--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - William A. Morton collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 5 number: 8 published: 1902-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'William A. Morton, "Is Baptism Essential to Salvation?," *Improvement Era* 5, no. 8 (June 1902): 603–608.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0508unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0508unse start_page: 603 end_page: 608 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1902-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0508unse publication_year: 1902 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1902, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Is Baptism Essential to Salvation? IS BAPTISM ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION? BY WILLIAM A. MORTON, EDITOR OF "ZION'S YOUNG PEOPLE." The object of this paper is to show that water baptism is es- sential to man's salvation. Nearly all the Christian sects believe in and practice some form of baptism, but, with two or three ex- ceptions, none of them believe that baptism adds, even in the slightest degree, to the salvation of the souls of men. The Latter-day Saints believe that baptism is one of the first principles of the gospel, and that it is as essential to man's salva- tion as any other principle that God has ever revealed. It seems to me that this is the only feature of the subject that needs to be considered — the essentiality of baptism; for so long as people believe, as many in Christendom believe, that baptism is not essential to their salvation, they will not be very much concerned about the mode of administering the ordinance. Why should they? If baptism adds not one jot or tittle to my sal- vation, why should I concern myself about the form in which the ordinance is administered? I might go farther and ask, Why need I observe the ordinance at all? In this connection I might paraphrase the words of Christ, and ask, What shall it profit a man if he be baptized, either by immersion or in any other way, when it in no wise adds to the salvation of his soul? But let people become convinced that baptism is essential to their salvation, and they will be careful to see that the ordinance is administered to them in the proper manner. The task before me now is to prove that baptism is essential to salvation. I shall endeavor to do so. My authority? Jesus Christ. I need no other. If people will not accept the testimony of the Son of God, it would be useless to bring any other witness 604 IMPROVEMENT ERA. into court. If they will not believe the words of the Savior of the world, it would be a waste of time to argue with them from the writings of the apostles. The first scripture to which I will call the reader's attention is found in Matthew 28: 19, 20 and reads as follows: "Go ye there- fore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Now, let us stop for a moment and examine this commission. In the first place, they were to go and teach all nations, and secondly, they were to baptize all those who believed in their words, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. But our Christian friends tell us that baptism is not es- sential to salvation. Then why, I ask, did Christ command his apostles to preach it? Why send them out to tell people to do something which it mattered not with God whether they observed or not? This does not give the Lord credit for possessing as much intelligence as man; for no man among us would command his servants to do a certain work when it mattered 'not to him whether it was done or left undone. If baptism is not essential to salvation, then was needless on the part of Christ to command it his apostles to preach it. It was a waste of time for them to do so, for while they were preaching baptism and administering the ordinance, they could have employed their time in preaching princi- ples which are essential to man's salvation. Now, let us take another look at this commission. Christ commanded his apostles to baptize the people in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. What! use the sacred names of the Godhead in an ordinance in which there is no virtue, no profit? Did Christ not know that it was written in the scriptures, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain?" Say now, ye self-appointed ministers of Christ that baptism is not essential to salvation, and what do ye do? Ye make the Savior and Redeemer of the world a transgressor of God's divine commandment, for what could be more vain than to use the names of the holy Trinity in an ordinance in which ye say there is no virtue, no salvation? IS BAPTISM ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION? 605 But you ask, "Do you believe that there is virtue in the water to wash away sins?" I answer that question by asking you to prove that there is no virtue in the water (which you can easily do,) but when you have done that, you must prove that there isno virtue or profit in obeying the commandments of God, and water baptism is one of his commandments. That God should establish baptism as a means by which men could obtain a remission of their sins, may seem foolish unto you, but have you forgotten what God did with ancient Israel? Israel fell into sin, and transgressed his laws and commandments, in con- sequence of which he sent fiery serpents among them. Many were bitten by the venomous reptiles, and in their affliction they im- plored Moses to intercede with God for them. Seeing their re- pentance, the Lord commanded his servant to make a serpent of brass, and put it lipon a pole, and to tell all those who were bitten that by looking at the brazen serpent they would be healed of their deadly wounds. What would you have done, had you been there? Would you have gone among the people and said to them, as you now say to us concerning baptism, that it was not neces- sary for them to observe that commandment, for there could not possibly be any virtue, any salvation, in looking at a piece of brass upon a pole? That there was no virtue in the brazen serpent, I will admit, but it was God's ordinance, and by observing that ordi- nance, the children of Israel were made whole. And so it is with regard to baptism; water of itself cannot wash away sins; but water baptism is one of God's ordinances, and God's ordinances must be obeyed, if we expect to