20 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.
The “strait and narrow” path is an interesting study. Prior to the 1981 edition of The Book of Mormon, the phrase was rendered “straight and narrow.” While straight and strait definitely have two different meanings (and there is some discussion about which one is more accurate in this verse), I think that either rendition works here. On the one hand, strait, while a bit redundant in conjunction with the word “narrow,” since they have similar definitions, emphasizes how strict or how exact the requirements are to return to Heavenly Father. On the other hand, the term straight emphasizes that there are no hidden, secret ways to return to Father. Any deviation from straight forward is our deviation, not the Lord’s. The Lord does not “walk in crooked paths” (Alma 7:20), and neither is our path to Him crooked as we follow in His footsteps. So, while either strait or straight may be serviceable in this verse, I like the added meaning offered by “straight.”
This leads me to the Christian world’s attitude about being saved. Many believe that as long as you are Christian (confess Christ) it doesn’t matter what church you belong to; they all get you back to heaven. And in a sense they are right, but not the way they think. There are only two churches: God’s true church, and all the others. If you don’t belong to His true church, it really doesn’t matter which one you belong to. Both of these paths may indeed lead you to heaven and some form of salvation, but the difference is where in heaven you end up, and how much authority and honor you have when you get there. It’s not the same. The road to heaven is not so broad as what the world would have us believe. (Matthew 7:13–14)
- Matthew 7:13–14
- Alma 7:19–20
No comments:
Post a Comment