=Article 4.=--We believe that the first principles and ordinances
of the Gospel are:--... (3) Baptism by immersion for the
remission of sins; ...
=1. Nature of Baptism.=--Among the Latter-day Saints, water baptism
ranks as the third principle, and the first essential ordinance, of
the gospel. Baptism is the gateway leading into the fold of Christ,
the portal to the Church, the established rite of naturalization in
the kingdom of God. The candidate for admission into the Church and
kingdom, having obtained and professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and having sincerely repented of his sins, is properly required to
give evidence of this spiritual sanctification by some outward
ordinance, prescribed by authority as the sign or symbol of the new
profession. The initiatory ordinance is baptism by water, to be
followed by the higher baptism of the Holy Spirit; and, as a result of
this act of obedience, remission of sins is granted.
=2.= How simple are the means thus ordained for admission into the
fold; they are within the reach of the poorest and weakest, as also of
the rich and powerful! What symbol more expressive of a cleansing from
sin could be given, than that of baptism in water? Baptism is made a
sign of the covenant entered into between the repentant sinner and his
Maker, that thereafter he will seek to observe the Divine commands.
Concerning this fact, the Prophet Alma thus admonished and instructed
the people of Gideon:--"Yea, I say unto you, come and fear not, and
lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you
down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God
that ye are willing to repent of your sins, and enter into a covenant
with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day,
by going into the waters of baptism."[348]
[348] Alma vii, 15.
=3.= The humbled sinner, convicted of his transgression, through the
bestowal of God's good gifts of faith and repentance, will hail most
joyfully any means of cleansing himself from pollution, now so
repulsive in his eyes; all such will cry out as did the stricken
Jewish multitude at Pentecost, "What shall we do?" Unto such comes the
answering voice of the Spirit, through the medium of scripture, or by
the mouths of the Lord's appointed servants, "Repent and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of
sins."[349] Springing forth as a result of contrition of soul, baptism
has been very appropriately called the first fruits of repentance.[350]
[349] Acts ii, 37-38.
[350] Moroni viii, 25.
=4. The Establishment of Baptism= dates from the time of the earliest
history of the race. When the Lord manifested Himself to Adam after
the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, He promised the patriarch of
the race, "If thou wilt turn unto me and hearken unto my voice, and
believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even
in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace
and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given
under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men,
ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in His
name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.... And it
came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that
Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the
Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the
water, and was brought forth out of the water. And thus he was
baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was
born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man."[351] Enoch
preached the doctrine of repentance and baptism, and did baptize the
people, and as many as accepted these teachings and submitted to the
requirements of the gospel, became sanctified and holy in the sight of
God.
[351] Pearl of Great Price: Moses vi, 52-65.
=5. The Special Purpose of Baptism= is to afford admission to the
Church of Christ with remission of sins. What need of more words to
prove the worth of this divinely appointed ordinance? What gift could
be offered the human race greater than a ready means of obtaining
forgiveness for transgression? Justice forbids the granting of
universal and unconditional pardon for sins committed, except through
obedience to ordained law; but means simple and effective are
provided, whereby the penitent sinner may enter into a covenant with
God, sealing that covenant with the sign that commands recognition in
heaven, that he will submit himself to the laws of God; thus he places
himself within the reach of Mercy, under whose protecting influence he
may win eternal life.
=6.= _Biblical Proofs_, that baptism is designed as a means of
securing to man a remission of his sins, are abundant. John the
Baptist was the special preacher of this doctrine in the days
immediately preceding the Savior's ministry in the flesh; and the
voice of this priest of the desert stirred Jerusalem and reverberated
through all Judæa, proclaiming remission of sins as the fruits of
acceptable baptism.[352]
[352] Mark i, 4; Luke iii, 3.
=7.= Saul of Tarsus, a zealous persecutor of the followers of Christ,
while journeying to Damascus, intent on a further exercise of his
ill-directed zeal, received a special manifestation of the power of
God, and was converted with signs and wonders. He heard and answered
the voice of Christ, and thus became a special witness of his Lord.
Yet even this unusual demonstration of Divine favor was insufficient.
Blinded through the glory that had been manifested unto him, humbled
and earnest, awakening to the terrible fact that he had been
persecuting his Redeemer, he exclaimed in anguish of soul, "What shall
I do, Lord?" He was directed to go to Damascus, there to learn more of
God's will concerning him. Gladly did he receive the Lord's messenger,
devout Ananias, who ministered unto him so that he regained his sight,
and then taught him baptism as a means of obtaining forgiveness.[353]
[353] Acts xxii, 1-16.
=8.= And Saul, known now as Paul, thereafter a preacher of
righteousness, and an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, taught to
others the same great saving principle, that by baptism in water comes
regeneration from sin.[354] In forceful language, and attended with
special evidences of Divine power, Peter declared the same doctrine to
the penitent multitude. Overcome with grief at the recital of what
they had done to the Son of God, they cried out "Men and brethren,
what shall we do?" Promptly came the answer, with apostolic authority,
"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins."[355]
[354] Titus iii, 5.
[355] Acts ii, 36-37; see also I Peter iii, 21.
=9.= _Book of Mormon prophets_ gave the same testimony to the western
fold of Christ. To this effect were the words of Nephi, the son of
Lehi, addressed to his brethren:--"For the gate by which ye should
enter, is repentance, and baptism by water; and then cometh a
remission of your sins by fire, and by the Holy Ghost."[356] So did
Alma teach the people of Gideon, as already quoted.[357] Nephi, the
grandson of Helaman, immediately preceding Christ's advent upon earth,
went forth amongst his people, baptizing unto repentance, from which
followed "a great remission of sins."[358] Nephi ordained assistants
in the ministry, "that all such as should come unto them, should be
baptized with water, and this as a witness and a testimony before God,
and unto the people, that they had repented and received a remission
of their sins."[359] Mormon adds his own testimony, as commissioned of
Christ, exhorting the people to forsake their sins and be baptized for
remission thereof.[360]
[356] II Nephi xxxi, 17.
[357] Alma vii, 14-15; see page 122.
[358] III Nephi i, 23.
[359] III Nephi vii, 24-26.
[360] III Nephi xxx, 2.
=10.= _Modern Revelation_, concerning baptism and its object, shows
that the same importance is ascribed by the Lord to the ordinance
today as in earlier times. That there may be no question as to the
application of this doctrine to the Church in the present
dispensation, the principle has been re-stated, the law has been
re-enacted for our guidance. The elders of the Church are commissioned
to preach the remission of sins as obtainable through the means of
authorized baptism.[361]
[361] Doc. and Cov. xix, 31; lv, 2; lxviii, 27; lxxvi, 51, 52;
lxxxiv, 27, 74.
=11. Fit Candidates for Baptism.=--The prime object of baptism being
admission to the Church, with remission of sins, and this coming only
through the exercise of faith in God and true repentance before Him,
it naturally follows that baptism can in justice be required of those
only who are capable of exercising faith and of working
repentance.[362] In a revelation on Church government given through
Joseph the Prophet, April, 1830, the Lord specifically states the
conditions under which persons may be received into the Church
through baptism: these are His words:--"All those who humble
themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with
broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the Church that
they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take
upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve
him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have
received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins,
shall be received by baptism into his Church."[363]
[362] See Note 1.
[363] Doc. and Cov. xx, 37.
=12.= Such conditions exclude all who have not arrived at the age of
discretion and responsibility; and by special commandment the Lord has
forbidden the Church to receive any who have not attained to such
age.[364] By revelation, the Lord has designated eight years as the
age at which children may be properly baptized into the Church, and
parents are required to prepare their children for the ordinances of
the Church, by teaching them the doctrines of faith, repentance,
baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Failure in this requirement
is accounted by the Lord as a sin resting upon the heads of the
parents.[365]
[364] Doc. and Cov. xx, 71.
[365] Doc. and Cov. lxviii, 25-27.
=13. Infant Baptism.=--The Latter-day Saints are opposed to the
practice of infant baptism, which indeed they believe to be sacrilege
in the eyes of God. No one having faith in the word of God can look
upon the child as impure; such an innocent being needs no initiation
into the fold, for it has never strayed therefrom; it needs no
remission of sins, for it is sinless; and should it die before it has
become contaminated by the sins of earth, it will be received again,
without baptism, into the presence of its God. Yet there are many
professedly Christian teachers who declare that as all children are
born into a wicked world, they are themselves wicked, and must be
cleansed in the waters of baptism to be made acceptable to God. How
heinous is such a doctrine!--the child to whom the Savior pointed as
an example of emulation of those even who had received the holy
apostleship,[366] the Lord's selected type of the kingdom of heaven,
the favored spirits whose angels stand forever in the presence of the
Father, faithfully reporting all that may be done unto their sacred
charges[367]--such souls are to be rejected and cast into torment
because their earthly guardians failed to have them baptized! To teach
such a doctrine is sin.
[366] Matt. xviii, 1-6.
[367] Verse 10.
