I chose to write an article about the doctrine of baptism as there is debate in the Christian world about this ordinance. Some say baptism is absolutely essential, others say it’s not. This is a larger topic than it appears to be on the surface, because the salvation of the whole human race depends on it.
When the Lord was on the earth He made it clear He is the only means we may be saved: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). His Apostles testified of the same, saying “For there is none other name under heaven given… whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The Book of Mormon also testifies of this: “…there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent” (Mosiah 3:17).
Our Savior made His feelings regarding baptism very clear as well. First, He set the example for us, being baptized of John the Baptist in a river, in spite of John’s feelings of inadequacy: “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water,” followed by the Father’s affirmation: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The Lord Himself testified of the necessity of baptism while speaking to Nicodemus, saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3,5).
There are two implications from this. First, baptism as an ordinance was around before Jesus came, and more importantly, that it is essential for us to be saved. Baptism had been around for centuries before Jesus came, which is why John was baptizing others before our Savior came to him. John the Baptist “did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). It was part of and predated the laws of Moses. The word “baptize” is a Greek word, from whence we get the translation of the books of the New Testament. Since the Old Testament was written in Hebrew the word baptize does not appear, often the word ‘washing’ would be used instead. In addition we learn that Paul said Moses baptized the children of Israel “in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor 10:1-4). Through modern revelation we know that baptism goes back all the way to Adam: “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” (Moses 6:64-65).
Baptism symbolizes death, burial, and resurrection and can only be administered by immersion, and it’s clear John the Baptist and Philip baptized in that manner (Matt 3:16, Acts 8:37-39, Rom 6:1-6, Col 2:12). Some have argued that the water is not literal but symbolic, and quote Ephesians 5:26, which says “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” This is the only verse in the New Testament that uses the word water symbolically, in every other instance we are taught that a literal water baptism is required or one may not enter into the kingdom of God. No witness other than the Lord’s own mouth is required, but Paul taught–also in Ephesians–that there is “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph 4:5).
A Book of Mormon prophet, Nephi, goes on to give a more extensive witness of the necessity of baptism using the Lord as an example: “And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!” How did Jesus fulfil all righteousness by being baptized, you may ask? We are told: “… notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnessed unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments… 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. And he (Jesus Christ) said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father? And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son” (2 Ne 31:5,7,9-11).
I’ve done my best to establish by scripture the utter and total necessity of every child of God to be baptized, even by water, in order to be saved in the Kingdom of God. If baptism is necessary, and I testify in the name of Jesus Christ it is, the implications are far reaching. A question that must be asked is, what of all those untold millions or billions that have lived and died and never been baptized? There is an answer to this, and it’s found in my next article!