Baptism Is Essential to Salvation

If I believe in Jesus, why do I need baptism?

The word baptism comes from a Greek word that means "dip" or "immerse." It is the introductory ordinance, ushering the recipient into the Church of Christ. While baptism is a prerequisite for membership in Christ's church, it is also a requirement for salvation. The law of the Church dictates the need for baptism. The words and actions of Jesus in the New Testament testify to the essential nature of baptism for salvation. 

I accept as true doctrine the salvatory benefit of baptism by immersion by one holding the necessary priesthood authority for the following reasons:

1) Jesus said baptism was necessary to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). Jesus Himself was baptized by John the Baptist (see Mark 1:9) to set the example for the rest of us to follow. 

2) Further, Jesus stated specifically, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16), indicating that belief alone is not enough. He famously stated to Nicodemus, "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" (John 3:5). "Born of the water" is commonly understood to be baptism, and entering "the kingdom of God" is the very definition of salvation.

3) Jesus commanded His apostles to "teach all nations, baptizing them" (Matthew 28:19). He would not have put this requirement for baptism on His disciples if it was not necessary.

4) After Jesus ascended into heaven, leaving His church in the hands of the apostles, those apostles continued to preach the need for baptism: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38). Additionally, the  Apostle Peter wrote in his general epistle to the Church, "even baptism doth also now save us" (1 Peter 3:21).

Hence, baptism was an indisputably essential ordinance in the ancient Church. If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, shouldn't the same rules apply in other places and at other times?. Indeed, they do.

5) When the resurrected Christ appeared to the people in the Western Hemisphere, He spoke plainly of baptism: "And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God" (3 Nephi 11:33). 

6) In modern times, Jesus reiterated to the Prophet Joseph Smith the mandatory nature of baptism: "And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved" (Doctrine and Covenants 18:22). Further, in describing those who would inherit the celestial kingdom, which is God's kingdom in heaven, the revelation says, "They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given" (Doctrine and Covenants 76:51).

Thus, the requirement of baptism for salvation was taught anciently by Jesus Himself and His apostles, was instituted in both the Old World and the New, and has been reinforced by revelation to the prophet of this new dispensation. 

7) Finally, I accept the need for baptism not only as a Christian, but also as one of the articles my faith as a Latter-day: "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Articles of Faith 1:4).

I chose to be baptized when I was fifteen years old because I wanted to be eligible to be saved in the kingdom of God. There is certainly more to receiving the gift of salvation than being dunked in water. Salvation is a lifetime endeavor of learning, growing, following Christ, repenting daily, and receiving the gift of sanctification through the Holy Spirit. I do not earn salvation or sanctification through my works; they are gifts that God gives. But I must indicate my willingness to accept His gifts, and baptism is one of the signs of my desire to follow Christ and become a joint-heir with Him. Because I accept the  scriptures as the word of God revealed to mankind, I believe baptism is essential "because the Bible tells me so."

I Am A Child of God, Made in His Image

If God is so much greater, holier, more powerful, and more glorious than humans, what makes me think I could be His child? How am I different than any other animal that walks the earth?

It is true that I, like all human beings, am so far removed from the glory, intelligence, and power of God that the figurative distance is incomprehensible to my mind. I am vastly inferior in every way to the Supreme Being of the universe. To most people who believe in God, our frail mortal existence separates us from the God of Heaven and Earth in profoundly significant ways. The barrier between God and us is so high, wide, and deep that it seems impenetrable.

And yet, Jesus, God's Beloved Son, has instructed us to address the God of the universe as Father. So, first and foremost, I believe I am the offspring of God because Jesus said so. 

For example, Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). He did not say "my Father" or "the Father," he said "your Father." He used the phrase "your Father" elsewhere in His great sermon: 

• "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven..." (Matthew 6:9).
• "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew 6:14).
• "...your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" (Matthew 6:32).

The ancient apostles likewise taught very directly of the familial relationship between God and humans. For example, the Apostle Paul wrote: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:16-27). According to Paul, we are not so very distant from God the Father after all.

