Thursday, June 20, 2013

3 Nephi 11:33-34

Still thinking about baptism...I like 3 Nephi 11:33-34.  It boils things down to the basics:

"And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.  And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned."

I think often people get very angry, or perhaps, fearful of a God who goes around damning people.  But truly it is our own choices and actions that damn us, or in other words, stop our progression.  To continue on the path laid out for us by our Father in Heaven we must do those things he has told us are essential to do.  (And by the way, if you check out footnote "a" in verse 33 it refers you to the Topical Guide under Baptism, Essential.)  It is not because He is mean or arbitrarily likes to assign us things so we can jump through hoops, or into pools of water in this case.  It is because He loves us and knows what we need to do to make it back to Him.  He knows the path we must walk to learn the things we need to learn to become like Him.  I hope I can be humble enough to follow all the steps He asks me to take and endure, or more accurately--progress--to the end.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

3 Nephi 7:25--Why Get Baptized?

Sometimes, in literature and in life, I come across those with the attitude of--why get baptized?  They believe in God, but see no real necessity to get baptized.  When I come across this attitude I think of the Savior's baptism and the obedience involved in following his example, but when I read 3 Nephi 7:25 it struck me as a good answer to that why-get-baptized question.  It says:
"...all such as should come unto them (those ordained to the ministry) should be baptized with water, and this as a witness and a testimony before God, and unto the people, that they had repented and received a remission of their sins."
I also like what it says in 3 Nephi 9:17-20, when Christ announces that the Law of Moses has been fulfilled:
"...for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled.  I am the light and the life of the world.  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.  And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost..."

It seems to me that if you are unwilling to get baptized with water "as a witness and a testimony before God" then there is no way that you can receive the baptism "with fire and with the Holy Ghost" that comes with a broken heart and contrite spirit offered up unto the Lord.  A sad blessing to miss out on indeed.