Doors That Promise But Fail

There are many voices shouting in our land today, each promising an escape—an answer, a fix, a future. From city hall to ivory towers, from the glow of a smartphone screen to the hushed corridors of scientific labs, the message is nearly the same: “We’ve got this. We’ll find a way out.”

But do they? And more importantly, can they?

Dr. J. Vernon McGee once offered a clear-eyed diagnosis of this very problem. His words echo like a clarion call through the fog of modern confusion. He listed what so many lean on—philosophy, indulgence, politics, liberalism, science, industry, labor, fascism, militarism. Each offers a strategy for salvation—each promises a way out. But at the end of their roads, you’ll find dead ends, not deliverance.

Only One stood up and declared something wholly different. Not just a better philosophy or a nobler ethic, not a system or a strategy, but a person—a Savior.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
—John 14:6 (BSB)

This is not merely a claim among many. It is an exclusive, soul-cutting declaration. Jesus did not say He would show the way or explain the truth. He said He is the way. The truth. The life. He is the Door—not a door, not one of many—but the Door.

“I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved.”
—John 10:9a (BSB)

That sounds narrow to some ears. It is narrow. But that’s because the truth is never wide enough to accommodate every opinion and still remain true. A key that opens the door must be exact, not approximate.

I still remember, as a young believer not quite thirty years of age, how I used to listen to old J. Vernon McGee every morning as I drove to work. I loved his folksy way of talking—plain, warm, and filled with Scripture. It was like riding to work with a wise, trusted friend who always brought the conversation back to Jesus. He had a way of making deep truth feel like it belonged right there with your morning coffee and worn-out steering wheel.

And what he said still rings true today: “The Lord Jesus says, ‘I am the way out.’”

Now, some might bristle at the idea of exclusivity, especially in a world that worships open-mindedness. But what if this “narrowness” is actually the most gracious thing God could offer? A sure path. A steady anchor. Not many guesses—but one guaranteed rescue.

When Noah’s family stepped into the ark, there was only one door (Genesis 6:16). And when that door shut, no other entrance was given. The way in was singular, but it was wide enough to carry all who believed.

Jesus is the Ark in our storm. He’s not a new philosophy or moral improvement plan. He is salvation itself. And America—indeed, the world—needs more than another plan. We need a Person. We need the Savior.

So today, amidst all the noise and clever ideas, let us hear His voice saying once more:

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
—Matthew 11:28 (BSB)

That invitation still stands. And the door is still open.

While the world debates which way out is best, Jesus offers Himself as the Way in. Not just to peace in this life, but to the presence of the Father in the life to come. No more striving. No more searching. Just faith in the One who already made the way by laying down His life.

And that, dear reader, is the Way out—by way of the Door, who is Christ our Lord.