Saturday, 04 April 2009

• Baptism For the Dead and Other Thoughts

  This is in response to a comment I received on my last post.  Because of the length I've decided to post this as a separate blog.

  
  

  Comment:
  

  Baptism for the Dead
  To my understanding, the passage in 1 Corinthians was referring to the pagan worship. Even they believed in baptism and the physical resurrection for the dead. The idea that he's talking about others is supported when he says in verse 30, "And as for us..."

  Regardless, whether one practices baptism for the dead or not does not affect their salvation.

  #7, 14:  I'd love to here your thoughts on Baptism for the dead

  
  

  My Response:
  

  Interesting article, however this may or may not have merit to it based upon two things. First of all, it wasn't just the Corinthians, but eventually the majority of church members eventually fell into apostasy because they rejected the counsel of the apostles and debated over the doctrines and followed after these vain or false teachings that were commonly circulated during those times.  This is nothing new, the downfall of the church was prophesied by Christ and his apostles. Secondly, you can't go by grammatical differences because again, the Bible had been translated so many times and had so many changes made to it back then that many things have been taken out of context before we even received the final version.

  One reason he said they instead of we is because not just anyone performed these baptisms for the dead.  Just like certain priests were called to do certain things in the Old Testament, there were certain people ordained to perform these ordinances.  The apostles themselves did not typically perform these ordinances; they mainly traveled preaching the gospel, making sure the churches were all in order and teaching the same things and were united as one. They performed some baptisms and other ordinances here and there, but typically, they took care of the organization of the church and made sure things were done properly and in order.

  Baptism is an essential ordinance that is required in ordered to enter the Kingdom of God, not only here on earth (into His church), but also in Heaven.  It is one of the essential keys that binds the earthly ordinances to heaven and the blessings of heaven to those on the earth.

  John 3:5   Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

  Baptism by water is the physical ordinance that links or binds us to God. It is a covenant that proves our belief by accepting His will and by promising to keep and obey His laws and commandments.  Baptism by fire, or the ordinance of receiving the Spirit (the gift of the Holy Ghost), is what links us spiritually with God.  It is through the Spirit that we are able to discern truth from error. . . spiritual truths from man-made truths. It is through this Spirit which they had received that the saints of old were taught by the apostles and were led, guided, directed, comforted by, warned by, and which witnessed and testified of spiritual matters to their hearts.  This is why the apostles warned them not to depart from this Spirit through unrighteous actions, but to continue in faith and live according to what they had been taught by the prophets and apostles of Christ.

  Matthew 16:19   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.

  These keys of the kingdom of heaven were not given to just anyone, and they couldn't be taken upon by oneself either.  They are what distinguished Christ's church from all the other false Christian sects of the time. It's why Peter rebaptized those who were baptized into another church.  It is why Simon was denied his desire to be given the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands; he had no part or rights in that matter.

  Now to go back to the baptism of the dead.  How many people who have lived upon this earth have never even had the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ much less receive his gospel and the necessary ordinances required to enter God's Kingdom?  Millions upon millions of souls would be lost and not through any fault of their own.  How could God be a just God who is no respecter of persons, if these people were to have no hope of salvation because they died without the gospel ordinances?  The Bible says that God provided something better for them and for us, a second chance so to speak.  If they didn't have the opportunity to hear the gospel while living, they could hear it in the spirit world.  This is why Jesus Christ taught the gospel to those who were in prison, in the spirit world of paradise during the three days between his death and resurrection.  While in the spirit world they have the opportunity to hear the gospel, but that's not enough.  They also need to have the saving ordinances that are required to enter into the kingdom of God, which is baptism by fire and water.  These are earthly ordinances that require a physical body to obtain.  Spirits do not have physical bodies. Therefore, something better was provided for them.  In Hebrews 11 around verse 35 or so, Paul is explaining how all these people died.  They were good people who believed in Christ and may have had the gospel, but they received not the promise.  Why?  Because for some reason or another, they never received the required ordinances of baptism by fire and water.  Therefore, God provided something better . . . a last chance or opportunity that involved the living who provided these ordinances through proxy; the living were baptized for the dead and performed all the saving ordinances by proxy for the dead.  This is the ONLY way that God could be a just and merciful God to ALL men, both living and dead.  This is the only way that ALL men could have the opportunity to hear the gospel (if not in this life, in the spirit world), and the only way that they too could be saved.  If they accept the gospel in the spirit world, then the required ordinances could be performed for them by proxy through those who were living.

