The Meaning of Baptism
Sara, my beautiful little grand daughter. That is an excellent question. You ask, “Why do we get baptized in the church?" I remember my baptism 62 years ago. That’s a long time to remember something. I remember talking to the bishop and my dad about it. I was excited to be baptized but I did not fully understand why. I knew it was important and I felt that my family wanted me to be baptized and my father in heaven wanted it also. So when the big day came, we went to Panguitch, where they had a font and my father baptized me. I felt good afterwards, like I had done something right. It was years later that I understood the more clearly the meaning of what I had done but even at eight years old, I knew it was the correct thing to do.Baptism Is Important
Is baptism important? Yes. It is very, very, very important even at eight years old. It was so important that Jesus himself was baptized. When he approached John the Baptist, who had the authority to baptize, the bible tells the following in Mathew 3:14-17
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Jesus commanded us all to be baptized. In John 3:5 it says:
5 Jesus answered, 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.
Being born of the water is being baptized and of the spirit is to receive the Holy Ghost. These two things always go together. Baptism is so important that in our temples we represent our ancestors and are baptized for them. Many of them never had the chance to hear the gospel or be baptized but we do it for them because Christ has asked us all to be baptized. The apostle Paul referred to these proxy baptisms in 1Cor. 15:29 .
29: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
There may scriptures in the Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price that tell us we must be baptized.
So the first and most important reason we are baptized is because our father in heaven has ask us to do so. We need to have faith in him. We need to trust that he knows what is best for us. Often, understanding why a commandment is given comes to us latter as we live it, but understanding the reason for baptism is important. The Lord told the prophet Joseph Smith in D&C 50:
10 And now come, saith the Lord, by the Spirit, unto the elders of his church, and let us reason together, that ye may understand.
Accepting God's commandments comes first and understanding them comes second.
Ordinances
Baptism is what we call in the church, an "ordinance". We have many of them in the church such as baptism, confirmation, ordaining to the priesthood, marriage sealing, temple endowments, and temple initiatory ordinances. Some of these you learn about when you are married or when you go through the temple. An ordinance has two parts - a covenant and a symbolic ritual. The covenant is a sacred promise between a person and God. In the case of marriage, it is a sacred promise between two people and God. The ritual part is an action that is taken by the person which symbolizes what the covenant means. For example, in a temple sealing, a priesthood holder who has the authority to seal, says some words to the couple that marry them for this life and for all eternity and the couple verbally agree. That is the covenant part. At the same time, the couple kneel at an alter, as if before God, and hold each other's hands in a special hand hold that gives extra meaning to their sealing. This is the ritual part.
Scientists today tell us that words are abstract and are hard to remember by themselves but if associate an action with them we will remember them better. In an ordinance, if we connect words with actions that we do ourselves and if those actions have special meanings, it will be more than likely we will always remember them. That is part of the reason why I remember my baptism. The words, the actions and everything that happened had a powerful meaning that I remembered over and over. I don't think I will ever forget it. I remember the promise and later I learned the special meaning of the action. Even today the symbolism for my baptism has more meaning to me than it ever has. So what is the special symbolism of baptism? It is tied to Jesus Christ.
Baptismal Symbolism
During Christ's mortal ministry, he lived on the earth and showed us how to live perfectly. He taught us his gospel and asked us to follow him and lead the kind of life he lived. He was perfect but he knew that we were not. He asked us repent when we made a mistake and return to following him. He said he would forgive us if we were sincere. Then at the end of his life, he suffered for our sins as he had previously agreed to do. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. He took on himself all of our sins if we would repent. This was required by his father because all sins must be paid for. God is one-hundred percent just and justice demands that all sins be paid for. Christ has the power to forgive us because he has already suffered for our sins. It was a very loving thing for him to do for us. He, the most perfect and most powerful man to ever lived on the earth, laid down his life for you and me. After his death, his body lay in a tomb for three days and on the third day he was resurrected. He rose from the dead with a perfect resurrected body.
At baptism, we are buried in the water of the font as Christ was buried after his death. We are then raised up out of the water as Christ was raised from the tomb to a new life. At this moment, if we have repented of our sins before the baptism, our sins are lifted from us and this allows us to become members of the church. Our sins are not really washed away by the water. Christ does that, but it does symbolize that we are clean, free from sin ready to begin a new life. We are then ready to be confirmed members of the church and to receive the Holy Ghost.
In this new life we will promise to follow Christ. He makes us a marvelous promise. He will give us the Holy Ghost to guide and help us follow him. Baptism, then becomes that start of a new way of life, a new path to follow. Maybe that is why I remember my baptism, because now 62 years later, I recognize that at that moment my life changed it's direction ever so slightly. That small change, over time, changed the course of my life.
