Doors

Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone will open the door, I will come in and eat dinner with him

     Revelation 3.20

I am the door. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture.

                                  John 10:9

One of my childhood memories is of a reproduction of Holman Hunt’s painting of Christ knocking at the heart’s door. This picture hung behind the pulpit in our country church. Christ, dressed in beautiful robes, is standing in a neglected garden, knocking on a door before which weeds have grown up. My father pointed out to me that, significantly, there is no doorknob. If that door is ever to be opened, it will have to be opened from the inside. The connection with Revelation 3:20 is unmistakable.

But what about the other Scripture quoted above? Jesus does not come through the door; he is the door. One does not get in, or out, of his sheepfold except through him. In short, we have no access to the Father except through him. What are we to make of this? Is he the door, or does he come through the door? Do the two metaphors cancel each other out?

No, they do not. But first of all, remember that both are figures of speech. As such, they convey nuances that literal speech cannot. On the other hand, no figure of speech can convey all the truth on a given subject. So what are we to make of these two? Actually, they are beautifully complementary. The Christian faith is synergistic. That is, we must work together with God if we are to come into the totality of salvation, the fulness of God (Eph 3:19). The first and fundamental truth is that we cannot save ourselves. God must restore us to himself and make us like himself by his supernatural power alone. Jesus is the way in and there is no other.

But he cannot do his work without our permission, and more than permission, our faith. We must invire him to do his work in our lives, and more than that, we must believe that he can and will cancel out the sins of the past and will renew us in Christ for the days ahead. So, is he the door, or do we have to open the door? Yes! Let the Door come through your door.