receive God's blessings. But let us return to our subject. If it is not necessary for men to be baptized in water, it was much less necessary for Christ to be baptized. Did Christ consider baptism unnecessary? He did not; he considered it necessary. He came to John at the river Jordan, and asked him to baptize him. John hesitated, saying, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" Then said Jesus unto him, "Suffer it to be so now, for thus it be- cometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Here is a positive declara- tion by the author of eternal salvation that a man cannot fulfill all righteousness without obeying the ordinance of baptism. And yet, in the face of this declaration, men who profess and call themselves 606 IMPROVEMENT ERA. ministers of Christ have the boldness to assert that men can ful- all righteousness without being baptized in water. fill But let us observe what followed the baptism of Christ. The record tells that "Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straight- way out of the water, and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matt, iii: 16, 17.) We would like those who deny the essentiality of bap- tism, to tell us why the Eternal Father withheld these manifesta- tions of his pleasure until after the baptism of his Son; and when they have done this, they might please tell us why he with- held the Holy Ghost from the twelve devout Ephesians until they had been rebaptized by Paul. (See Acts xix.) Can it be possible that men will continue to affirm that there is no virtue or profit in an ordinance which God has sanctioned with his own voice and sealed with the Holy Ghost? Enough has been said to convince every fair-minded and unbiased individual that baptism is indeed essential to man's salva- tion. But if more proof were needed, there is abundance at hand. Who, after reading the words of the Savior spoken to Nicodemus, will contend that baptism is not essential to salvation? No wonder that Christ manifested surprise at a ruler of the Jews being igno- rant of principles that affected the salvation of his immortal soul. On coming to Jesus, Nicodemus said, "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." But Christ did not want people to follow him because of his miracles; he wanted them to follow him for the truth's sake. This is exemplified in his rebuke of those who followed him because of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Without paying any attention to the remark of Nicodemus concerning his miracles, Jesus said to him, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." "How can a man be born again?" asked the Jewish ruler. Now, if we believe that Christ was capable of giving a correct answer to this question, which he certainly would do, we will never again say that baptism is not essential to salvation. Let all who desire a place in God's IS BAPTISM ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION? 60Y "kingdom mark his answer: "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." This new birth—the baptism of water and of the Holy Ghost —was the same doctrine that John preached. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:" said he to the Jews "but he that cometh after me is mightier than I. * * He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." These baptisms Christ himself received, so that when he told Nicodemus he would have to be born of the water and the Spirit, he simply asked him to do that which he himself had done. To the great majority of mankind today, these words of Christ sound as strange as they did to Nicodemus; but they are neverthe- less true. This doctrine was not Christ's; it was his Father's. "My doctrine is not mine," said the Savior, "but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (John vii: 16, 17.) Hear him again: -'For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting; whatsoever I speak, therefore, evenas the Father said unto me, so I speak." (John xii: 49, 50.) Therefore, when Christ was impressing upon Nicodemus the necessity of a new birth, of the water and of the Spirit, he was teaching him a commandment which he had received from his Father, and which he said contained life everlasting. It is surprising that anyone possessed of ordinary intelligence could think for a moment that God, the fountain of all wisdom and intelligence, would send his Son down to earth to teach the children of men principles which it was not necessary for them to observe. Nor can I think of any- thing more needless than for Christ to send out a host of mission- aries into the world to teach the people to observe an ordi- nance which, when they had observed, they were no better off than before. John also declared that God had sent him to baptize with water. We quote the prophet's words: "And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining --on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." 608 IMPROVEMENT ERA. (John i: 33.) According to these two witnesses, Jesus and John' God desired the people to be baptized with water. This was the counsel of God to them, and we read that "the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him," Now, if it can be proven that men can gain salvation by rejecting the counsel of God, it can then be proven that they have no need of baptism. But someone may ask, If baptism is essential to salvation, what has become of those who have died without having been bap- tized? I will let the Apostle Paul answer that question. He says: "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?" (I Cor. xv: 29.) If there were not another passage of scripture in the Bible to prove that baptism is essential to salva- tion, surely this one ought to be sufficient. Here we find the apostle preaching and the saints practising baptism for the dead, a thing which they would never have thought of doing had they not believed with all their hearts that baptism was essen- tial to salvation. Once convinced of the sacredness of this ordinance, and we see a worldof meaning in the teachings of Paul, and the practices of the early Christian saints, in being bap- tized for their dead; but if baptism is not essential to salvation, then Paul, who preached the doctrine, and the saints who prac- ticed baptism for the dead, could have spent their time just as profitably in playing games of ninepins. My task is finished. May God add his blessing.