...Or is it? *cue dramatic music*
Baptism is a profession of faith. As my church puts it, it is an outward expression of an inward change. A person gets baptized because they believe Jesus is the Christ and want to show the world that they have been born again, symbolized as going under the water (old self dying) and coming back out (born again in Christ). Getting baptized doesn't save you, Jesus does.
According to LDS.org, getting baptized is "the first saving ordinance of the gospel." They teach that baptism "is necessary" not only to become a member of their church, but to receive the Holy Spirit and "to receive eternal salvation." Baptism then is extremely pivotal to a person's eternal destination. If they are not baptized then they cannot go to heaven. This is why the LDS believe in the doctrine of baptisms for the dead, in which people who have not had the opportunity to get baptized can have this work done for them by proxy. Furthermore, only those people who have authority to perform baptisms - the ones ordained with the Mormon Priesthood - can baptize in the name of God. Lastly, only those who are 8 years old and above can be baptized (D&C 68:27). This is "power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before [the Lord" (D&C 29:46-47). Baptism And Forgiveness
When I was Mormon, I was taught that baptism washes away your sins. The Mormon church uses several verses to teach this doctrine.
(Alma 7:14)
"...therefore come and be baptized unto repentence, that ye may be washed from your sins"
(Acts 2:38)
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
(Luke 3:3)
"And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins"
(Mark 1:4)
"John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."
To some, it may seem that all of these verses teach a clear doctrine that people get baptized in order to receive forgiveness of their sins. This is what I believed to be true until I started really studying the Bible.
The Bible says in several places that the blood of Jesus gives the forgiveness of sins and does not mention baptism (Matt. 26:28, Acts 10:43, Rom. 3:25, Heb. 9:22). If the Bible is true and the inspired word of God, then it should be perfect with no contradictions, as God Himself is perfect. How then can baptism be how you receive forgiveness of sins but yet only the blood of Jesus gives it to you? Seems like a contradiction.
Another example is the story of the thief on the cross. In Luke 23, the Bible tells a story of a criminal who is on the cross next to Jesus. Others are mocking and teasing Him, but one man tells them to stop and asks Jesus to remember Him when He is in heaven. To which Jesus replies, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." Here is a man who has lived a life according to his own standards and whose actions have landed him in prison and sentenced with capital punishment. He is not religious, has no ties to any church, yet calls out to Jesus to save him and He does! Jesus doesn't tell him, "Sorry. You haven't been baptized, so you can't come with me." Jesus just responds with, "Come!" Again, if the Bible is God's word then Jesus just lied to this dude. But, Jesus doesn't lie...another contradiction!
The Word 'For'
So what is it!?!? How can all of these verses be true? Well, it all centers around the word 'for.' You see, English is a funny language. We can use one word to mean many different things, and the word for is no exception. It has a lot of definitions, but for the sake of time, lets only look at the two that the above viewpoints are using.- To obtain, gain, or acquire - I work 'for' a paycheck.
- By reason of; because of - I shout 'for' joy.
Lets look at Acts 2:38 again. Using definition 1, I would read it as saying "be baptized everyone of you to obtain forgiveness of sin." However, as I said earlier, this seems to create a contradiction in scripture. Let's instead use definition 2. The verse would then read, "be baptized everyone of you because of forgiveness of sin." This definition seems to fit more appropriately with the context of other scripture. In this usage, the blood of Jesus forgives and saves - which is what other scripture states - and as a result, you get baptized. This is why the Christian Viewpoint is the way it is and why I believe it to be a correct representation of Holy Scripture.
What Do I Do Now?
Still not satisfied? That's okay. There are a lot of smarter people that have brought this up and explained it a lot better than I just have. But this is what helped me gain a better understanding of the Gospel. Like I said, in my head, I couldn't comprehend how LDS doctrine says that getting baptized washes you clean of sin but that it's the blood of Jesus. Some might say, well that's because they are not mutually exclusive. Why not both? Because that's not how the Bible teaches it. To me, it doesn't make sense to say on one hand "Be baptized for the forgiveness of sin" and then on the other hand say "Jesus died to forgive you of your sins!" So, I'm forgiven twice? I'm forgiven through the blood of Jesus and when I get baptized...I'm forgiven again? Do I need to keep getting forgiven? Does that mean I should wait until I'm old and finished the majority of my sinning to get baptized? Does Jesus' blood need help forgiving me of my sins? This is just a mess!!!
But, like I said, don't take my word for it. God gave you a brain, go figure it out on your own. You've gone this far, now pray and ask God for guidance in your research. The answers are there if you're brave enough to find them.
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