For as much as members of the LDS church make mention of "the strait and narrow path" (well, when I was growing up, anyway), it is, surprisingly, mentioned very rarely in scripture. It is made famous in Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life in 1 Nephi 8, but it only plays a minor role in the vision and, beyond this, the exact phrase is mentioned in only one other place in scripture. Nephi includes it in his exposition of the doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31. There are other verses that use the words “strait” and “narrow” and their usage in those verses are very thought-provoking. Christ, himself, calls the gate that leads to eternal life “strait” and the path that leads to eternal life “narrow” (see Matthew 7:13-14; 3 Nephi 14:13-14; and 3 Nephi 27:33). Nephi’s brother, Jacob, echos this usage in Jacob 6:11. Nephi actually uses these words almost interchangeably when he calls the gate “narrow” and the path “strait” (see 2 Nephi 31:9 and 2 Nephi 33:9). Mormon mentions how the word of God will “...lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.” (Helaman 3:29-30) Along with these verses come the ideas that the “gate” and “path” are tied to the word of God, that Christ set the example before us as to how we enter into and walk this path, that it leads to everlasting life, and that there are only a few that find it. Lehi’s dream further indicates that, even once the path is found, it is possible to fall away from that path (see 1 Nephi 8:21-23). Any and all of these verses (and the context in which they are given) are wonderful catalysts for understanding and revelation were one to inquire of the Lord about them. Knowing that all of these uses convey a depth of meaning regarding the concept, I will leave it to the reader to ponder about each one. For the purposes of this post, I will refer to scriptures that use the exact phrase, “strait and narrow path.”
As mentioned before, the "path" plays a minor role in Lehi's vision. How small a role? Well, when Nephi describes what he saw in his vision of the tree of life, he doesn’t mention the “path” even once. Recognizing this, as I go back to Lehi’s account, I am struck by just how subordinate the path is when compared to other symbols in his vision. Lehi sees the rod of iron before he sees a path. What is the determining factor in whether or not an individual makes it to and partakes of the fruit of the tree of life? It isn't the path. Following the path, by itself, does not guarantee the desired outcome of partaking the fruit. The majority of people in Lehi’s vision fall away from the path for one reason or another. The determining factor is obtaining and adhering to God's word. It is the "rod of iron" and one’s obedience to the word of God that creates the path. The path is just a natural consequence of obedience to God’s word. It is created and traveled by those who hold fast to the word of God. The path is what our adherence to God's word "looks like." It has the properties of "strait and narrow" because that is what our obedience looks like, and these properties can inform us as to what we can expect our path to "look like," even before we enter it.
It does well to have a correct understanding of what these words mean. “Narrow” is easy enough to define. It is a word that is commonly used in our language and that most often carries the same meaning as intended in the “strait and narrow path”: “Of little breadth; not wide or broad; having little distance from side to side; as a narrow board; a narrow street; a narrow sea; a narrow hem or border.” That this is the intended meaning is punctuated by the fact that the Lord contrastingly describes the path leading to death as “wide” and “broad.” “Strait,” however, is different. We don’t use this word very often, at all. It is most often used as a noun when referring to a narrow passage, such as the Bering Strait. In the scriptures, it is used as an adjective, and it is my opinion that we often assume the word being used to describe the path is “straight,” not “strait.” It is easy to make that assumption since “straight” is much more prevalent in its usage today. In fact, speaking for myself, it was well into my adulthood when I noticed that the word was “strait” and not “straight.” It prompted me to look up the definition: “1. Narrow; close; not broad. 2. Close; intimate; as a strait degree of favor. 3. Strict; rigorous. 4. Difficult; distressful. 5. Straight; not crooked.” Now, one might say that the intended definition of “strait” is definition #5–“straight; not crooked”. In fact, Jacob uses the word “straight” in 2 Nephi 9:41:
“O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.”
This line of reasoning, however, becomes a little problematic when one confronts the fact that one of the definitions of “straight” is “narrow, close, tight; as in a straight garment. (See strait, as it is generally written.)” Personally, I believe that the use of “straight” in this instance is deliberate and that it highlights the fact that the intended definition is not “not crooked,” nor is it “strait,” but that it is closer to the definition “upright; according with justice and rectitude; not deviating from truth or fairness.” I believe that the context of the verse supports this.
From my own personal experience, the word “strait” is a very appropriate description of the path. It is what my adherence to God's word "looks like" to me.
It is “narrow; close; not broad.” It reminds me of a balance beam. The body, as a whole, has to be completely aligned with the beam. When there is a misalignment, it causes a slight loss of balance at a minimum and a terrible fall at worst. Even a small loss of balance can lead to a fall if the person on the beam doesn’t try to regain it or if she overcorrects while trying to regain it. The straight and narrow path doesn’t allow for a lot of ideas and concepts that are false. We have to be aligned with ideas and principles that are true and that lead to life. This is difficult when so many concepts lead to death. This is why Jesus said that few find this path.
