Baptism

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.  AF#3

According to Article of Faith #3, three things are necessary for our salvation:  the atonement, laws, and ordinances. 

Obedience to gospel laws is essential, but as Lehi points out we are all condemned by the law (2 Ne. 2:5) since we don’t keep it perfectly.  We need access to the Atonement.  Ordinances bridge the gap.  They are the means, which the Lord has established for the blessings of the atonement to flow into our lives.  They are crucial.  We cannot be saved without them.  (John 3:5, Mark 16:16, 1 Pet. 3:21, 3 Ne. 11:33, D&C 84:74)  By keeping covenants associated with ordinances the power of the Atonement becomes efficacious in our lives (D&C 84:20).

Joseph Smith taught that being born again comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances.

Once we have repented, we are ready to receive our first gospel ordinance: Baptism.

Most gospel ordinances have the following three parts:

1 - A Blessing(s)
2 - A covenant
3 - Symbolic Teaching

With baptism, the initial blessing we receive is that of having our sins washed away.  It is required to have our sins remitted.  Once we have been baptized, we have the opportunity to repeat this process each week with the Sacrament.

The covenant we make is to take upon us the Lord’s name and to follow him.  It is to keep his commandments, to love one another and to bear one another’s burdens.  It is basically to live the gospel.  Covenants are a very important topic and one we’ll discuss in greater depth later.  (They are much more than just 2 way promises, but actually create sacred, binding relationships–see Mosiah 5:6-7)  There are also additional promises associated with our faithfully keeping the covenant (e.g. baptism is the gate to eternal life, etc.)

Ordinances are also symbolic.  The Lord uses symbols to teach for several reasons.  Symbols can make a strong, lasting impression on our minds and can teach more beautifully than words alone.  They are often multi-layered or multi-faceted. Symbols can also reveal and/or conceal doctrines and truths depending upon our spiritual preparation.  Symbols are also more timeless and universal and can bridge differences in culture, nationalities, etc. more easily than language alone.

Besides washing and cleansing from our sins, what are some of the other symbols associated with baptism? 

1.     Baptism is a symbol of new birth or being born again.  At your physical birth there was water (amniotic fluid), blood (shed by mother), and spirit (yours entering your body) so in your spiritual birth there is again water (baptism), blood (shed by Christ in the atonement) and spirit (Holy Ghost). (Moses 6:59).  The baptismal font becomes a symbol of the womb and coming forth in new birth as a new child in Christ.

2.     Baptism is also a symbol of Christ’s death and resurrection.  In this sense the font becomes a symbol of the grave and the baptism becomes a symbol again of new life as the body and spirit are re-united and come forth together from the grave in the resurrection.  (Romans 6:3 – 6)

3.     Baptism also points to our own death and resurrection. We enact these events ceremonially before we experience them physically.  In this sense the ordinance is not the final, real event but instead points us toward it.  Baptism is the gate.  It is the entrance to the path but it symbolically points toward the end of that path as well which will include our own death and eventual resurrection.

As we understand and appreciate the symbols involved, the ordinances take on much greater meaning.

Finally, ordinances also involve some external action indicating our internal commitment and which can be witnessed and recorded.