The many ideas about baptism
Many faiths practice some sort of baptism. Rather than lay out the many variations of beliefs and make lengthy appeals to the scriptures to refute errors where they exist, this chapter will plainly describe baptism. The reader is invited to search the scriptures to compare the beliefs of any sect to what God has said on the subject.
The covenant of baptism
Baptism is a promise to God that you will live according to your sincere understanding of God in all things:
...to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death... (Mosiah 18:9)
This means to live in accordance with your conscience, or your view of the ideal human, in all things, at all costs, until you die:
And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days.... (Mosiah 5:5)
Baptism is a commandment, and it is required for salvation:
And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. (3 Nephi 11:38)
23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.
24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it. (2 Nephi 9)
The Lord himself was baptized during his mortal ministry, showing the world that it is a requirement:
9 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.
10 And he 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?
11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son. (2 Nephi 31)
The Lord said we are to follow his example: [TODOOO]
`Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel...the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; (3 Nephi 27:21)`
Baptism is an essential part of repentance. You can’t repent completely without being baptized:
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. (Alma 7:15)
Qualifications for baptism
In order to be baptized, a person must willingly decide to follow God at all costs. If they are not willing to do what they sincerely view to be the ideal, in all situations, they are not prepared to be baptized.
As should be obvious, children should not be baptized unless they are mature enough to make an independent commitment to follow God at all costs (see Moroni 8). Babies are obviously incapable of making a covenant with God, but even if they were, there would be no point. Because they are unable to make moral decisions, they are incapable of sin, and because the atonement of Jesus Christ pays the price of the sin of Adam, young children are in no need of repentance. It greatly displeases God when people who profess belief in him baptize little children, because it demonstrates an abject ignorance of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the purpose of this life.
Rebaptism
Baptism is a “covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.” (Mosiah 5:8) If you knowingly break a commandment, you have broken the covenant of baptism, and you are in willful rebellion against God. You must repent again and renew your commitment to God. If you have broken your promise to God and have willingly sinned, you should be rebaptized.
If being rebaptized every time you sin seems excessive, you still do not understand the value of what is offered to you by God through baptism, nor the cost the Lord has paid to offer you forgiveness of your sins. Sinning again once God has forgiven you is serious. If it seems inconvenient or embarrassing to be rebaptized, you are valuing your pride over his sacrifice.
If you are not prepared to keep God’s commandments, maybe you should consider waiting to be baptized until you are serious about the commitment you are making.
Form of baptism
In the Lord’s own words, this is how his servants are to baptize:
25 Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
26 And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water.
27 And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one.
28 And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been. (3 Nephi 11)
Qualifications to baptize
Those performing baptism ought to qualify for baptism themselves by having completely repented of their sins and ought to feel comfortable declaring that they have “authority given [them] of Jesus Christ.”
This is not a light thing. There aren’t many on the planet at the time of this publication who can honestly say this. This will change shortly.
In the meantime, those without access to a servant of God who is able to baptize them should not be disheartened. Those whose diligent efforts to find a person through whom to receive baptism have not yet been successful should pray to God and wait upon him until their desires are fulfilled while keeping all of God’s commandments as far as they know them (see Mosiah 21:32-35).
Much more to baptism
There is a lot more that could be taught about baptism, but it is outside the scope of this book. These things will be elaborated on in another volume that delves more deeply into the ministry of men.