=14. The History of Infant Baptism= is instructive, as throwing light
upon the origin of this erratic practice. It is certain that the
baptism of infants, or pedobaptism (Greek _paidos_, child, and
_baptismos_, baptism) as it is styled in theological lore, was not
taught by the Savior, nor by His apostles. Some point to the incident
of Christ blessing little children, and rebuking those who would
forbid the little ones coming unto Him,[368] as an evidence in favor
of infant baptism; but, as has been wisely and tersely remarked:--"From
the action of Christ's blessing infants, to infer they are to be
baptized, proves nothing so much as that there is a want of better
argument; for the conclusion would with more probability be derived
thus: Christ blessed infants, and so dismissed them, but baptized them
not; therefore infants are not to be baptized."
[368] Matt. xix, 13; Mark x, 13; Luke xviii, 15.
=15.= There is no authentic record of infant baptism having been
practiced during the first two centuries after Christ, and the custom
probably did not become general till the fifth century; from the
last-named time until the Reformation, however, it was accepted by the
dominant church organization. But even during that dark age, many
theological disputants raised their voices against this unholy
rite.[369] In the early part of the sixteenth century, a sect rose
into prominence in Germany, under the name of Anabaptists (Greek
_ana_, again, and _baptizo_, baptize), distinguished for its
opposition to the practice of infant baptism, and deriving its name
from the requirement made of all its members who had been baptized in
infancy that they be baptized again. This denomination, commonly
called the Baptists, has become greatly divided by internal disputes;
but in general, the Baptists have maintained a unity of belief in
opposing the baptism of irresponsible children.
[369] See Note 2.
=16.= Some pedobaptists have attempted to prove an analogy between
baptism and circumcision; but for such position there is no scriptural
warrant. Circumcision was made the mark of a covenant between God and
His chosen servant Abraham,[370] a symbol regarded by the posterity of
Abraham as indicative of their freedom from the idolatry of the times,
and of God's acceptance of them; and nowhere is circumcision made a
means for remission of sins. That rite was applicable to males only;
baptism is administered to both sexes. Circumcision was to be
performed on the eighth day after birth, even though such should fall
on the Sabbath.[371] In the third century a council of bishops was
held under the presidency of Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, at which it
was gravely determined, that to postpone baptism until the eighth day
after birth was dangerous, and consequently not to be allowed.
[370] Gen. xvii, 1-14.
[371] John vii, 22-23.
=17. Infant Baptism is Forbidden in the Book of Mormon=, from which
fact we know that disputation upon this subject must have arisen among
the Nephites. Mormon, having received special revelation from the
Lord concerning the matter, wrote an epistle thereon to his son
Moroni, in which he denounces the practice of infant baptism, and
declares that any one who supposeth that little children need baptism
is in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity, denying
the mercies of Christ, and setting at naught His atonement and the
power of His redemption.[372]
[372] Moroni viii. Read the entire epistle.
=18. Baptism Essential to Salvation.=--Most of the proofs concerning
the object of baptism apply with equal force to the proposition that
baptism is necessary for salvation; for, inasmuch as remission of sins
constitutes a special purpose of baptism, and as no soul can be saved
in the kingdom of God with unforgiven sins, it is plain that baptism
is essential to salvation. Salvation is promised to man on condition
of his obedience to the commands of God; and, as the scriptures
conclusively prove, baptism is one of the most important of such
requirements. Baptism, being commanded of God, must be essential to
the purpose for which it is instituted, for our Father deals not with
unnecessary forms. Baptism is required of all who have attained to
years of accountability; none are exempt.
=19.= Even Christ, standing as a man without sin in the midst of a
sinful world, was baptized, "to fulfill all righteousness,"[373] such
being the purpose, as declared by the Savior Himself to the hesitating
priest, who, zealous as he was for his great mission, yet demurred
when asked to baptize One whom he considered sinless. Centuries before
the great event, Nephi, prophesying among the people in the western
world, fore-told the baptism of the Savior, and beautifully explained
how righteousness would be thereby fulfilled:[374]--"And now if the
Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water
to fulfill all righteousness, O, then, how much more need have we,
being unholy, to be baptized?"
[373] Matt. iii, 15.
[374] II Nephi xxxi, 5-8.
=20.= The words of the Savior, spoken while He ministered in the
flesh, declare baptism to be essential to salvation. One of the rulers
of the Jews, Nicodemus, came to Christ by night and made a profession
of confidence in the instructions of the Savior, whom he designated as
"a teacher come from God." Seeing his faith, Jesus taught unto him one
of the chief laws of heaven, saying: "Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God." A question by Nicodemus called forth
from the Savior the additional declaration, "Verily, verily I say unto
thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God."[375] It is practically indisputable, that
the watery birth here referred to as essential to entrance into the
kingdom is baptism. We learn further, concerning Christ's attitude
toward baptism, that He required the ordinance of those who professed
to become His disciples.[376] When appearing to the Eleven in His
resurrected state, giving them His farewell blessing and final
commission, He commanded them: "Go ye, therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost;"[377] and, concerning the results of baptism, He
taught them, that "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,
but he that believeth not shall be damned."[378]
[375] John iii, 1-5.