  Hebrews 11:39-40
  39   And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
  40   God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

  1 Corinthians 15:18-19
  18   Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
  19   If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

  1 Corinthians 15:29   Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

  Paul is speaking to the Corinthians here, who did not believe in the resurrection, and is testifying to them that Christ did indeed rise again; he's testifying of all those who have seen him after his resurrection and of the purpose of the resurrection.  He asks why are they performing baptisms for the dead if the dead rise not.  Because the resurrection is real.  It WILL happen and the significance of it is so important that the saving ordinances are required if we are to enter the kingdom of God; this is why they are baptized for the dead, to help in the assistance of the saving of souls who died without the required ordinances of baptism by fire and water.  This is why the hearts of the children have turned to their fathers and vice versa.  Paul goes on to explain the resurrection and the differences of glory that will be obtained, but this is another topic entirely of itself.

  I hope this helps to explain our point of view somewhat. If you really take the time to not just think about it, but to really ponder it over in your mind, doesn't it make sense at all.  I mean, how else could God be no respecter of persons, and how else could He be just and merciful to all if people never even had the opportunity to even hear about Jesus Christ?  I would hate to think that someone would be condemned to hell just because he never had the opportunity to accept the Savior and his teachings.

  1 Peter 4:6   For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

  By being taught the gospel in the spirit world and accepting it, they can then receive the required ordinances by proxy through those who are living.  They will then be able to live according to God in the spirit, and when they are resurrected, they too can be judged according to men in the flesh because they will have no excuse then; if they didn't hear and accept the gospel in this world, they have one more chance in the spirit world.

  This is a beautiful plan of salvation that is just and merciful to all men.  It may sound odd to those who have never heard it (it did to me also at first, but after pondering it over and over again, it really does make sense.  Of course, if you believe that you are saved by your belief only, then this may make no sense to you.  I have always thought that just believing was too easy because Christ said:  "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."  (John7:17)  In order to understand and know the true doctrines of God, we must do His will; keep and obey His laws and commandments.  By doing these things we are righteous according to His righteousness and not the world's view of righteousness.  Then we can have His Spirit to be with us, to lead, guide, direct, warn, comfort, testify and witness, reveal, and teach us the truth of all things.  This is the duty and purpose of the gift of the Holy Ghost; and is why Simon could not give this gift, because he was not authorized to do so.  It was only given to those who were baptized into Christ's church by those who had the keys and authority to perform these sacred ordinances (again, why some were re-baptized into the true church by those who had the direct authority to perform this ordinance Acts 19:1-7).

  Truth was not revealed to those who were not members of the church.  "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them."  (Mark 4:11-12)  Those who were without the Spirit or the gift of the Holy Ghost, were not given the truth about the mysteries of God.  They were left with parables which could be interpreted several ways, but only those with the Spirit could find the true interpretations because they had the Spirit by which to discern natural things from spirtual things.

