A man, named Nicodemus, belonged to a group that generally didn't believe in Christ, called the Pharisees. He went unto Jesus by night and expressed his belief in Jesus' miracles. Jesus then taught Nicodemus an eternal principle: "Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5)." Christ is referring to a two part ordinance, or religious act, that includes baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Baptism comes from a Greek word that means to dip or immerse. This is important to know when considering how one should be baptized. Christ taught that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, and also, in Ephesians 4:5 it says, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." If we wish to be united in Christ, we all must receive the same "one baptism" that is spoken of. When Christ visited the Americas after He had resurrected, He explained how contention is the doctrine of the devil, after clarifying the correct form of baptism. The people had been arguing about the right way to baptize, which argument is also seen today among the many churches. Christ explained to those who had the authority to baptize to "go down and stand in the water, and in my name ye shall baptize them. 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. And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water (3 Nephi 11:23-26)." This made clear the importance of the prayer to be offered, the form of baptizing, and also the need for authority.
If someone wants to go to a big concert, they need a ticket, but it has to be a specific ticket. If I just make a ticket on my computer that says, "Good for one entrance to the concert," I can count on NOT getting in. Just as a valid ticket is required to enter a concert, the Priesthood authority, or God's authority given to man, is necessary in a baptism that God will recognize as valid. If we are baptized without this authority, it is as though we are just bathing ourselves. God will not count such a baptism as valid, and we will not be able to enter the kingdom of God. Christ showed us His understanding of the importance of the correct authority as He traveled over 50 miles to be baptized of John the Baptist, who held this authority. Every time that there has been a living prophet on the earth, this authority has been present. We know that God has again called a living prophet in our day. The current prophet is Thomas S. Monson.
The words of the baptismal prayer were/are important as it is a "saving ordinance." For the "one [right] baptism" to be performed, the prayer must be said just like Christ explained to the Nephites, or the ancient American people. Also, the person who performs the baptism must have the proper authority, that can be directly traced back to Jesus Christ. The baptism must also be by immersion, or in other words, the one being baptized must be completely submerged in the water by the one performing the baptism. The water doesn't need to be "blessed" or in a river, but it must be large enough to be completely immersed for a brief moment.
I know that as we are baptized we are made clean through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, but this cleansing is not a one time thing. When we are baptized, we are born of water. We must then be born of fire, or of the Holy Ghost. This is done by the laying on of hands by one holding the authority. In Acts 8 an great story conveys the necessity of a proper baptism before receiving the Holy Ghost, the importance of authority, and also that the Apostles gave the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Part of the story reads:
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money (Acts 8:17-20).
This passage helps us to see that the authority of God is only given to righteous followers of Jesus Christ, who are members of His church. Also that this authority cannot be bought. The only way to receive the Priesthood authority is to be a worthy male member of the church.
Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost are the first two ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we are baptized, we make a covenant with our Heavenly Father, who is God. A covenant is a two way promise between man and God where God sets the conditions, we agree to meet them, and God then give us the blessings associated with the covenant and our obedience. The covenant we make at baptism has three parts that we must fulfill. The first is that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. It is through His Atoning sacrifice that we are able to become clean of our sins, so we must be willing to let others know that it is through Him that we are made spiritually clean, and essentially, happy. The second part of the covenant is that we promise to always remember Jesus Christ. Again, as we remember Jesus Christ and His Atonement, we think of the price He paid. As we remember this, we become more devoted to following Him, and making good decisions. The third part of the covenant is that we promise to keep His (Christ's) commandments. The commandments can be found in the scriptures, and are not exclusive to the "ten commandments" that the Lord gave to Moses. Other commandments were given by Christ (love the Lord thy God...,love thy neighbor as thy self, etc), and more have been given, or made clear, through modern-day prophets. As we fulfill our part of the covenant God promises us two things generally, and many other blessings personalized to each of our lives and needs. The first blessing we are promised is the remission, or cleansing, of our sins. The second blessing is that the Holy Spirit may always be with us. What great blessings!
The Gift of the Holy Ghost is a constant companionship of the third member of the Godhead. In Galatians 5:22-23, we learn that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance..." These are feelings and qualities that everyone would like to have. As we strive to follow Jesus Christ in every moment, and after we have been baptized and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, we are entitled to have the Spirit with us ALWAYS. This means if we are living up to our promises, or covenants, with God, we can have peace, joy, and all the other fruits of the Spirit, even in a sad and hopeless world.
As we are baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and continually keep our covenants, we will find peace in this life, and Eternal Life in the next. I know this to be true because I can feel the peace in my life when I strive to follow Jesus Christ. I invite you to continue to study these doctrines in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon, and then pray so that you can come to a personal belief/knowledge that these are true doctrines.
Again, please forgive me if anything I have said seems like it is not correct, and let me know so that I can either fix it or include more scriptural references to clarify myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment