Matthew 7:13-14 — the narrow gate refers to the demanding and counter-cultural teachings of Christ, not to a works-salvation effort; few receive it because most reject it.

Winger reads Matthew 7:13-14 and resists two misreadings: (1) the verse does not teach that salvation is earned by laborious spiritual effort — those who make it a works-salvation proof text are lifting it out of context; (2) it may describe the historical situation Jesus faced — few were accepting his teachings at the time. The more natural reading is that the narrow way refers to the hard, counter-cultural, demanding life and teachings of Christ ("Jesus is the way"), not the majority-accepted broad path. The Sermon on the Mount context (quick pithy sayings) means the verse stands somewhat on its own without requiring a complex doctrinal system built around it.