Prophets in the Book of Mormon also testified of our divine heritage. King Benjamin reminded the Nephites, "...ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father" (Mosiah 2:34). 

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught the Saints in the early days of the Restoration about their divine relationship to their Heavenly Father. “The Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, page 39).

Modern apostles proclaimed God's relationship to us in these words, "It is significant that of all the titles of respect and honor and admiration that are given to [God], He has asked us to address Him as Father” (“Father, Consider Your Ways,” Ensign, June 2002, 12). 

So, God is my Father. But in what sense is this true? Do I take this relationship literally, or is it merely a metaphor? Again, the Scriptures provide the answer.

God is the literal Father of all human spirits:

• "O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh" (Numbers 16:22)
• "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" (Hebrews 12:9).
• "And he [Moses] beheld the spirits that God had created" (Moses 6:36).
• "Whereupon are the foundations [of the Earth] fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:6-7).

My spirit--my essence and consciousness--is a literal son of Heavenly Father, housed temporarily in a mortal body. I lived with God before the Earth was created and before I was born on said Earth. But is there more to my sonship than my spiritual creation?

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:26-27).

So, my body is in the likeness and image of God. But is this literal or figurative? 

Jesus's beloved apostle John wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2).

And what exactly will we see, and how shall we be like Him?

The Lord answered that question for Joseph Smith when He revealed, "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit." (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22).

I am, therefore, a literal son of God in the spirit, and my physical body has the same form as Heavenly Father's, although without His glory and immortality. Those additional attributes will come in the Resurrection. 

I choose to believe these principles about my nature and relationship to God not only because they have been revealed to prophets, but because they make logical sense. God did not create me to be a lowly creature who would spend eternity groveling before the Supreme Being, but, like any good father, to enable me to become like He is. From the very beginning, He created my spirit to grow and develop, take on flesh and bone like His, pass through a mortal probation where I could learn faith and patience, and then come forth as a resurrected, glorified being, immortal and eternal as God is, God's rightful heir and a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17).

Heavenly Father doesn't want just worshippers; He wants sons and daughters who will follow in His footsteps and become as He is.

Ultimately, I believe I am a child of God because, as the Apostle Paul said, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16). "And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5), including the truth about who I am.

Christ's Atonement Is Necessary and Perfect

Why did Jesus have to die? 

Everything that has come before in the Christian faith leads me to Christ's atonement. It is the logical conclusion and the centerpiece of God's plan of salvation for His children.

Because God exists, absolute truth exists. Because God lives every moment in accordance with the laws of absolute truth, He is flawless and holy. He intends us, His children, to be flawless and holy, because He made us in His image. 

God wants us to live with Him forever, but only beings who are as perfect and holy as God can reside in His presence. When God created us, He gave us agency, which is the ability to choose to live like Him. Because of this agency, however, we also have the ability to choose to act in ways that are not aligned with God. 

So that our agency would be effective, God allows evil to exist alongside good. He created a world in which we would face opposition: the tree of knowledge of good and evil vs. the tree of life. God also cut us off from His direct presence so we could make choices without fear of immediate judgment and retribution. We are, therefore, free to choose to align ourselves perfectly with God or not.

Every human born on this earth has a dual nature. Our spirits come from God, and our bodies are of the earth. Our earthly bodies are driven by appetites and passions that throw us out of alignment with God's way of life. Our spirits have to learn to manage and control our earthly bodies. In the learning process, we make mistakes. Like learning to walk, we stumble and trip. And just as willful toddlers intentionally touch a hot stove or run out into the street because they don't understand consequences, we may likewise intentionally choose actions that are not in harmony with God's will. Mistakes are called transgressions, and willful rebellion is sin.

The reality of life on earth is that no one chooses correct actions every time. Every human being has made mistakes and intentionally turned away from God to do something they think will make them happy.

Because of our agency, we are accountable for our choices. We may plead ignorance for some mistakes, but for purposeful disregard for God's standards, we are guilty as charged. Everyone who has ever been born has failed to live up to God's perfect expectations.

