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Jesus was baptized by one having authority
In my recent Examiner posts, a gentle reader who goes by the Internet moniker "James" has disputed the premises of several of them. I contend that modern day sectarian Christianity doesn't remotely resemble the organization, teachings, doctrines, authority, and power of the ancient Church. This is easily established. The panorama of Christian widely disparate Christian sects show that they aren't even unified with each other in these things. As I studied these denominations before converting to Mormonism in 1978, it was easy to see the controversies and contentions that still rage among them.
Evangelicals claim that Catholics aren't saved unless they embrace the Evangelical "template of salvation. A Lutheran cleric recently declared that the Evangelicals' approach borders on heresy and idolatry. Catholics politely insist that Protestant churches cannot be considered true churches in the proper sense because they lack apostolic authority and thus their ordinances are invalid. The disparity and disunion that marks sectarian Christianity is a symptom of the Great Apostasy. (Read What is a Christian and The great apostasy: step by step for more details)
In a recent article about the Epistle of Jude, one reader said that I read the book with "LDS lenses" on. This is true, but it is impossible for anyone to read the Bible without superimposing his own doctrinal position. No two Christian sects interpret the Bible the same way. The Bible is the source of division among them, not the source of unity. In the nearly 1600 years since the Bible has been available in its current form, it hasn't done anything to solve the confusion and contradictions that exist among sectarians.
That's why the Book of Mormon is of singular importance. Here is a volume of scripture, produced by witnesses of Jesus Christ, who buried it and left it untouched and uncorrputed for 1400 years. It was translated by the power of God, not by man's wisdom. It contains a pure record of gospel teachings. Using it, we can validate the correct interpretation of many disputed Bible passages. Moreover, the Holy Ghost bears witness of it to the sincere seeker, providing an unmistakeable spiritual confirmation that the Book of Mormon is true. I have never, in over 30 years in the LDS Church had a sectarian Christian tell me that they ever prayed to learn from God, if the Bible was true or not, despite the Bible's repeated invitations to seek, knock, and ask for personal revelation and wisdom.
James cut to the heart of the matter today with an excellent question that I would like to address. Here it is:
"Unfortunately Greg, it is patently obvious from even a cursory examination of the teachings of J.Smith, B. Young, and the LDS Church that they do teach a different gospel. The "restored" Full Gospel of the LDS Church. If I believe the New Testament and the Gospel in contains, to be truth and have faith in Christ and in His death for my sins, have confessed and repented of my sins, have called on the name of the Lord to save me, have been baptized into Christ, and believe in Jesus resurrection, (but am not an LDS Church member) - is that enough for me to spend eternity worshipping God and His Christ? "
To James' challenge I would simply reply that many Bible teachings unique to Mormonism are found in no other church. For example, no other church practices baptism for the dead, although Paul clearly mentions that ancient Christians practiced this rite in 1 Corinthians 15:29. Inasmuch as sectarian Christians omit, ignore, or refuse to comply with clear teachings from the Old and New Testament, it may be correctly understood that they do believe in "another gospel." They believe in the one that I wrote about previously, that was the product of corruptions from Gnostic and Greek philosophies mingled with scripture. Latter-day Saints believe in the Bible as it is written, without the Hellenic "spin" that the early councils put on it.
James' most astute question has to do with the first principles and ordinances of the gospel which I enumerated earlier: faith, repentance, baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost. James asks that, if he has done these things through some other religion, is that "enough to spend eternity worshipping God and His Christ." My answer to that is emphatically "YES." He will be saved in the Terrestrial Kingdom of glory. The question James and his sectarian fellows avoid is: "Does the Bible teach of something greater?"
Latter-day Saints believe the words of Jesus explicitly when he said that there were "many mansions" in his Father's house. We explicitly believe the words of Paul in the words of Paul that mention a "third heaven" (2 Corinthians 2:12) and a resurrection that has "celestial" and "terrestrial" bodies in it. (2 Corinthians 2:12, 1 Corinthians 15:40) If James belongs to a Christian church that does not believe those parts of the Bible, perhaps he does believe in "another gospel" than the one that was "once delivered to the saints." (Jude 1:3)
Mormons believe in a multi-tiered heaven where God will save all his children from death and hell. Only those who are "sons of perdition" will not be resurrected into a kingdom of eternal glory. A careful reading of Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants shows that James' concept of heavenly bliss is what Mormons call the Terrestrial Kingdom. This is the highest degree of glory that a faithful sectarian Christian who lives his religion can attain. If he lived sufficiently worthy of it, James will be in this kingdom with Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and others who lived the commandments of God that pertain to goodness, morality, kindness, benevolence, charity. Section 76 calls them the "honorable men (and women) of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men."