  Because I had not been raised in any particular denomination, I wasn't constantly told what things in the Bible meant; I didn't have certain teachings or interpretations ingrained into my head as a child; I therefore, was not biased in any way, but was open to everything I could learn about religion.  Yes I saw things in the Bible, but the contradictions didn't make sense.  And they are there whether people want to believe it or not.  I for one, just couldn't accept one thing and ignore everything else that didn't support it or that was in direct opposition somewhere else.  Those are the errors of men who could not have been inspired of God because they did not have the Spirit of God; they couldn't have if they were going against the counsel of the prophets and apostles by arguing and debating over the doctrines.  They were left to decipher the scriptures themselves, using their own minds and judgments, and this is why so many things were changed, altered, thrown out, rewritten, etc.; and why the Bible contains not only the words of God, but these truths have been mingled with the philosophies of the world so that the Bible is confusing to those who read it.  Things have been taken out of context for centuries and these are the "traditions" that modern Christianity has adhered to for ages.  The essential teachings and ordinances that are necessary for our eternal salvation have been altered by men throughout the ages and lost.  That is why there had to be a restoration or restitution of all things; so that we could once again have not only the keys of the kingdom of heaven, which is the power and authority to act in the name of God through His Holy Priesthood of Melchizedik and through the power of the Holy Ghost; but to once again have the saving ordinances of baptism by fire and water by those who hold these keys of power and authority. 

  These things are essential to our eternal life and salvation, and without them we cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  Jesus Christ taught this and so did his apostles, and I for one, cannot deny it just because I see the words, "If we believe, we are saved."  There is more to it than that.  Yes we are saved from death; yes, we will live again.  But we will ALSO be judged AFTER we are resurrected to life.  After we are judged we will either live an eternal life of happines as heirs with Jesus Christ in our Father's kingdom; or in some other mansion of glory that was prepared for us; or we will live a life of eternal damnation.  THIS choice is ours according to our works.  It is written in the Bible far more than just believing.  If we believe only, we have only a part of the truth and not the whole truth.  This is how Satan traps us.  We cannot just ignore everything else that Christ and his apostles taught.  That is why we cannot just rely on what we hear or read; we must humble ourselves in our own knowledge and wisdom, give his words a try and attempt to keep God's laws and commandments, and kneel before God, confess our sins, ask His forgiveness, and ask Him about the things we have learned. If we seek and ask in humility, and are willing to listen to and accept His will over ours, then He will manifest the truth to you.  But again, HE will search your heart and know of your sincerity.  This is how we gain our OWN tesimony. It's how I gained mine.

  I have seen the difference between this church and all the others I have attended.  I have witnessed the power and authority of the priesthood and Spirit in action.  I have seen miracles; I have had experiences you wouldn't believe.  While the others all do a lot of good in the world and have brought happiness and blessings to many people, they are just the cake, they are the house that's wired and ready to go.  In this church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I have found the sweetest of frostings with all the beautiful details intact; I have found all the wired connections connected directly with our Father in Heaven with a continual flow of blessings.  Besides the Savior and what he did for us, the gift of the Holy Ghost is the most greatest gift that anyone can receive today.  It is what the saints of old were taught by, it was how they were prompted in righteousness, it was how they were able to discern spiritual things from natural, right from wrong.  It comforted them in times of trials and turmoil, and it revealed things that were of the past, present, and of things yet to come. It was intended to be for all generations as long as people remained righteous in keeping the laws and commandments of God.

  Acts 2:38-39
  38   Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remiision of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
  39   For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

  
  It is by having this Spirit, the gift of the Holy Ghost, that we may know the truth of all things if we remain righteous in keeping the laws and commandments of God.

  Acts 5:32   And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that OBEY him.

  The key word here is obey.  That is the key to how much we receive from God, to how much He will reveal to us.  He won't reveal more if we can't even do what He has already given to us.  Look at the world today and compare how we live our lives to those who followed Christ anciently.  They obeyed His laws and commandments while most in the world today don't even believe in Him and are trying to eliminate Him altogether.

  I would encourage you to at least think about some of these things, I mean really think about them. Then settle it between yourself and the Lord by trying to do all that you can and ask if you could have a portion of His Spirit so that you may know whether these things are true or not. Ask for that burning witness of the Spirit in your heart.  This is all I can do. This is all you can do.  In all sincerity, and in the name of Jesus Christ, I hope you find it; Amen.

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