“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:7-9

A “door,” according to Merriam-Webster.com, is “a usually swinging or sliding barrier by which an entry is closed and opened,” “a means of access or participation,” or “the designated time at which the doors at a performance venue are opened to admit attendees.” Like you really needed me to define “door” for you, right? Well, while just about everyone alive and in their right mind knows what a door is and what it’s for, the fact that Jesus proclaimed himself to be the door warrants a renewed consideration of our understanding of these structures and their purposes. Jesus’ self-association with anything or anyone speaks to a greater spiritual truth lying under the surface, just waiting for us to uncover and grow in our trust in him!

With that said, let’s think for a few moments about the declaration of Jesus recorded in John 10, that he is the door. What is the spiritual significance of that statement? What does it mean for us as we accept that statement as God’s truth and believe Jesus to be our door? Well, let’s consider the dictionary definitions again. We see there that doors are entryways, they give access, they are gateways to let things in or keep things out. So, what did Jesus mean when he stated that he was the “door of the sheep”?

 First and foremost, he relayed that he is the gateway. He is our access to participation with the Almighty, and by spiritual implication and literary context, there is no other! This “only” door truth is further reinforced in John 14:6 where Jesus states that “… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Romans 5:1-2, Ephesians 2:11-16, and multiple Scriptures like them all agree that Jesus is the only means of access to the God of the Bible.

 Now, for a lot of you, I know this is a “duh” statement, but this important truth isn’t a given in the minds and hearts of so many today. The world has taught our youth, from my generation down, that there are multiple ways to God. That He’s so loving that He won’t send anyone to Hell, so He’s made a lot of different paths to get to Heaven. Friends, God is loving, and He doesn’t want anyone to go to Hell. In fact, He technically doesn’t send anyone there, but multitudes do that to themselves because they fail to walk through the only door to Heaven. God has an “open door” policy, but that door is Jesus, and trust in him for our salvation. Trust in our works, our church attendance, our denominational affiliation, or, and especially, any other “prophet” or religion is a gateway to Hell, not Heaven.

So, Jesus is our open door to God, but our “door” Jesus serves two functions in this particular role. He’s our open door to God, yes, but also a closed door on the devil’s plans for us. Have you ever told someone to “close that door” in an effort to bring a bit of peace and quiet to the room you were in? Jesus can do that for us in our lives because he has already done that in the realm of the spirit. Jesus defeated death and Hell and stripped the devil of this authority over God’s children through his triumphant resurrection. Sure, the devil still comes knocking on our doors; we live in a world that he has a lot of influence in after all, but it’s a closed door now and we have to open the door for him before he can have his way in our lives. Friends, Jesus is the greatest door security ever known if we’ll just trust him and refuse the enemy as our house guest.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus is the “Door.” He can control access into our lives if we entrust him to that post. Through him, we have access to God’s goodness, and because of him, the devil has a closed door and isn’t permitted to bring his wares into our lives!

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.