Readings:
Baptisms for the dead is one of the most curious and peculiar doctrines of the gospel taught within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But it is one of the most beautiful, peaceful and relieving doctrines. In one of the last book os the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi gives a prophecy about the "last days." When the last prophet of The Book of Mormon visited Joseph Smith to help direct him in restoring truths of the gospel, he quoted Malachi:
JS-H 1:36-39
36 After telling me these things, he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. He first quoted part of the third chapter of Malachi; and he quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy, though with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bibles. Instead of quoting the first verse as it reads in our books, he quoted it thus:Joseph Smith came to find out that the promise made to Abraham, (that he would have many descendants, they would receive the gospel, and have the priesthood of God and through these things all people of the earth would be blessed and have the opportunity to receive salvation and eternal life) are available to all, but only through an authorized Priesthood holder. By that Priesthood authorization, a man and woman can be sealed together in marriage and that sealing, because it is authorized by God, would hold force even after this life. The children born to such a couple would be sealed to them and therefore that family would remain intact for eternity. Thus, "the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers" and vice versa, and Malachi concludes that if we are not able to bind to each other in the way God intends, the purpose of the earth would be wasted. But before these things can happen, those who over the age of eight (the age set by God as that of the ability to be accountable for ones own actions) must be baptized and enter into other covenants, also under the proper Priesthood authority. Because the ability to have a relationship last both in this life and the next should not be taken lightly and is a heavy decision indeed when we consider the perspective of staying with one person - for eternity. So God asks us for obedience and allegiance by using sacred covenants agreed to at baptism and other progressive covenants. The next post will address these progressive covenants, this one is about baptism.
37 For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
38 And again, he quoted the fifth verse thus: Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
39 He also quoted the next verse differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.
DC 128:12-14
12 Herein is glory and honor, and immortality and eternal life—The ordinance of baptism by water, to be immersed therein in order to answer to the likeness of the dead, that one principle might accord with the other; to be immersed in the water and come forth out of the water is in the likeness of the resurrection of the dead in coming forth out of their graves; hence, this ordinance was instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for the dead, being in likeness of the dead.
13 Consequently, the baptismal font was instituted as a similitude of the grave, and was commanded to be in a place underneath where the living are wont to assemble, to show forth the living and the dead, and that all things may have their likeness, and that they may accord one with another—that which is earthly conforming to that which is heavenly, as Paul hath declared, 1 Corinthians 15:46, 47, and 48:
14 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as are the records on the earth in relation to your dead, which are truly made out, so also are the records in heaven. This, therefore, is the sealing and binding power, and, in one sense of the word, the keys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of knowledge.
If a person believes that baptism is the only way to live with God again, that it is the gate by which we enter the path of God, then how will everybody have a chance to do that? What if people don't ever hear the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ either because it's not available, it's prevented by tradition, it's shunned or some other reason? The Lord has taken care of these worries and issues by revealing to Joseph Smith that those who have died can receive baptism by a worthy proxy, only if that baptism is performed by one holding the Priesthood of God, which is the only power that is efficacious on earth and heaven.
DC 128:8
8 Now, the nature of this ordinance consists in the power of the priesthood, by the revelation of Jesus Christ, wherein it is granted that whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Or, in other words, taking a different view of the translation, whatsoever you record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you do not record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven; for out of the books shall your dead be judged, according to their own works, whether they themselves have attended to the ordinances in their own propria persona, or by the means of their own agents, according to the ordinance which God has prepared for their salvation from before the foundation of the world, according to the records which they have kept concerning their dead.
If a person on earth stands in as a proxy for a person who died and the baptism is performed by someone holding the priesthood, then the spirit of the person who died can choose to accept that baptism or not. Let me emphasize that the baptism is only efficacious if the spirit of the deceased person chooses to accept it. Many people assume the the proxy baptism is automatic, but God will not force a person to follow a certain path, as the whole purpose of this life is for us to choose and prove ourselves followers.
Baptisms take place in Holy Temple designated for making special covenants for the living and also for the deceased. Temples are the ONLY place essential covenants besides baptism for living people, can be performed. In addition to the requirement of location, each person, both living and deceased, committing to a covenant must be witnessed and their vital information recorded, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint keep records of ALL of these records, both as a record and as an effort to avoid duplication (for the deceased).
DC 128:4-6
4 Then, let there be a general recorder, to whom these other records can be handed, being attended with certificates over their own signatures, certifying that the record they have made is true. Then the general church recorder can enter the record on the general church book, with the certificates and all the attending witnesses, with his own statement that he verily believes the above statement and records to be true, from his knowledge of the general character and appointment of those men by the church. And when this is done on the general church book, the record shall be just as holy, and shall answer the ordinance just the same as if he had seen with his eyes and heard with his ears, and made a record of the same on the general church book.
5 You may think this order of things to be very particular; but let me tell you that it is only to answer the will of God, by conforming to the ordinance and preparation that the Lord ordained and prepared before the foundation of the world, for the salvation of the dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel.
6 And further, I want you to remember that John the Revelator was contemplating this very subject in relation to the dead, when he declared, as you will find recorded in Revelation 20:12—And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
As I said in the beginning of the post, this is a very unique and peculiar doctrine in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph Smith addresses this:
DC 128:9-11
9 It may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of—a power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven. Nevertheless, in all ages of the world, whenever the Lord has given a dispensation of the priesthood to any man by actual revelation, or any set of men, this power has always been given. Hence, whatsoever those men did in authority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great Jehovah. This is a faithful saying. Who can hear it?
10 And again, for the precedent, Matthew 16:18, 19: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
11 Now the great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the summum bonum of the whole subject that is lying before us, consists in obtaining the powers of the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these keys are given there is no difficulty in obtaining a knowledge of facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men, both as well for the dead as for the living.
The rock upon which the Lord's church is not Peter himself, but the Priesthood of God, which he held. Through this Priesthood, all people of the earth can be blessed and salvation and eternal life are made available through baptism of both the living and the dead. Great hope and joy abound from these principles.
For more on the restoration of the Priesthood see this chapter a manual called "Duties and Blessings
of the Priesthood." I've also written posts about the priesthood.
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