There are three (3) distinct parts to
baptism, but with only the bible as a reference this third part is often
ignored since it appears to the common student of the Bible to only exist in
two fleeting references and often taken to be referring to two the same thing
by two names. Let look at what the King James version says about the three (3)
forms of Baptism.
Matthew 3
11 I
indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is
mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with
the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Luke 3
16 John
answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one
mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose:
he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
According to these two verses John the Baptist baptized by water
alone but Christ would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire. That is where
the trail ends. Scriptures around these do allude to fire in reference to
judgment and many ascertain that the Pentecost is the fulfillment of both these
baptisms that Christ was to bring.
Fortunately, for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints we have a lot more that speaks to these three forms of baptism, but
even then, it is still misunderstood by most including myself. Recently it has
been impressed upon me to study the three forms of baptism by way of the Gift
of the Holy Ghost. I have studied this off and on since I was a missionary and
have never felt I had a spiritual confirmation of what I was looking for. I
have spent many nights recently under instruction and am sure there is still
much more to learn as time goes on.
First let’s look what Mark and John of the other two Gospels have
to say about this doctrine. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints we are fortunate to have the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of the
Bible commonly known as the Inspired version.
JST Mark 1
6 I
indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall not only baptize you with water,
but with fire, and the Holy Ghost.
JST John 1
28 He
it is of whom I bear record. He is that prophet, even Elias, who, coming after
me, is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose, or
whose place I am not able to fill; for he shall baptize, not only with water,
but with fire, and with the Holy Ghost.
Note that the JST versions used for Mark
and John give significantly more information then what has been preserved in
the current King James version. Joseph Smith has also reversed the order to
water, fire, and Holy Ghost.
Through Joseph Smith we also have a
collection of writings now found in the book of the Peral of Great Price that
adds extensively to the writings of Moses. Since the beginning of time starting
with Adam, the Lord has revealed to us that there are three that testify on
Earth.
Moses 6
55
And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in
sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and
they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good.
56 And
it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto
themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment.
57 Wherefore
teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can
in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or
dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his
name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a
righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.
58 Therefore I
give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children,
saying:
59 That by
reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch
as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I
have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again
into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by
blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from
all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in
the world to come, even immortal glory;
60 For by the
water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood
ye are sanctified;
61 Therefore
it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable
things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all
things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath
all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.
62 And now,
behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the
blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time.
63 And
behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to
bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are
spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the
earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth,
both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.
64 And it
came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried
unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was
carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought
forth out of the water.
65 And thus
he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born
of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.
66 And he
heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the
Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and
forever;
Here we have the first baptism on the
Earth with Adam being baptized by water, fire, and the Holy Ghost as declared
by Heavenly Father himself. Christ has explained, that we have come into this
world being born of water, blood, and spirit. And that we need to be born again
by water, Spirit, and blood. This all sounds very similar to the doctrine of
Christ which is best taught in the Book of Mormon another Testament of Jesus
Christ.
The doctrine of Christ is laid out by
Christ in his Pre-mortal state to Nephi, the son of Lehi, along with the aid of
Heavenly Father:
2 Nephi 31
11 And
the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my
Beloved Son.
12 And also,
the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to
him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me,
and do the things which ye have seen me do.
14 But,
behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying:
After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are
willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the
baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea,
even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have
been better for you that ye had not known me.
15 And I
heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true
and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
I love this
passage since it is one of the few times we have the Father and the Son
speaking together. Note that the premortal Christ is here speaking of the
baptism in the order of water, fire, Holy Ghost.
Nephi makes an interesting statement in
the next chapter which is clearly and extension of what he wrote in 31
2 Nephi 32
6 Behold,
this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until
after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall
manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you
shall ye observe to do.
The doctrine of Christ was laid out by
Christ himself in his Post-mortal state to Nephi, the son of Nephi:
3 Nephi 11
31 Behold,
verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine.
32 And this
is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and
I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy
Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father
commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
33 And whoso
believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they
who shall inherit the kingdom of God.
