Baptism, rebaptism and the Doctrine of Christ
I was baptized at the age of 8 years old. I don’t remember the actual ordinance, nor
the blessing afterward where I was confirmed a member of the LDS Church and
instructed to receive the Holy Ghost.
But, I do remember my aunt, who was the Primary President, giving me a
gift, a 5x7 framed postcard picture of the Salt Lake Temple. I remember feeling that it was a magical day.
Confession….after my baptism at 8 it was
impossible to stay perfect. I tried my
utmost to do so, to the point I gave myself an ulcer at the tender age of
12. I was a pretty obedient child and my
sins were not evil or malignant, rather more common place and boring. But, I did have sin, nonetheless which I knew
I was in need of repentance. In the LDS
Church we are taught that taking the sacrament weekly “cleansed” us again and
renewed our baptismal covenants. Even though we are taught that, I never felt
that it was true. I could not connect
sacrament with being cleansed by the waters of baptism. Over the years as I have attended convert
baptisms I would find myself being jealous and wishing that I had not been
baptized until I was older and cold be washed clean again. At one such baptism I remember feeling that I
should be grateful for my baptism at 8 as it had helped me to grow up with a
small measure of the Holy Spirit which had kept me out of more serious sin and
sorrow, yet I still longed for baptism.
A few years ago my husband and I began purchasing
the books being produced by the Joseph Smith Papers project. While studying those books we stumbled on
some church history that we had previously been unaware of: rebaptism in the
early days of the Church. Historically,
many members were rebaptized as an act of rededication and repentance. This was
first practiced in Nauvoo and was continued in the Utah Territory. On some
occasions, the Saints were rebaptized as they prepared for marriage or entrance
into the temple. Early members were also rebaptized for their health, to cure
some of the sick among them. Practices
of rebaptism were discontinued in 1897.
My husband and I had decided years ago that
whenever the members of the Church lose a privilege or practice it is never a
good thing. We began studying the scriptures
to see if there was any scriptural basis for rebaptism. What we discovered was
that not only is there scriptural basis, but that it is an essential part of
repentance. In a nutshell, you cannot
fully repent of anything without being baptized by immersion. This is what is known in the scriptures as
the Doctrine of Christ.
I want to
speak to you about the doctrine of Christ and to sound a voice of warning and a
voice of repentance. I have been quiet
for too long, more worried about losing the love and respect that some may
still have for me instead of crying repentance.
Following the Savior has been a very difficult journey these past few
years, I have lost much and I have suffered much and it has caused my natural
shy tendencies to become more so. I have
pulled away from life and sheltered my battered soul. In some ways I have been
acting as one ashamed of Christ. I am
trying to reverse that. I have prayed
and attempted several times to speak with others in this effort, but many have
turned a blind eye or deaf ears to me, some with fear and others with pride. The
time is now at hand to give you warning, for those who have been warned are
required to warn their neighbors.
The
Doctrine of Christ is simple, it is free and it is available to everyone. Christ declared His Doctrine in 3 Nephi
11:32-40. It came from His Father and is
a commandment unto the entire world:
32 And this
is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and
I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy
Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father
commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
33 And whoso believeth in me, and
is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall
inherit the kingdom of God.
34 And whoso believeth not in me, and is not
baptized, shall be damned.
35 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this
is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in
me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of
me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
36 And thus will the Father bear record of me,
and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the
Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.
37 And again I say unto you, ye
must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name,
or ye can in nowise receive these things.
38 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.
39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this
is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
40 And whoso shall declare more or less than
this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not
built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of
hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon
them.
41
Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have
spoken, unto the ends of the earth.
If a person
believes the Doctrine of Christ, then they are required to be baptized and to then
declare Christ’s Doctrine to others. If you believe the Doctrine of Christ, you
are required to be baptized and then declare Christ’s Doctrine to others.
I believe
in the Doctrine of Christ. After serious study of scriptures and serious
prayer, I began to realize that what Christ offers us is a gift to be used
whenever we feel the need to repent because He loves us! Repentance
means no more and no less than turning to face Christ. Some may argue Exodus
4:5 which states, “One Lord, One Faith, one Baptism”. This scripture is true: One Lord…means quite
literally that Christ is our Lord and that we have no other Lord. One Faith…only our faith in Christ will save
us. And one baptism…there is only one
mode or manner of baptism that Christ recognizes. One baptism does not mean a one and done
baptism. It means that whenever we
repent and are baptized to show fruit of that repentance it is to be done in
the exact manner the Lord revealed in 3rd Nephi 11.
After the
scriptures were opened to me by the Holy Spirit I knew I had never been
baptized unto repentance. Therefore, I
asked my husband to pray for authority from God and to baptize me according to
the manner Christ taught the people in 3rd Nephi 11, using the words
Christ commanded us to use (3rd Nephi 11: 24-25: And now behold,
these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying: 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.), by one having authority from
God, not man.
I have been baptized in
living water, in this manner. Christ has
declared today that the only way to be numbered as His, to find shelter from
the coming storm is to repent and be baptized.
This is the sign He asks to demonstrate faith in Him. Faith requires action or it dwindles away and
is lost. The importance to the Lord that
we act on His Doctrine cannot be overstated.
Repentance and baptism are directly related to salvation and cannot be
left undone.
At this point you may be thinking that you
have been baptized and therefore you are safe.
