Last week I was privileged to be a part of two baptisms! Why do we get so excited as missionaries when baptisms come around? After all if you don't understand it looks just like someone gets dunked in some water and gets all wet. It's so much more than that when you learn what it's all about. Our whole purpose as missionaries is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end! Well, that's our purpose, but I still didn't answer why baptism is so important. It's so important, because in the bible it tells of Christ's baptism. Matthew 3: 13-17 is my favorite account in the Bible. It tells us that John baptized Jesus. Why John? Good question, because he had the proper authority from God to perform a baptism. We need to be baptized by that same authority which has been restored to the Earth in these Latter Days. Another of my favorite scriptures pertaining to baptism is found in the Book of Mormon. It is 2 Nephi 31: 5. It states: "And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!" This verse hits home to me. None of us are perfect, but Christ was and he was baptized. Why wouldn't we need to be baptized?! Of course we need to be baptized! We should follow the example our Savior set for us. He set the PERFECT example! The Book of Mormon goes on to say in verses 9-10: 9) "And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them. 10) And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?" Baptism is something we MUST do to follow the example of our Savior. It is the gate that we must enter through!
I always like this scripture as a follow-up in case they ask about having already been baptized and the importance of having the Gift of the Holy Ghost:
ReplyDeleteActs 19: 1 - 7
1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelve.