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.
19 And now, my beloved
brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if
all is done? Behold, I say unto you,
Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with
unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
20 Wherefore, ye must
press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope,
and a love of God and of all men.
Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ,
and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal
life.
21 And now, behold, my
beloved brethren, 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. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of
Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end.
Amen.
2 Nephi 31:18-21
Nephi continues preaching about the importance of being on
the strait and narrow path that returns us to the presence of God. This concept was introduced by Lehi in his
tree of life vision. “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” (1 Nephi 8:20).
The only way we can enter the gate is through obedience ot
the commandments of the Father and Son.
Through this obedience, we will receive the Holy Ghost “which witnesses of the Father and the Son” (2
Nephi 31:18). The Savior taught the
Nephites, “And the Holy Ghost beareth
record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the
children of men, because of me” (3 Nephi 28:11).
Mack Stirling writes:
The way of life is represented as a
strait and narrow path, with a rod of iron alongside, leading to the tree of
life (see 1 Nephi 8:19–20; 15:21–22). In subsequent commentary on these images
(see 2 Nephi 31:17–20), Nephi teaches that in order to gain access to the
strait and narrow path, one must enter through a gate representing repentance,
baptism, and the initial reception of the Holy Ghost or baptism of fire, which
brings a remission of sins. Faith, which is a prerequisite to repentance, is
not specifically mentioned in 2 Nephi 31:17 as part of the gate. However, it is
implied; furthermore, statements in subsequent verses about the path make it
clear that Nephi conceived of faith as integral to the gate (see 2 Nephi
31:18–20).[1]
Once we enter the strait and narrow path, is that it? Have we done all that we need to do? No, Nephi writes. “[Y]e
have not come thus far save it were by the words of Christ with unshaken faith
in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save” (2
Nephi 31:19).
Noel Reynolds makes clear that “[o]ne cannot have gotten
into the gate "save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in
him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save" (2 Nephi
31:19). And after getting into the path, Nephi says that one cannot obtain
salvation except by pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ.”[2]
As we move along the path, we “must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect
brightness of hope, and a love of God and all men” (2 Nephi 31:20). Nephi makes it clear what we must continue
doing as we go along the strait path.
We must feast upon the words of Christ, and endure to the
end. Christ told the Nephites, “Behold, I
am the law, and the light. Look unto me,
and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end
will I give eternal life” (3 Nephi 15:9).
Entering the path is not enough.
Just going along the path is not enough.
We must move forward with hope and charity. This is the path to eternal life.
Noel Reynolds writes, “Now, there is a little additional
twist in enduring to the end, because, as Nephi presents are the end of chapter
31, it seems to imply pressing forth in faith, hope, and charity. This trio of
concepts occurs repeatedly in Book of Mormon sermons in connection with this
point of the doctrine of Christ. The three are clearly indicated in Nephi's closing
summary where he instructs people to endure to the end and press forward with a
steadfastness, or faith, in Christ, "having a perfect brightness of hope,
and a love of God and of all men" (2 Nephi 31:20), which is our definition
of charity.”[3]
Nephi closes the chapter reminding us “there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be
saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 31:21).
[1]
The
Way of Life and the Way of Death in the Book of Mormon, Mack C. Stirling, Maxwell Institute,
accessed January 30, 2014.
[2]
Nephi's
Teachings (part 2), Noel Reynolds, Maxwell Institute, accessed January 30,
2014.
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