November 19 – Ephesians 4:5; “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
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The scripture above is just one example of how many times we need to be baptized. Paul actually admonishes the new believers in Corinth to stop practicing the pagan ritual of baptisms for the dead in his first epistle to them. (1 Corinthians 15:29) They were confused about this ordinance of when and whom should be baptized so they were baptizing everyone, dead or alive.
Strangely enough, they didn’t believe in the resurrection and that is where Paul comes in with his admonition and question. Why are you being baptized for dead people when you don’t believe they’ll rise from the dead anyway? Remember, the theme in 1 Corinthians chapter fifteen is Paul giving a dissertation for the defense of Jesus’ resurrection.
Jesus gave us two ordinances to observe; baptism and partaking in communion. In obedience you are doing what he says to do – be baptized. You are publicly being set apart and declaring you are a follower of Jesus.
Being dunked down into the water symbolizes you are dead to sin. Being raised out of the water symbolizes your new life in Christ.
It also serves as a sign for people that after you die and are buried, you will be resurrected to live eternally in the presence of God.
According to the Mormon Church though, Jesus’ teachings are never enough – there always has to be something else to sooth the mind of its founder Joseph Smith and to keep the adherents too busy to study out the truth for themselves.
Number of people we can save? Zero.
Only Jesus can save someone and you spending extra time in a baptismal font serves no purpose other than making your skin wrinkly and keeping your focus off of the true Redeemer.
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Doctrine and Covenants 128:18; “…It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times…”
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November 23 – Who’s Your Leader; Joseph Smith or God? Amos 9:11-12 “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.”