[376] John iv, 1-2.
[377] Matt. xxviii, 19.
[378] Mark xvi, 16.
=21.= Plain as seems the spirit of these instructions and promises,
there are nevertheless many who, while professing to teach the
doctrine of the Redeemer, evade the meaning of His precepts, and
declare that because He said "he that believeth not shall be damned,"
instead of "he that is not baptized shall be damned," baptism is after
all not an essential, but a mere convenience or simple propriety, in
the plan of salvation. It is a mockery of faith to profess belief in
Christ while refusing to abide by His commandments. To believe the
word of God and do it not, is to increase our culpability; such a
course but adds hypocrisy to other sin. Surely the full penalty
provided for wilful unbelief will fall to the lot of the professed
believer who refuses to yield obedience to the very principles in
which he boasts of having faith. And what can be said of the sincerity
of one who refuses to obey the Divine commands except there be
specific penalties provided for disobedience? Can such a one's
repentance be sincere, when he now is submissive only through fear of
punishment? However, in stating this principle for the government of
the Saints in the present dispensation, the Lord's words are more
particular and specific, "And he that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved, and he that believeth not, and is not baptized, shall be
damned."[379]
[379] Doc. and Cov. cxii, 29.
=22.= The same doctrine concerning the necessity of baptism was
preached by the disciples of Christ, particularly those who were
immediately associated with Him in the ministry. John the Baptist
testifies that he had been appointed to baptize with water,[380] and,
concerning those who accepted John's teachings, the Savior declared
that they, even though they were publicans, justified God, while the
Pharisees and lawyers who refused to be baptized, "rejected the
counsels of God against themselves,"[381] thereby, most assuredly
forfeiting their claim to salvation. As already pointed out, Peter,
the chief of the apostles, had but one answer to give to the eager
multitude seeking to know the essentials of salvation, "Repent and be
baptized, every one of you."[382]
[380] John i, 33.
[381] Luke vii, 30.
[382] Acts ii, 38; see also I Peter iii, 21.
=23.= Christ's humble compliance with the will of His Father, by
submitting to baptism even though He stood sinless, surely declares to
the world in language more forceful than words that none are exempt
from this condition, that baptism indeed is a requisite for salvation.
So, no evidence of Divine favor, no bestowal of heavenly gifts,
excuses man from obedience to this and other requirements of the
gospel. Some illustrations of this fact have been given in connection
with the purpose of baptism. Saul of Tarsus, though permitted to hear
the voice of His Redeemer, could only enter the Church of Christ
through the portals of baptism by water and by the Holy Ghost.[383]
Afterward he preached baptism, declaring that by that ordinance may
"we put on Christ," becoming the children of God. Cornelius, the
centurion, was acknowledged of God through prayers and alms, and an
angel came to him, and instructed him to send for Peter, who would
tell him what to do. The apostle, having been specially prepared by
the Lord for this mission, entered the house of the penitent Gentile,
though to do such, was to violate the customs of the Jews; and taught
him and his family of Christ Jesus. Even while Peter was speaking, the
Holy Ghost fell upon his hearers, so that they testified by the gift
of tongues, and greatly glorified God.[384] Yet the bestowal of such
great gifts in no degree exempted them from compliance with the law of
baptism; and Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of the
Lord.
[383] Acts ix, 1-18; xxii, 1-16.
[384] Acts x, 30-48.
=24.= Christ's ministers on the western continent were not less
energetic in promulgating the doctrine of baptism. Lehi[385] and his
son Nephi,[386] each testified of the baptism of the Savior, and of
the absolute necessity of baptism by water and by the Holy Ghost on
the part of all seekers after salvation. Nephi beautifully compares
repentance and baptism by water and the Spirit to the gate leading
into the fold of Christ.[387] Alma the first preached baptism as
indispensable to salvation, calling upon the people to witness unto
the Lord by their observance of this principle, that they covenanted
to keep His commandments. The second Alma, son of the former,
proclaimed baptism as a means of salvation, and consecrated ministers
to baptize.[388]
[385] I Nephi x, 7-10.
[386] II Nephi xxxi, 4-14.
[387] II Nephi xxxi, 17.
[388] Mos. xviii, 8-17; Alma v, 61, 62; ix, 27.
=25.= During the last century preceding the birth of Christ, the work
of God among the Lamanites was begun, by the preaching of faith,
repentance, and baptism; Ammon declared this doctrine to King Lamoni
and his people.[389] Helaman preached baptism;[390] and in the time of
his ministry, less than half a century before Christ's advent on
earth, we read that tens of thousands united themselves with the
Church, by baptism. So also preached Helaman's sons,[391] and his
grandson Nephi.[392] These baptisms were performed in the name of the
Messiah who was to come; but when He came to His western flock, He
directed that they should be baptized in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and bestowed upon twelve chosen
servants the authority to officiate in the ordinance,[393] promising
the riches of Heaven unto all who would comply with His law, and unto
such only.
[389] Alma xix, 35.
[390] Alma lxii, 45.
[391] Hel. v, 14-19.
[392] III Nephi i, 23.
[393] III Nephi xi, 22-25; xii, 1-2.
=26.= Evidence is abundant that the Savior regarded the baptized state
as an essential condition of membership in His Church; thus, when
instituting the sacrament among the Nephites, He instructed His
disciples to administer it unto those only who had been properly
baptized.[394] Further, we are informed that those who were baptized
as Jesus had directed, were called the Church of Christ.[395] True to
the Savior's promise, the Holy Ghost came to those who were baptized
by His ordained authority, thus adding to water-baptism the higher
baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost;[396] and many of them received
wonderful manifestations of the Divine approval, seeing and hearing
unspeakable things, not lawful to be written. The faith of the people
showed itself in good works,[397] in prayers and fasting,[398] in
acknowledgment of which Christ reappeared, this time manifesting
Himself to the Disciples whom He had called to the ministry; and unto
them he reiterated the former promises regarding all who were baptized
of Him; and to this He added, that, provided they endured to the end,
they should be held guiltless in the day of judgment.[399] On that
occasion, He repeated the commandment through obedience to which
salvation is promised:--"Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come
unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the
reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at
the last day."[400]
[394] III Nephi xviii, 5, 11, 23-30.
[395] III Nephi xxvi, 21.
[396] III Nephi xxvi, 17-18; xxviii, 18; IV Nephi i, 1.
[397] III Nephi xxvi, 19-20.
[398] III Nephi xxvii, 1-2.
[399] III Nephi xxvii, 16.
[400] III Nephi xxvii, 20.
=27.= Nearly four centuries later, we hear the same proclamation from
the lips of Mormon.[401] And Moroni, his son, the solitary
representative of a once mighty people, while mourning the
destruction of his kindred, leaves what at the time he supposed would
be his farewell testimony to the truth of this doctrine;[402] then
being spared contrary to his expectations, he reverts again to the
sacred theme, realizing the incalculable worth of the doctrine unto
any and all who would read his pages; and in what might be regarded as
his last words, he testifies to baptism by water and the Spirit as the
means of salvation.[403]
[401] Mormon vii, 8-10.
[402] Mormon ix, 22-23.
[403] Moroni vi, 1-4.
=28.= And this great principle, proclaimed of old, remains unaltered
today; it is truth and changes not. The elders of the Church today
have been commissioned in almost the same words as were used in
authorizing the apostles of old:--"Go ye into all the world, preach
the gospel to every creature, acting in the authority which I have
given you, baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost; and he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,
and he that believeth not shall be damned."[404] And again, hear the
word of the Lord through Joseph the Prophet unto the elders of the
Church:--"Therefore, as I said unto mine apostles I say unto you
again, that every soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized by
water for the remission of sins shall receive the Holy Ghost." But,
"verily, verily I say unto you, they who believe not on your words,
and are not baptized in water, in my name, for the remission of their
sins, that they may receive the Holy Ghost, shall be damned, and shall
not come into my Father's kingdom where my Father and I am."[405] In
obedience to these commands, the elders of this Church have continued
to proclaim the gospel among the nations, preaching faith, repentance,
and baptism by water and the Holy Ghost, as essential to salvation.
[404] Doc. and Cov. lxviii, 8-9.
[405] Doc. and Cov. lxxxiv, 64, 74; see also cxii, 28-29.
=29.= We have examined the doctrines concerning baptism current among
the Jews, the Nephites, and the Church of Jesus Christ in this age,
and have found the principles taught to be ever the same. Indeed, we
have gone farther back, even to the earliest history of the human
race, and have learned that baptism was announced as a saving
principle by which Adam was promised forgiveness and salvation. No one
has reason to hope for salvation except by complying with the law of
God, of which baptism is an essential part.