The law of eternal justice, by which God abides, requires a punishment for every broken law. Additionally, once a soul is guilty of a sin, that soul remains guilty forever. Suffering the punishment does not remove the guilt. In the human justice system, a thief who has "paid his debt to society" may be allowed to re-enter society, but he can never "unsteal" the thing he stole that made him a thief. God's justice works the same way. I can stop stealing and repay all that I took from others, and so regain a measure of trust and respectability, but the stain of my former guilt will never leave me. I will also be the former thief who stopped stealing; I can never be the man who never stole.

After I have stolen, even once, I will forever be unworthy and incapable of residing in the presence of the perfect, holy God. Even after I have received the punishment for my crime and lived the rest of my life in perfect honesty, the flaw in my character will not allow me to stand in the vicinity of God. His perfect glory will repel me, and I will run from Him to hide my guilt.

That's not what God wants for me, however. He wants me to learn from my mistakes and bad choices. He wants me to grow in my desire and ability to live His kind of life without being forever doomed by my early failed attempts. He wants me to live comfortably and happily in His presence for all eternity. 

How can He be a fair and just God, and also be a loving and merciful God? If He ignores sins without requiring punishment, He has broken the universal law of absolute justice. He would, therefore, not be a flawless and holy God. He would be changeable, partial, and unpredictable. Therefore, He would not be fit to rule the universe.

Further, we would learn nothing about making correct choices if our actions carried no consequences. We would not grow and develop. 

This is where Jesus Christ and His atonement come to the rescue. To make God's plan of salvation work, so that we could make mistakes on earth and still return to live with Him, Someone who deserved no punishment would have to take the punishment for every other person on earth. 

Jesus volunteered for that assignment. The only way He could take the punishment for another person was 1) to be sinless Himself, and 2) to be accountable for and accept the guilt of the other person. He had to remove the guilt from the other person and own it Himself. He who had never stolen would have to confess to stealing whatever I stole. He who had never lied would have to admit to telling my lie. He who had never been immoral would have to accept my immorality as His own.

Once Jesus accepted my guilt by proxy, He became worthy of my just punishment, and I was no longer guilty. I could not be convicted of stealing because Jesus took that action on himself. I was free of the stain of guilt. I could stand in God's presence as if I had never stolen because, as far as Jesus was concerned, I was not the thief; He was.

Jesus took my guilt and punishment not just for the candy bar I stole as a child, but for everything I ever did and would yet ever do that separated me from God. And He did that not just for me, but for every human who has ever or will ever be born on this earth. 

How could Jesus do such a thing? Because, as God, He is omniscient and omnipotent. He has to be all-knowing because if there was even one thing about me He didn't know, He might have missed one of my sins, and I would still be guilty. And He had to be all-powerful because if He lacked even the slightest bit of power, He might not have been able to endure my punishment, and I would still have to accept that punishment.

Therefore, I believe Christ's atonement is necessary and perfect because:

1) I believe God exists.

2) I believe God is a flawless, unchangeable, unerring, and impartial God who is also loving and merciful.

3) I believe I am created in the image of God with an eternal destiny to live with Him forever.

4) I believe I have the God-given agency to choose to live with Him.

5) I believe I have made many wrong choices that doom me to be separated from God's presence forever.

6) I believe God's plan for my life is for me to learn and grow from my mistakes without being penalized by them forever.

7) I believe Jesus, as God's Son, had the knowledge and the power to take my sins upon Himself and suffer the consequences that should rightfully have fallen to me.

8) I believe Jesus loves God and all of God's children enough to be the Sacrificial Lamb to free us all from our just punishments.

9) I believe Jesus's words recorded in the Bible that He would take upon Himself the sin of the world and the sins of all men.

10) I believe the witnesses in the Bible and elsewhere that Jesus rose from the dead as proof of His atoning sacrifice.

Because Jesus died and lives again, I believe that I will live again in God's presence forever.

I choose to believe in Christ's atonement because no other option makes sense to me. Without God and the hope of getting back to Him, nothing in this earthly life has any real meaning. Without the hope of joy, suffering is pointless, and life is meaningless. Without victory, there is no life, only death. I choose to believe that there is more to life than death, and I can choose life because of Jesus Christ.