Do Little Children Need Baptism?

Problem

It is very clear in the New Testament that baptism is necessary to be saved and enter into God’s Kingdom.  

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:16)

Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)

What about a child that dies at birth that had not chance for baptism?  Some believe that these children are damned.  

Mormons: We have an “app” for that!

If we look closer at our scripture in Mark and hear what Peter and others have to say in the scriptures, we can see the requirements for one who is baptized.  

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:16)

Acts 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The application these two words, believe and repent, show the necessity of faith and repentance before baptism.   A new born infant is incapable of either in his or her innocent state.  Even toddlers would fall into this category.

Let’s further apply the scriptures to get a better understanding of Jesus’ thoughts on little children.

Luke 15-17 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

Christ seems to be saying that little children receive the kingdom of God and that we must become more like our children to have the same privilege.  The Book of Mormon (What is the Book of Mormon?) which is another testament of Christ and a writing of the ancient inhabitants in the Americas gives us the best explanation on this subject.

Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children. And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.  But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism! Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless hell. Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell.  For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism.  Wo be unto them that shall pervert the ways of the Lord after this manner, for they shall perish except they repent. Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God. (Mormon 8:10-16)

 As Jesus said, little children are the kingdom of God.  We believe that through Jesus Christ’s atonement not only does he save us through repentance but he saves those that are not yet accountable for their sins.  We believe little children are not capable of being tempted until they reach an age of accountability.  The Doctrine & Covenants, which is a book of modern scripture, explains this.  (What is the Doctrine & Covenants?).

But behold, I say unto you, that little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten; Wherefore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me; (DC 29:46-47)

The question then becomes, at what age does one become accountable?  

And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.  And their children shall be baptized for remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands. (DC 63:25-27)

We believe in a loving Savior that gave his life for all of us.  Through His atonement, we believe ALL may be saved whether through repentance and His grace to those who are accountable or solely on his grace if they are not.  This would include those with mental disabilities.  We even believe that those who did not have an opportunity to hear of his gospel while on earth will have that opportunity in the spirit world after death.  (God is Not a Respecter of Persons)  We believe God loves all of His children and has a special love for little children, for such is the Kingdom of God! 

God is Not a Respector of Persons

Problem

The Bible is very specific in the requirements needed to enter Gods kingdom.

"Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5)

The Bible also tells us that God is a merciful God.

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort." (2 Corinthians 1:3)

The problem I see hear is that there are many in the history of the earth that never had a chance to be baptized. In fact there are nations that have come and gone that have never even heard of Christ. If God is merciful how could he condemn those that never even had a chance to hear his message?

Mormons: we have an "app" for that!

The best place to start is by applying some scriptures from the Bible. Peter taught that Christ went to those who had died and preached the gospel to them.

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison." (1 Peter 3:18-19)

Christ suffered death for all! This includes those that had died not hearing of His great gift. Peter tells us that those who have died have the opportunity to have the gospel preached to them. He also gives us the reason this is so important.

"Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 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." (1 Peter 4:5-6)

In order for God's judgments to be just everyone must have a chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. While accepting Jesus Christ and his gospel and having faith in him is important, the act of baptism is a necessary step for salvation. If one has died, how can one be baptized? Paul makes a brief mention of the answer.

"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?" (1Corinthians 15:20)

In this scripture, Paul is speaking to his brethren or in other words fellow Christians who live in Corinth. Corinth was one of the three economic centers of Greece. The Greek philosophy of the day taught that the body was impure and that in the afterlife one would be free of that polluted body. For this reason it was difficult for the Christian Corinthians to accept a literal resurrection. Instead, they melded Greek philosophy with Christianity and determined that the resurrection was only spiritual. In order to clear up this false doctrine, Paul sends them a letter. He uses the practice of baptisms for the dead as one of his arguments for a literal resurrection. Had there not been a Christian practice of baptisms for the dead Paul would have not chosen to use it as a reasoning tool.

