strait and narrow Archives

2 Nephi 31: 18:
 
“And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to  eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done  according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have  received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto  the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in  by the way ye should receive.” 
This is the path to “eternal life.” It is “strait and narrow,” but it is the way to eternal life. What is eternal life?
 
Why is the path “strait and narrow?” Is it to deprive you of  something, or is it to direct you toward the only path where abundance can be  obtained? If you become connected to the “true vine,” are you then able  to “bear fruit?” (John 15: 4-7.) If you bear fruit, what can you ask of Him that He will not give to you? (John 15: 7.) What does that  mean? Have you read Beloved Enos? If so you will understand what is being discussed.
 
By doing as the Father and Son have asked, you “receive the  Holy Ghost.” What does it mean to have the Holy Ghost dwell within  you? (D&C 130: 22.) How does a spirit dwell inside a person? How  does that spirit become “Holy” and the third member of the Godhead? If  the scriptures say, and Christ taught that those who receive God’s  word are gods, what does it mean? (John 10: 34-36.)
 
Did you notice the Father and Son promise the  Holy Ghost, and when you receive it the Holy Ghost bears witness of the  Father and Son? The first promise to you the last, and the last bears  witness of the first. In one eternal round, the doctrine of Christ  includes all members of the Godhead combined into a witness that will  come to you, take up residence within you, and make you a vessel of the  promises  fulfilled. You are to return home, and take your  abode again. Or, more correctly, permit Them to take up Their abode  with you. (John 14: 23.)
 
You become the record of God’s dealings with  mankind. You become the promise of God’s presence, for you fulfill “the  promise which He hath made.”
 
You receive the “record of heaven” or, more  correctly, the Record of Heaven, for it is a proper name and title. (Moses 6: 61.) When it has come to you, then this Record of Heaven will  abide with you. You will be the one who possess the “peaceable things  of immortal glory.”  You will know “the truth of all things” for it will  reside within you. (Moses 6: 61.) You will understand wisdom, for she  will be with you. You will know mercy, possess truth, and be capable  of performing judgment, for the judgment you judge will not be  yours but will be given to you. (3 Nephi 27: 27.) God will dwell  within you.
 
When He appears to you, you  will see Him as He is, for you will be at last like Him. (1 John 3:  1-2.) If you can understand this, then you will purify yourself to  receive it. (1 John 3: 3.) For the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost  will purge and purify, refining you with that holy fire. (Mal. 3: 2.)
 
This doctrine of Christ will bring you in contact with God. You were meant to return to the Family you came from. It is the homecoming you have always felt was  needed. You do not belong here. There is something higher, something  more holy calling to you. It is not found in an institution, or  program, or award, or office. It is only found in God, who is your  home.
 
The doctrine of Christ is the doctrine of  God’s return to be with you and abide with you. It is Him coming to sup  with you. He has been knocking at the door all these years  seeking entry into your life. (Rev. 3: 20.) If you let Him come in,  He will prepare a throne for you. (Rev. 3: 21-22.) Only those who have  descended will be permitted to rise. Only those who humble themselves  can be exalted. (Matt. 23: 12.) While all those who rule rather than  serve, will be disappointed. These are they who declare themselves worthy to be followed and insist they can  use compulsion. They pretend to be on the Lord’s errand while they are on  their own. They crave dominion over others but will be cast down. They will be  denied priesthood, and be left begging for water to cool their tongues for  the torment of it all. (D&C 121: 37 and Luke 16: 23-24.)
 
How much better is it, then, for us to repent?  It seems foolish to do otherwise. I find I’m persuaded by Nephi.

2 Nephi 31: 8-9:

“Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove. And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.”

This is an interesting cause-and-effect. Once Christ was baptized, “the Holy Ghost descended upon Him” as a result of the baptism. Now, true enough an ordinance was instituted by which hands are laid upon a person, post-baptism, where the “gift of the Holy Ghost” is bestowed. This practice was instituted by Christ. (Acts 8: 14-17.) However, in the case of Christ’s own baptism, no hands were put upon Him. He was baptized. The Holy Ghost descended upon Him.

It is clear that baptism is a gate through which all must pass. Immediately after the ordinance, the Holy Ghost must become the companion of those who are redeemed.

Christ set the example. We are obligated to follow the example.

Receiving baptism without also receiving the Spirit renders the event incomplete. Nephi will explain the essential nature of the Holy Ghost in the redemption process in a few more verses. It is clear that the Holy Ghost is the instrumentality by which redemption itself comes. The Spirit is the guide which will lead back to the Lord’s presence. Without the guide, the doctrine of Christ is incomplete.

The water is something that we must pass through to keep the law. It is the companionship of the Spirit which makes you justified, by leading you to do what is right. It is the resulting application of Christ’s blood on your behalf that will sanctify you. (Moses 6: 60.) You cannot receive sanctification without first receiving baptism and then also the Holy Ghost.

If there is no other way, and all must comply, then the way is both “strait” and “narrow.”

Christ’s example is the only one for us to follow to obtain hope for our own salvation. He is the “prototype of the saved man” (Lecture 7, Lectures on Faith, paragraph 9). If it was necessary for Him, it is the more necessary for us.

Baptism is one thing, accepting the Holy Ghost is another. The one is objective, and openly visible when the act happens. The other is internal, involving welcoming a member of the Godhead into your life.

I remember kneeling on an Atlantic beach in the cool sand at the setting of the sun on the day of my baptism. The Atlantic is cold in September, and I was chilled from the ordinance, still wet while kneeling, and shivering as the elders began the ordinance. When, however, they said: “receive the Holy Ghost” I remember becoming warm, beginning at my scalp and flowing downward until my entire body was warm and calm. It was palpable. It was physical. To me the experience was no less dramatic than the descent of the Holy Ghost “in the form of a dove” on the day of Christ’s baptism. It was every bit as objective, as physical and as memorable as any other distinct event in my life.

More importantly, I began to experience the fruits of that event immediately. What followed for me, within the hour of my baptism, was akin to what Joseph and Oliver experienced. (JS-H 1: 73.) Within days I found also that the scriptures began to have far more distinct and clear meaning than ever before, again just as Joseph and Oliver found. (JS-H 1: 74.)

It was clear to me that the Holy Ghost imparts something altogether more significant than what I alone could do, understand, or accomplish. It expanded capacity, enlightened and informed the mind, and led to understanding things which were unknown and unknowable before.

This process is not just mandatory. It is a far superior way to experience life than to live alone, without God in the world. (Alma 41: 11.) It is a blessing, a gift. The “gift of the Holy Ghost” is, without question, the great “gift” coming from God to aid us in our return to Him.