Unfortunately, the baptism that any church offers today does not fulfill
this commandment of the Lord and will not have the power to save from the
coming destruction. Most religions have
added to or taken away from the Doctrine of Christ. If you are LDS there are
reasons your baptism at 8 years of age, or your convert baptism, does not have the power to save:
1. The LDS Church has added to and taken away
from the Doctrine of Christ mainly by giving a list of items that one needs to
commit to or refrain from in order to be baptized; it does not follow the
Doctrine of Christ which simply states that one must repent and be baptized in
His name. That’s it!
2. Baptism at 8 years of age fulfills the law
found in Doctrine and Covenants 68:25, but does not fulfill baptism unto
repentance.
3. Baptism
was never meant to be a “one and done” type of baptism. The scripture “One Lord, One Faith, One
Baptism” refers to the mode and manner of baptism, not the number of times.
Baptism is the fruits of repentance and is offered freely, by the Lord,
whenever we feel a desire to turn from anything that is keeping us from the
Lord and face Him. Baptism is inexorably
linked to repentance. One cannot have
repentance without baptism by immersion:
2 Nephi
31:13
13
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with
full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but
with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are
willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by
following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word,
behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of
fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels,
and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.
2 Nephi 31:14
14 But,
behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After
ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are
willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have
received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new
tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it
would have been better for you that ye had not known me.
2 Nephi
31:17
17
Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and
your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that
ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. 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.
Moroni 6:1
1 And now I
speak concerning baptism. Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized;
and they were not baptized save they brought forth fruit meet that they were
worthy of it. (This scripture also helps understand that baptism is
meant to be done as often as you feel the need to repent, elders, priests and
teachers would have previously been baptized before receiving a call to be
elders, priests and teachers)
Moroni 6:4
4 And after
they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the
power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of
Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished
by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them
continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who
was the author and the finisher of their faith.
Moroni 8:10
10 Behold I
say unto you that this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those
who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach
parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as
their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.
Moroni 8:25
25 And the
first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto
the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth
remission of sins;
Doctrine
and Covenants 19:31
31 And of
tenets thou shalt not talk, but thou shalt declare repentance and faith on
the Savior, and remission of sins by baptism, and by fire, yea, even the Holy
Ghost.
Doctrine
and Covenants 33:11
11 Yea,
repent and be baptized, every one of you, for a remission of your sins;
yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the
Holy Ghost.
Doctrine
and Covenants 39:6
6 And
this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the
baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all
things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom.
Doctrine
and Covenants 107:20
20 The
power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic Priesthood, is to hold the keys
of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the
letter of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of
sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments.
When Christ
appeared unto the people of the Book of Mormon in 3rd Nephi the
first thing he taught them was the mode and manner of baptism, even though
these people had been spared the destruction precisely because they had been
baptized as seen in 3rd Nephi 7:24 “there were none who were brought
unto repentance who were not baptized with water”; that is how important
baptism is to Christ!
If we want to repent and be baptized in order to open the
gate unto salvation, we must be baptized in the manner Christ revealed in 3
Nephi 11. We cannot afford to deviate
any longer. The end of the gentiles has
come. The land we live upon is a
covenantal land and if the gentiles living upon it fail to repent and turn to
Christ destruction will come. This is
the entire message of the Book of Mormon! Repent and be baptized and serve God
and God alone.
As the
people in the Book of Mormon became more wicked, as the time for Christ’s 1st
coming drew near, Nephi and other men preached baptism and repentance in
earnest:
3 Nephi 7:
24 Now I
would have you to remember also, that there were none who were brought unto
repentance who were not baptized with water.
25 Therefore, there were ordained of Nephi,
men unto this 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.
26 And there were many in the commencement of
this year that were baptized unto
repentance; and thus the more part of the year did pass away.
In 3 Nephi
8 the destruction comes, destruction so terrible that the entire face of the
land was changed. The people were left
in darkness for 3 days and nights. Many
of the people were destroyed. Those who were spared the destruction heard a
voice coming from heaven declaring Christ’s divinity and inviting men to come
unto Him and be Saved.
In 3rd
Nephi 10 we learn that it was the more righteous part of the people who had
been spared the destruction. What
qualifies a person as “more righteous”? REPENTANCE! If this qualification was good enough to spare
the people of the Book of Mormon is it good enough to spare us the coming
destruction? YES!
It is no
more and no less than Jesus Christ, himself.
Christ is the rock that will shelter us from the coming
destruction. To begin to be numbered as
His, we all need to repent, turn and face Christ and be baptized as a little
child.
This mode
of baptism is not becoming part of a new institution, nor does it demand that
you leave whatever institution you currently are a member of. It simply means that you accept nothing more and
nothing less than the Doctrine of Christ. That you desire to repent from everything and anything that is keeping you from Him. That you desire to repent of those things and turn and face Christ.
I testify
that the Savior is real. He has visited
me. He is teaching me and slowly I am
beginning to understand Him and His strange acts. The greatest commandment is to Love God with
all your heart, and the second is like unto it, to love your neighbor as
yourself. We live in a time when men’s
hearts have grown cold. The prophecies
in scripture are being fulfilled. It is
a great time and an awful time.
Persecution and suffering abound for those who love the Lord. Come unto
Him and be baptized.
I know that
you are probably filled with more questions than this post answers. If you are
interested in this baptism that Christ offers I found a website that links you
to people authorized by Christ to perform it. https://bornofwater.org
My heart is being filled with Christ and
his love for all of his children; what I have done and am trying to continue to
do is to repent, to serve Him and Him alone. The Savior is the only means whereby man can
be saved. As for me and my house, we
will serve the Lord.
