Matthew 7:13-14 reads,

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in following the straight and narrow path to eternal life.

The word “strait” and the word “narrow” mean the same thing: constricted, tight. This juxtaposition of synonyms is common in Hebrew literacy. Throughout the scriptures Jesus Christ and a number of other prophets often used such terms in constructing an image with diverse applications. The end result was to portray an image of the strict path back to God’s presence.

Lehi used vivid imagery in recounting his vision of the tree of life in the Book of Mormon. 1 Nephi 8:19-20 recounts Lehi’s vision,

“And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood. And I also beheld a strait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world.”

Lehi’s son Nephi offers a clear explanation of this vision when he pointed out that the gate to the strait and narrow path represents repentance, baptism, and remission of sins. The path which men and women learn of is the Gospel and the good news that such thing exists.

According to the connotations of the Hebrew and Greek words for “strait” and “narrow”, they suggest that the path is not easy. Our path in life was never meant to be easy, but a challenge that can help us grow and learn. In 2 Nephi 4:33 Nephi prayed unto the Lord and cried,

“O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.”