34 And whoso
believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.
35 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from
the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto
him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with
the Holy Ghost.
36 And thus
will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him
of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.
37 And again
I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized
in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.
38 And again
I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a
little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
39 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this
buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
40 And whoso
shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the
same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a
sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the
floods come and the winds beat upon them.
This would suggest that becoming a little
child is synonymous with being baptized. which really ties the Lord’s comments
to Adam together with his baptism
How does this all fit together? Water,
Fire/blood, Holy Ghost/Spirit, becoming as a little child/being born again? I
think we need to look back at what Christ said to
John 3
1
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The
same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a
teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except
God be with him.
3 Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter
the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
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.
6 That
which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit.
7 Marvel
not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The
wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst
not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born
of the Spirit.
9
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus
answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these
things?
11 Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have
seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I
have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I
tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man
hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of
man which is in heaven.
I reflected on the Article of Faith
4 We
believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first,
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion
for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost.
Is the gift of the Holy Ghost synonymous
with the Baptism of Spirit? Baptism is by immersion, regardless if it is by
water, blood/fire, or Spirit.
A key element of the doctrine of Christ that is often neglected
might be important to our discussion.
3 Nephi 11
32 And
this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto
me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and
the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the
Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
35 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from
the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto
him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with
the Holy Ghost.
36 And thus
will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him
of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.
He says it three times, and repeats that it is his doctrine and to
sum it up he ends everything with
3 Nephi 11
40 And
whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine,
the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a
sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the
floods come and the winds beat upon them.
Why do we skip this, our Missionaries skip
this, gospel principles skips this, but it must be very important? As I focus
on this I think of Jesus’s words to his apostles in the New testament after his
resurrection.
Matthew 28
19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
What we are baptized by Water it seems
most like the work that the Father has done for us. He has created a Spirit
Body for us and a Physical Body, and allowed us to have blood course through
our veins that we might experience mortality. All with the goal that we might
someday be with him again and this time be like him as well. Even the first
part of the sacramental prayer focuses on this:
Doctrine
and Covenants 20
77 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the
name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of
all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of
thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are
willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep
his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit
to be with them. Amen.
When we are baptized by Blood/Fire it
seems most like the work that the Son has done for us. One of the effects of
the Adam and Eve partaking of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge was that they
were given and everyone born into this world was given the light of Christ.
Which is often referred to as the spirit of God, much like the Holy Ghost. The
other tree of import in the garden was the tree of Life, which because of the
fall the way to the tree of Life was guarded by Cherubim and a Flaming sword.
Christ is often referred to as the way.
John 14
6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had
known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him,
and have seen him.
It is also only because of the atonement
and resurrection that we even have a path, a means , a way back into the
presence of out Heavenly Father.
Romans 6
3 Know ye not,
that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death?
4
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk
in newness of life.
5 For if
we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in
the likeness of his resurrection:
6
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he
that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if
we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no
more dominion over him.
10 For
in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto
God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to
be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The second part of the Sacramental prayer
seams to focus on Christ, granted both parts do. Often since we use water in
our services instead of red wine the symbolism my seam week or even confusing:
Doctrine
and Covenants 20
79
O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to
bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that
they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them;
that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always
remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
It seams to me that when we are being
baptized in water we are testifying to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and when
we are baptized by Fire we are receiving the testimony of the Father, and the
Son, and Holy Ghost. This is possible because of the blood of the Son. That we
might receive the Holy Ghost not so much to testify to us of the Father and the
son, which the Holy Ghost will do, but that we might with the tongue of angles
testify of the Father and the Son to the world. Which is truly a Lifelong pursuit,
to be immersed in the Testimony of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
I think to have received Baptism in full
we could reference back to what Jesus Christ said in his great intercessory
prayer.
John 17
21 That
they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also
may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the
glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we
are one:
23 I in them,
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may
know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I
will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they
may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the
foundation of the world.
25 O
righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and
these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 And I have
declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou
hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