Although there is no explanation of the practice, we as Mormons believe that this is the way that God is able to justly judge all of His children. We build temples and in them one of the things we do is perform proxy baptisms for our ancestors. This is the reason that we do genealogical work in our church. We believe that those we do proxy baptisms for have the right to accept or reject the ordinance and the gospel that is preached to them. Here is a picture of a baptismal font in one of our temples.

Our baptismal fonts are placed upon the back of twelve oxen representing the twelve tribes of Israel. It symbolizes the gathering of the twelve tribes into the church through the ordiance of baptism. Solomon was also commanded to place a basin upon the backs of twelve oxen in the temple he built. (2 Chronicles 4:2-4)

We believe in a merciful God who is not a "respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34). We believe that God has provided a way for all of His children to return to Him, not just a select few. We believe that man must be born of water and the spirit to enter the kingdom of God and that through God's mercy and grace, all will have that chance!

The Pearl of Great Price

What is the Pearl of Great Price?

The Pearl of Great Price is another book of scripture received through revelation and translation.  The Pearl of Great Price is one of the standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons).  It is used in company with the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon (What is the Book of Mormon?), and the Doctrine & Covenants (What is the Doctrine andCovenants?).  

The Book of Genesis covers over 2,000 years of history, most of that being in the first eleven chapters.  The information we have during this time period is sparse.  One important aspect the Pearl of Price offers is the revelations of Moses that contain a more detailed account of the creation and Adam & Eve.  Another is the complete story of Abraham.  Within these books of scriptures, concepts such as baptism and repentance are found to pre-date the Law of Moses and the coming of Christ.  

Joseph Smith was also commanded to translate the Bible to fix mistakes and add lost meanings. (Isn’t the Bible enough?)  In doing so, Matthew chapter 24 had important enough revisions to be included in the Pearl of Great Price.  Most of the other translations of the Bible are found in the footnotes of our LDS edition of the scriptures or at the back of the Bible.  

Joseph Smith’s history and the 13 basic beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints are also included in the Pearl of Great Price.  Here is a description of each part of the Pearl of Great Price.

1.      The Book of Moses. This was given to Joseph Smith through revelation.  This restores Moses’ account of the creation up to Noah. 

2.      The Book of Abraham. This was translated from Egyptian papyri that Joseph Smith obtained.  This gives much more insight into the story of Abraham. 

3.      Joseph Smith—Matthew. This was received through revelation and restores lost pieces of Matthew’s record.

4.      Joseph Smith—History. Excerpts from Joseph Smith’s official testimony and history.

5.       The Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In response to a question of what the church believed, Joseph Smith replied with these 13 Articles of Faith. 

The Doctrine and Covenants

What is the Doctrine and Covenants?

The Doctrine and Covenants is a book of modern scripture given through modern day prophets. 

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the prophets.”  (Amos 3:7)

We believe that God is the same yesterday today and forever and that as long as a His children have faith, that He will speak to them.  The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of revelations and declarations given to His prophets in modern day times.  

Joseph Smith was the first of these prophets.  He was called as a prophet at the age of 14 after sincerely praying to know of which church to join.  He was told that there had been an apostasy of Christ’s full gospel and that none of them had the full truth.  This “falling away” was prophesied by Paul and other Old Testament prophets.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. (Acts 20:29)

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. (Amos 8:11)

The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant. (Isaiah 24:5)

Most of the revelations in the Doctrine & Covenants were revealed for the purpose of re-establishing Christ’s Gospel on the earth.  The Doctrine and Covenants contains not only regulations of the church but messages, warnings, and exhortations from Christ himself.  

The Doctrine & Covenants is one of the standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons).  It is used in company with the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon (Whatis the Book of Mormon?), and the Pearl of Great Price (What is the Pearl of Great Price?).  The Doctrine and Covenants is unique in that it is not a translation of an ancient document but is a compilation of modern day revelation.  Most of the revelations contained therein were received by the prophet Joseph Smith.  Other revelations were received by his successors.