The Baptismal Promise
At baptism we make a covenant or promise with Jesus. Before we are baptized, we have recognized that we are not perfect and that we need to improve. We want to live as close to the way Christ lived as they can. We are ready to try. It will take a lifetime, but we will keep trying. If we make a mistake, we will repent and get back on track. This promise that we make at baptism and one that we renew every week is written in the scaramental prayers in D&C 20:
77 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
We promise to remember Christ's sacrifice and take upon his name. Another way to put it is, we promise to be part of his family. We also promise to obey his commandments or in other words to follow him. He promises us that we will have the Holy Ghost to always be with us. This is the covenant we make with God and it lasts throughout our lives and into the next. The prophet Alma explained the reason for baptism to a group of people who I think were wondering why they should be baptized. In Moisah 18 of the Book of Mormon it says:
8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light. 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and 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, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life. 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
These promises are sacred because they are made to God. It is one of the most important promises we will ever make in our lives.
Church Membership
After we are baptized, and have repented we are forgiven of our sins. We are ready to be confirmed a member of Christ's church and receive the Holy Ghost. This happens when we are confirmed by someone who has the priesthood. Being a member of the church is not a trivial thing. We become part of Christ's family along with millions of other people. We should care about them and love them as we do our own family. Like our own family, they are not perfect. They make mistakes like we do but we need to forgive them and help them if we can.
When we are baptized Christ forgives us and he keeps forgiving us throughout our lives if we truly repent. Should we then not forgive others? Christ asks us to invite others to join his church as well. This is a great responsibility and opportunity. As we live a helpful and forgiving life and reach out to others, we become more and more like Christ. One day in the future we will meet him face to face and stand before him unashamed because we will be like him. We will know perfectly the depth of his love for us and our love for him.We will then understand fully his great gift and what baptism truly means. I love this scripture in Moroni 7:48.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
What Does Baptism Mean Today?
In our modern culture today, baptism means many different things. Some celebrate it as a social event celebrating the birth of a child. Others use it as a symbol that they have accepted christ. Still others use it a climatic and emotional event of spiritual renewal. For people who do not believe in God, it is just an event that happened in someone's life and has little significance. For many baptism has no real significance in their lives. They meander here and there leaning wholly on their own understanding and indulgences. They have no guide, no standard. Christ is not part of their life.
We know that baptism is a life-long commitment that should have force throughout our lives. We are part of Christ's family. We continually try to live as he lived. Through a process of repentance we gain in wisdom and commitment. We, with the help of the Holy Ghost and Christ, begin to fashion our immortal souls to become like Christ. By our willingness and Christ's power, we will be eventually transformed to be pure as he is pure. Our baptism has eternal consequences. It can be one of the most important things we will ever do in all of eternity. However, if we trivialize it and cast it aside, It will be none of these things. In such a case I am sure we will look back on it in sorrow as an eternal opportunity that is lost.
Summary
First, we are baptized because Christ has asked us to and we have faith in him. We trust him even though we may not fully understand. Secondly, baptism is an ordinance, with a promise and significant symbols that will help us remember to follow Christ. Third, baptism and confirmation go together. In the confirmation we are granted the right to have the Holy Ghost as a companion to guide us all through our lives. We are also confirmed members of Christ's church. Finally, as members of Christ's church we have a great responsibility and opportunity to help others including non members of the church.
All of these things apply to us throughout our whole life. We go through many stages in life and we must remain faithful to Christ in each stage. Our baptism is the start but the promises we make apply during our whole life. We can never say Christ's Gospel does not apply to us. Sometimes we make excuses for ourselves because of our circumstance but the covenant will not be forgotten by God. If we keep the baptismal covenant, always repenting and trying our best, we will become more like Christ. However, if we cast the covenant aside, we will lose the guidance of Holy Ghost and the path to God will become dim and we will lose our way. Our immortal soul will then be in jeopardy
Christ summarized what the sum total of his Gospel when he spoke to the Nephites about baptism. He invited them to repent and be baptized and to live as he lived. He also gave them a warning because God is just and we must become just as well if we want to live with him. I will end with these words of Christ himself in 3 Nephi 27.
13 Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you--that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. 14 And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. 15 And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works. 16 And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. 17 And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father. 18 And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. And for this cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath given, and he lieth not, but fulfilleth all his words. 19 And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.
PS. I hope this has been helpful. Please feel free to add suggestions or comments.
Love, Grandpa Dale
