept being prepared for the cry of the bridegroom. The foolish slept without being ready. Evidently, the foolish ones were convinced that his arrival was no longer imminent. When the cry was heard that the bridegroom was coming, the foolish tried to get extra oil from the wise. They were rightly denied and told to buy their own as there would not be enough for both.

"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut" (Matt. 25:10).

When the door was shut, no further opportunity to enter existed. Sadly, the foolish virgins stood outside and knocked but were barred from entering the feast. When God shuts the door, no one can open it, and everyone's destiny is sealed.

The Lord makes this application for our individual good: "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming" (Matt. 25:13). Let's always be ready to meet the Lord, whether we are awake or asleep!

What is Significant in these Bible Doors?

1. See Exodus 12:23.
2. See Hosea 2:15.
3. What was given to the Gentiles in Acts 14:27?
   
4. What did the Lord give the small church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7, 8)?
   Has God also given this to us?
5. How could a Christian in Laodicea open the door for Christ (Rev. 3:19, 20)?

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