It is “close; intimate.” This property of the path has taken on such a depth of meaning for me that it is difficult to put it into words. The strait and narrow path is meant to be specific to the individual. This doesn’t mean that the knowledge, character, and attributes we acquire are different. It just means that we will each go through experiences tailored to us in order for the Lord to teach us those things. Movement forward along the iron rod by fueled by the promptings of God's spirit to us. Why doesn't God just tell us to keep the Law of Moses to get to heaven, or the Ten Commandments, or introduce us to the Beatitudes, or give us any other list of things to do? It’s because he can’t. While these things can be good and have their place, any static, unchanging list of commandments betrays the close and intimate nature of the strait and narrow path and changes it into a one-size-fits-all path that doesn’t meet an individual at his/her level of righteousness. Such a path surely leads to death. The truth is that obedience to commandments, by itself, does not save us. Knowledges save us. Knowledge and our love of God have the power to transform us into individuals who willingly and consistently obey God's word. How do we acquire that knowledge? By our obedience to God's word. The commandments are only the means by which we learn about God and how we can choose to become more like Him. There are no automatons in God’s family. His family is made of individuals who have learned how and why certain principles lead to eternal life and happiness and they willingly submit to those principles, but we all learn those principles differently. The path looks the same only as we regard the knowledge, character, and attributes of God, not the individual commandments that teach us those things.
It is “strict; rigorous.” Once this close, intimate relationship is established, the guidance that we receive must be obeyed. It is strict and rigorous. Nothing less than exact obedience will keep us on that path.
It is "difficult" and "distressful." Refining takes you through a fire. It is something that you can only try to imagine until you come to the reality of the experience. Navigating the strait and narrow path is dangerous. It isn't like some Sunday walk in the park. It requires focus, determination, a healthy respect for the forces that propel you forward and for the forces that seek your destruction, and a recognition that whatever moves you forward along the path is righteousness.
And, for that matter, I may as well apply definition #5. It is "straight, not crooked." Stripped down, righteousness is straight and undeviating. There are scriptures that mention that, in the Lord, there is "no variableness" nor "shadow of turning (or changing)." The "upright; according with justice and rectitude" definition comes into play here.
So, how do we walk this path? How do we get on it? How do covenants figure into this?
We walk the “strait and narrow” path by holding fast to the word of God which he gives to us through the Holy Ghost. Nephi explains this in plainness and in detail in chapters 31 & 32 of 2 Nephi. When we meet the conditions of repentance and baptism as outlined in verse 13 of chapter 13, "then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel." In verses 17 and 18, we read that repentance and baptism constitute a gate through which we must pass and that when we receive the remission of sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost we are, then, "in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life". (verse 18) Nephi echoes the imagery in his father's vision when he admonishes the reader to be like those who successfully obtained the fruit in Lehi's vision: to "...press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end...". (2 Nephi 31:20) Nephi even perceived that this important aspect of the doctrine of Christ (see 2 Nephi 31:21 and 2 Nephi 32:6) would get so lost on us that he reiterates it in chapter 32 of 2 Nephi. What should we do after we "[enter] in by the way"? (verse 1) We should be speaking with the tongue of angels. We should be doing this if we have the Holy Ghost. (verse 2) "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore [for which reason] they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore [for which reason], I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." (verse 3) If we do not understand what Nephi is describing here, it is because we are not asking or knocking and instead of being brought into the light, we must perish in the dark. (verse 4) If we enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show us all things what we should do. (verse 5) This constitutes the doctrine of Christ and there will not be any more doctrine given until after Christ manifests himself to us in the flesh. (verse 6)
Will we encounter covenants along this path? Absolutely! We will obtain covenants from God that are the higher covenants described in part 1 of this post--covenants from God, Himself--like we see in the scriptures. (see Moses 7:51-52; Moses 8:2; Genesis 9:8-17; Genesis 9:21-25 JST, Genesis 15:18-21; Genesis 17 JST; Jeremiah 31:31-34; 2 Nephi 1:5; etc.) The higher covenants are not a series of mandatory checkpoints that, once passed, qualify an individual for all of God's blessings. The higher covenants are the promise of blessings that we should expect to receive from God directly when we become as God through our adherence to God's word.
We should be receiving promises directly from Him. He made direct promises to the righteous in scripture. Will He not do the same for the righteous today? He will. He does. As we obtain and obey His word, we should expect the obedience required to be both "strait" and "narrow," but we should also expect promises commensurate with our obedience and the attending transformation into the image and likeness of God.