To enter the highest degree of glory, the Celestial Kingdom, one must do all that James mentioned: have faith in Christ, repent sincerely, be baptized by one having authority, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands from a person ordained unto that power. James claims to have complied with those steps, but there is one critical point he lacks. Baptism must be performed by one having authority from God. It would have done no good for Jesus to go request baptism at the hands of anyone other than John the Baptist. John had authority to perform the ordinance for him. Jesus later ordained apostles and gave them authority to baptize.
The Book of Acts gives us two instances which show that baptism and laying on of hands for the Holy Ghost required God's authority. (Act 8:14-17, Acts 19:1-6) In Acts chapter 8, we read of someone having authority to baptize new converts, but lacked the higher authority lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. They sent for the apostles, who had the authority, and the apostles took care of the laying on of hands. In the second example, in Acts chapter 19, we read about a pretender who lacked authority and baptized converts unto "John's baptism." Paul discerned that they had been baptized by someone who lacked authority, although they believed in Christ, and he rebaptized them (by proper authority) and laid on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Because of the Great Apostasy, the ancient apostles were rejected, the teachings concerning baptism were changed by men, and the authority to perform baptism was lost for centuries. Today, there is division among Christian sects as to whether baptism is essential to salvation or whether it is an option. The sects disagree as to who can perform it. This disagreement is because the Bible is unclear on the matter. The Bible does not confer authority. No where in the Bible does it show an example of a book giving any person authority. Instead the Bible teaches that it must come from God, by prophecy, by the laying on of hands. (Hebrews 5:4)
Returning to our commentator, James, it is upon this principle--of authority--that he errs. If James was baptized, it was performed by someone who lacked authority from God. That baptism is not sufficient to enter the Celestial Kingdom. The authority to baptize, which was lost from the earth from apostolic times until the 15th day of May 1829 (when John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery), resides today in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The priesthood of God has been restored. The same authority by which Peter and Paul ministered is among men today. Any man who possesses authority today can trace it back to the ancient apostles and prophets through Joseph Smith.
Therefore, James and his fellow sectarians are in this position: if they live their religion, they will enjoy the presence of Jesus Christ in the Terrestrial Kingdom. They will live forever in a kingdom of glory and never suffer death or pain again. To them, that is what they expect to find in Heaven. In comparison, a latter-day saint who lives his religion will, by virtue of having been obedient to the commandments, having made covenants and received gospel ordinances administered by lawfully ordained ministers of Christ's kingdom, will enter into an infinitely greater degree of celestial glory. In that Celestial Kingdom, they will live together as families. The marriage covenant will extend beyond the grave. Husbands and wives will continue their relationship eternally with their children. They will continue to progress infinitely, ultimately obtaining "all the Father hath" and be "like him." (John 16:15, 1 John 3:2)
Mormons do not condemn anyone, even those who condemn us, to a burning hell for all eternity. We do not tell members of other churches to abandon the truths they possess. We invite them to bring their truths and see if we have more truth to add to what they already possess? Is not more truth a good thing? We are not in the business of sending people to hell. We seek to share the light, truth, and revelations that God has revealed in our day, which are marvelous and glorious. Those who will investigate them and pray to God for confirmation, will find that these truths are blessings indeed. They will find a deeper relationship with Christ, a more clear picture of his role as our Savior, and the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. These truths give life greater meaning and purpose and help us to live happier lives.
I invite James and his sectarian fellows to consider these words and seek in the scriptures regarding the necessity of divine authority to baptize and to inquire of God. Where the keys of that authority is found, there they will find the kingdom of God. Where that authority is rejected or missing, they will find the religions of "man's best guesses." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God, restored to the earth, with the same powers and authority it held anciently. It is the recipient of heavenly gifts, angelic ministrations, and current revelation from God. What a blessing it is to know this is true!
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