In the words of the Savior recorded in Matthew chapter seven, verses thirteen and fourteen, we hear a solemn warning and at the same time a merciful invitation: “Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in by it; because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” These are not simply poetic expressions but eternal truths that describe the reality of our mortal existence. The message of the Master is clear: not all roads lead to eternal life, and not every access opens toward glory. There is only one defined way, narrow, straight, demanding, but glorious, that leads to the Father. And there is a multitude of wide and easy paths that, although at first they seem pleasant, end in spiritual ruin.
The narrow gate is Christ Himself. He said on another occasion: “I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:9). The symbolism is perfect: there are no multiple entrances, no alternative routes, no parallel accesses to salvation. There is only one Redeemer, only one Mediator, only one safe way that leads to the Father. That narrow gate opens only to those who exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, submit to baptism, receive the Holy Ghost, and remain faithful to the end. The narrowness of the gate does not indicate hardness in God, but divine clarity. It is not a capricious exclusion, but a loving definition: God shows us with precision the path that will lead us to Him so that no one gets lost in the labyrinth of mortality.
Once that gate is crossed, the straight and narrow path begins. That path represents discipleship. It means taking up the cross daily, loving even enemies, serving those in need, forgiving seventy times seven, praying without ceasing, living with purity, keeping the commandments, and maintaining a humble heart at all times. The straight path is not a comfortable walk nor a valley of ease; it is a constant climb, an ascent that requires sacrifice, discipline, and patience. But at the same time, it is the only path that brings true peace. It is narrow not because it restricts but because it defines. Like the tracks of a railway, it sets a fixed direction toward a sure destination.
In contrast, the broad way offers comfort, popularity, and the illusion of freedom. On it, each person sets his own law, decides his own morals, and indulges in his own desires. It is a crowded path, full of voices, entertainment, and philosophies that flatter the ear and caress human pride. But that way lacks the Spirit, lacks eternal purpose, and however adorned it may be, it leads to destruction. Nephi explained it clearly: “Wherefore, men are free … to choose liberty and eternal life … or to choose captivity and death” (2 Nephi 2:27). There is no middle ground, no shortcuts, no side roads that eventually arrive at the same goal. The choice is clear: life or death, light or darkness, glory or ruin.
The Book of Mormon sheds even greater light on this teaching. Nephi wrote that the straight and narrow path begins with faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, and the reception of the Holy Ghost, and that after this we must endure to the end. And he concluded: “This is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 31:21). Here we see that the Savior did not leave us adrift to invent our own route. He set with clarity what the path is. The difficulty is not in knowing it but in being willing to follow it.
The word “endure” is key. Many enter the gate through baptism, but few remain firm on the path until the end. The straight path is not traveled in a day, nor can it be abandoned without consequence. It is a journey of a lifetime, a continual discipleship, a daily struggle to keep faith alive. The Savior never promised ease, but He promised victory. He never said the way would be broad, but He did say it would be safe. That is why those who walk it encounter opposition, trials, mockery, temptations, and moments of loneliness. But they also find peace, joy in the Spirit, divine comfort, and the hope of eternal glory.
The apostle Paul expressed it when he said, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). The world will never applaud the one who walks the straight and narrow path. Applause is reserved for the multitude that celebrates the broad way. But the true disciple walks without need of applause, for his eyes are fixed on the eternal goal. And that goal strengthens him to withstand all opposition.
The revelations remind us that God has commanded all to repent and hear His voice, because what pleases the world does not please God (see Doctrine and Covenants 1:16). The broad way is, in many ways, the sum of all that the world considers attractive and at the same time separates from holiness. The narrow path, in contrast, is everything that at times costs the human ego, but strengthens the soul and prepares it for eternity.
The Savior spoke of “few” who find the way, and that expression is significant. Not because God limits salvation to a select few, but because few are willing to pay the price of discipleship. Many desire the eternal reward, but not the present sacrifice. Many want the crown, but not the cross. The narrow way requires total consecration, not half measures, not discipleship of convenience. That is why few truly find it. But those few become light for others, examples of faith, instruments in the hand of God.
The narrow path is also a symbol of covenants. Every covenant we make with God places us more firmly on the path. Baptism introduces us, confirmation strengthens us, and each renewed promise when partaking of the sacrament sustains us. Covenants are like posts of light along the way, reminding us where we are going and what we have promised to be. And those who remain faithful to their covenants are those who endure to the end and receive eternal life.
The final destination of each way is what makes the difference. The broad way ends in destruction; the straight and narrow in eternal life. One opens to darkness, the other to glory. One concludes in emptiness, the other in fullness. And so, every day of our lives we move one step closer to one of those two destinations. Neutrality does not exist. Even indecision is a way of walking the broad path.
Now let us think of examples from daily life that illustrate this teaching. A young person leaving home faces the decision of following what is right or joining the crowd in practices he knows are not righteous. Peer pressure is like the multitude on the broad path: noisy, convincing, seemingly fun. But the inner voice calling to righteousness is like a quiet and little-traveled road. Choosing that road may cost popularity, friends, or passing laughter, but it preserves integrity, purity, and peace of conscience. That is a daily-life example of entering through the narrow gate.
History also gives us examples. Think of the early Christians in Rome. The majority of Roman society celebrated idolatry, bloody games in the coliseums, and unrestrained immorality. All that was the broad way—ample, celebrated by the crowds. Christians, on the other hand, chose the straight and narrow path. Many paid with their lives in the arenas, refusing to worship Caesar and affirming that Christ alone was Lord. They found the narrow gate and walked the straight path even though it led them to mortal trials, because they knew the reward would be eternal.
Even in more recent times, we see men and women who stood for truth against the current. Every spiritual reformation, every revival of faith, every act of moral courage is a reflection of someone who decided to walk the straight and narrow path while the rest preferred the comfort of the broad. History confirms that it was never the majority who spiritually transformed the world, but the few who found the path of truth and walked it without turning aside.
In our own time, following the narrow path can mean making small but firm decisions: turning off a screen when the content is harmful, rejecting a lucrative opportunity that compromises principles, keeping prayer and scripture study in the middle of daily rush, teaching children with love and discipline even when the world says it does not matter. All these decisions are steps on the straight path. And although they may seem small, in reality they are transcendent, because each step defines the final direction.
Discipleship on the narrow way is, in essence, a journey of transformation. It is not only about reaching the destination, but about arriving changed into new beings. The narrowness of the gate and the straightness of the way are the divine mold that forms in us the image of Christ. Each sacrifice, each obedience, each act of faith shapes us more into His likeness. And when at the end of the journey we reach the goal, we will not only have walked a path, but we will have become what God dreamed from the beginning.
Therefore, these words of the Savior are not meant to cause fear but to inspire courage. He tells us that the gate is narrow, but He invites us to enter. He warns that the way is hard, but He promises to walk with us. He reminds us that few find it, but assures us that whoever sincerely seeks it will be able to find it. And thus, the path that seems hard becomes a path full of hope, because we do not walk it alone, but hand in hand with Him who is Life itself.
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