Baptism

Baptism

The Fourth Article of Faith

. . . baptism by immersion for the remission of sin

The Fifth Article of Faith

We believe that a man must be called of God by prophecy and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

Those Articles of Faith represent the legalism of baptism: its purpose and mode of administration. So often, when the child is baptized, that is what you can be guaranteed the speaker will talk about.  The immersion in water represents a cleansing from sin. You are now clean. And then we talk about why the person who did the baptism was authorized to do so. And we welcome the child as the newest member of the church.

But there is so much more!

It's not that baptism doesn't represent a remission of sin. All of us do terrible things at some point in our lives and are grateful to know we can be forgiven. And it's a wonderful thing to have priesthood authority in our midst. And yes, baptism makes you a member of the church and here is where the good stuff begins. (And it's not about the fact that I belong to the "true" church 😊)

Mosiah 18:8-10

And it came to pass that he said unto them behold, here are the Waters of Mormon (for this they were 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;

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 you may be in, even until death, that you may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that you may have eternal life-

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 you have entered into a covenant with him, that you will serve him and keep his commandments that he may pour His Spirit more abundantly upon you.

This is the BAPTISMAL COVENANT!

Now let's compare this to Mosiah 24: 13-15

Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me: (our baptismal covenant) and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

and I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, even that you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage (aren't we all in bondage during our Earth life?)and this I will do that you may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that you may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, to visit my people in their afflictions. (Mourn with those who mourn)

And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

And it came to pass that so great was their faith in their patients that the voice of the Lord came on to them again, saying be of good comfort for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

The Lord makes the same covenant with us!

That is what it means to be a baptized member of the church - a covenant member.

• We bear each other's burdens.
• We mourn with each other.
• We give comfort.
• We participate together in the Lord's work.
• We are the family of God.

This is the beautiful part of our baptism. We are not alone in the world. We have vertical bonds that connect us to our Heavenly parents and to the Savior and we have horizontal ties that bind us to all those who have also made these covenants. We gradually learn to extend that love to all God's children as we "stand as witnesses" to the world by

• Bearing burdens
• Mourning
• Comforting

This is the heart and soul of what it means to be a baptized member of the Lord's church. This is what is meaningfully shared with others as we talk about membership in the church that comes through baptism.

If we get stuck in arguing about mode and authority we miss a great opportunity to teach what the Gospel of Jesus Christ means. Or maybe we haven't learned yet what it means. . .