Everyone is free to go through

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10: 9 was the Bible verse used in a divine service in Tama, Japan, on 11 August 2023. Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider first explained the individual parts of the Bible passage.

A close-up of the door

The door to salvation: “Jesus says that He is the door to salvation. And that is a very important statement of the Lord because this is the foundation of our Christian faith. To be saved means to be able to enter the kingdom of God and have eternal fellowship with God. There is only one opportunity.”

Entering: “Only those who believe and follow Christ can have fellowship with God. We must believe that He is God the Son who came to earth. We must believe in His sacrifice. We must believe in His teaching. And that means: we must live by the gospel.”

Going in and out: “This is an image for Christian freedom. Whoever is baptised with water and the Spirit has the opportunity of entering the kingdom of God, and no one can prevent that. No human being, no power, no spirit can close this door. And this means that my salvation depends entirely on myself.”

Finding pasture: “There are many teachings on how to become rich and happy in life, how to become wise, and how to be successful. That is definitely not Jesus’ business nor the Church’s. But if you want to enter the kingdom of God, there is only one way to get the nourishment you need: through the preaching of the gospel and the celebration of Holy Communion.”

The doors behind the door

Jesus Christ is the door to salvation. And here is how the Chief Apostle explained the other doors that open up for us as a result.

The door of grace: “The only way we can enter the kingdom of God is for Jesus to grant us His grace. The only thing that matters to us is what Jesus thinks about us. He considers our love, our sincerity, and our longing for salvation.”

The door of help: “It is normal that you and I ask for God’s help when there are problems. But let us consider the door of Jesus Christ. His help consists above all in making sure that we can enter the kingdom of God in spite of all our difficulties.”

The door of prayer: “During His mission on earth, Jesus ended up in several situations where there was no way out. And going through the door of prayer helped Him each time. Because He prayed, He received the help, comfort, and wisdom He needed to keep going.”

The door of obedience: “Nowadays, the world offers us so many doors to get out of a difficult situation. But if we go through these doors we are putting our salvation at risk. We do not want to walk through a door that implies that we no longer keep the commandments of God. No matter what situation we go through, let us use the door of obedience to the commandments.”

The door of trust: “There are many situations—difficult ones—where the only way out is to just accept that we cannot understand God’s actions. And the only option available is to continue to trust God, even though we don’t understand Him.”

The door of Christian love: “Let us use the door of forgiveness. Forgiving is never wrong. Use the door of Jesus Christ and do good instead of repaying evil with evil. Let us be mindful of our neighbour and remember that we are not the only ones who want to be saved. We want others to be saved with us.”

The Chief Apostle drew the following conclusion: Jesus Christ is the door to salvation. He delivers from evil, and nourishes and gives grace. In trials, the believers follow His example.