The Book Of Mormon

What is the Book of Mormon?

The Book of Mormon is a record of a group of righteous people who were led away from Jerusalem to the Americas during the reign of Zedekiah.  These people were descendents of Joseph, had prophets, and kept records.  The Book of Mormon is a book of Holy Scripture comparable to the Bible.  It contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The coming forth of the Book of Mormon was prophesied by Ezekiel in the Old Testament.  We believe that the Bible is the stick of Judah and the Book of Mormon is the stick of Joseph.

Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.   And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Jospeh, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. (Ezekiel 37:16-20)

We also believe that the other sheep that John spoke of refer to these ancient inhabitants of America and other righteous groups that were led away from Jerusalem in times of wickedness. 

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:16)

Jesus defines his sheep as those that hear his voice, know him, and follow him (John 10:27).  We believe that Jesus indeed did visit His other sheep; those who heard His voice, knew Him, and followed Him!  The Book or Mormon records the visitation of Jesus to this people.  He worked miracles and taught them his gospel.  The Book of Mormon stands as another witness of Christ and helps restore plain and precious truths of the Bible that have been lost. 

Isn’t the Bible enough?

We believe in the Bible and love the truths contained therein.  There is a wealth of information and truths in both the Old and New Testament: the creation, the Ten Commandments, prophecies of the last days, the birth, life, death, & example of Christ, and much more!  We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.   

“For the first millennium and a half of its life, before the invention of printing, the New Testament (and the Old Testament for nearly two millenia) was being painstakingly copied and re-copied, each time with variations and mistakes. Sometimes copyists made matters worse by correcting what they considered to be mistakes. Jerome, in the fourth century, already complained of the variety of texts, pointing out that there were as many variations as there were copies.[i]” (Wansbrough)

There are many interpretations of the Bible and because of this many Christian denominations.  I believe this is due for many reasons: conflicting scriptures, lost scripture, and personal interpretation.  Here is one example of each from the King James Version.

Conflicting scripture:

Man Can See God:

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. (Genesis 32:30)

Man Cannot See God:

No man hath seen God at any time; (John 1:18)

There are many scriptures that testify of prophets seeing God.  Because of this scripture in John, some believe that God has never appeared to man.  

Lost scripture:

Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.  (Acts 26:22-23)

While many believe that Deuteronomy 18:15-19 is Moses prophesying of Christ, we have lost Moses’ his more specific prophecies about Christ’s suffering, death, or mission to the Gentiles.  

Personal Interpretation:

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:19 -21) 

The scriptures were given by the Holy Ghost and are to be interpreted by the Holy Ghost.  We must have the Spirit with us in order to understand the scriptures.  Many interpret by what seems right to them.  The problem with this is that we have our own personal experiences and traditions that bias our interpretations.  Being open to and worthy of the Holy Ghost is necessary to understand scriptures.  The Apostles had a more sure word of prophecy and could interpret the scriptures because they had a first-hand witness of the Savior.  If there really is only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, then there is only one interpretation.  With the loss of the apostles through persecution and death, this sure word of prophecy was also lost and men were left to interpret on their own.  Isaiah prophesied of a book that would come forth and clear up doctrinal misunderstandings after a deep sleep with no prophets or seers.

For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.  And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:  And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.  Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:  Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid…  And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness… They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.  (Isaiah 29:10-14, 18, 24) (Read complete chapter for more details.)

While the Bible is interpreted in many different ways, with the Book of Mormon as its companion, the interpretations become plain and distinct.   The Book of Mormon clears up conflicting scripture, restores lost principles, and provides one interpretation of the Bible.  

 

many interpretations vs one interpretation

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[i] Wansbrough, Henry. The Story of the Bible: How it came to us. Darton Longman & Todd, 2006. Print.