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?"
MORMON POSITION:
Latter-day Saints (Mormons) believe that water
baptism by immersion “is the first saving ordinance of the gospel….All
who seek eternal life must follow the example of the Savior by being
baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.”(True to the Faith, 2004,
p. 21)
Baptism, according to Mormonism, is the prerequisite to
receiving the “gift of the Holy Ghost” and is a necessary step in the
process of being exalted to the highest level of heaven. Believing that
non-Mormon dead relatives will have an opportunity to receive the Mormon
“restored gospel” in “spirit prison,” Latter-day Saints take it upon
themselves to help “save” them by engaging in proxy baptism on behalf of
their dead ancestors.
Mormon Apostle Bruce R McConkie explains:
“…though held captive in the spirit prison, these prisoners of hope looked forward with desire and expectation to their redemption…a redemption that would be complete only after baptism for the dead had been performed for them in this mortal sphere where there is water.”—Mormon Doctrine, p. 601
Appealing to 1 Corinthians 15:29 and Hebrews 11:40
for Biblical support, Joseph Smith claimed that “the greatest
responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us [Mormons] is to
seek after our dead….every spirit in the eternal world can be ferreted
out and saved.…And so you can see how far you can be a savior….This
doctrine was the burden of the scriptures. Those Saints who neglect it
in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own
salvation.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1976, by Joseph Fielding Smith, p. 356-357, 193)
BIBLICAL RESPONSE:
Contrary to the claims of Mormonism, physical baptism
is not a pre-requisite for salvation.
At Luke 23:43, we read that Jesus
assured the thief on the cross (who had not been baptized), that he
would be “with” Him in paradise that day, simply because he believed.
The apostle Paul made a distinction between the “gospel” and “baptism”
when he proclaimed to the Corinthian believers: “I thank God that I
baptized none of you…. For Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of
Christ should be made of none effect.” (1 Corinthians 1:14, 17)
Not only
does Paul reject the notion that “baptism” was part of the “gospel,”
but he repeatedly affirmed salvation by “faith” apart from works (see
Romans 4:5, 11:6).
Furthermore, we see that baptism is not a requirement
to receive the Holy Ghost. At Acts 10:44-47, we read of an incident
where believers received the gift of the “Holy Ghost” before they were
baptized.
Just as Biblical Scripture presents water baptism as a
sign (not seal) of salvation, there is no indication in Scripture that
early Christians engaged in the practice of “baptism for the dead.”
The
only place the practice is mentioned is in 1 Corinthians 15:29. It is
important to note that in this passage, Paul excluded himself and the
Christian believers he was speaking to by his use of the terms “they”
and “them” in reference to the practice.
It is likely that Paul had in
mind heretical groups such as the Cerinthians and Marcionites who
practiced a form of baptism for the dead. It appears that Paul was
pointing to groups such as these as examples of those whose practice
would be futile if Christ had not indeed raised from the dead. If such
practice is indeed essential for salvation, we ask why the lack of
emphasis in the Bible and Book of Mormon? With genealogical research
being a necessary activity for “baptism for the dead,” we ask why the
Bible warns against this practice when it states:
“But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.”—Titus 3:9
“Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.”—1 Timothy 1:4
Thus we conclude that contrary to the Mormon notion
that we all can be “saviors” by "redeeming our dead" ancestors though
baptism, the Bible proclaims:
“None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:”—Psalm 49:7
IS WATER BAPTISM ESSENTIAL FOR SALVATION?
Some religious groups that claim to be Christian,
including Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, teach that in addition to
professing faith in Jesus Christ, one must also be physically baptized
for salvation.
There are several problems with this belief.
First of all, when Scripture expounds on the salvation process, rarely is physical water baptism even mentioned. Instead, emphasis is given to faith (belief/trust) in Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and repentance (confessing and turning away from sin) to make Jesus Christ Lord and Savior.
Secondly, as the following Scriptures explain, salvation is said to be “by faith” alone, apart from the works of human righteousness. Notice that baptism is not even mentioned in any of these verses:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” —John 3:16
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”—Ephesians 2:8-9
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”—Romans 5:1
“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” —Romans 10:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” —1 John 1:9
“And after he brought them out, he said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ ” —Acts 16:30-31
“Therefore they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’ ”—John 6:28-29
Thus, if one adds the work of physical baptism to the
salvation process, this would invalidate Scripture’s emphasis upon
justification by faith alone and fall under the condemnation of
Scripture that explains:
“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” — Titus 3:5
“You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” — Galatians 5:4
Thirdly, when physical baptism is mentioned
in Scripture, it is given in the context of Christian discipleship and
used as a sign of true saving faith (Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47).
Since there is a difference between what Christians “do” in obedience
to Christ after salvation and what is given as a necessary requirement
for salvation, we believe that the first act of obedience a true
follower of Christ should participate in is baptism, but it is not an
essential part of the salvation process. This can be clearly seen when
we examine the passages that speak of baptism:
“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, “You must be born again.” ’ ”
In this passage, Jesus clearly articulates what he
means by proclaiming that one must be “born again.” In response to
Nicodemus’ question about how a person can be physically “born” twice
from his “mother’s womb,” Jesus explains that the first birth is “of water” by being “born of the flesh” (i.e., out of the womb), while the second birth is “of the Spirit” which is the making alive of one’s “spirit” through a spiritual baptism.
Titus 3:5 explains:
“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”
Here we see that the “washing of regeneration and
renewing by the Holy Spirit” is a reference to the spiritual birth or
baptism spoken of by Jesus when He told Nicodemus that he must be “born
of the Spirit.” This spiritual baptism occurs at the moment a person
places his faith in Christ, just as Jesus promised that He would send
His Holy Spirit to indwell His followers:
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. …But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” —John 16:7, 13
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.” —Ephesians 1:13-14
“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” —Romans 8:9-11
It is noticeable that in none of these passages is
the physical act of water baptism given as a prerequisite to the
spiritual baptism of being “born of the Spirit” during salvation.
Rather, emphasis is given to the indwelling and sealing of the Holy
Spirit immediately upon trusting Christ for salvation.
“Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Here the term “baptism” is clarified as “not of the
removal of dirt from the flesh” (i.e., water baptism), but rather “an
appeal to God for a good conscience” —that is, baptism by the Holy
Spirit who regenerates and renews the spiritual side of a person so that
they can have a “clear conscience” through Christ before God. Thus,
this passage does not support baptismal regeneration.
“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 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.”
Here again, we see “baptism” being used as a symbol
of the spiritual baptism that occurred when one died to the sins of his
old life and made Jesus Lord and Master (Romans 10:9). This is the
picture that physical water baptism gives. Falling backward into the
water (releasing the whole body to be submersed into the water) is the
picture of a person who spiritually dies to the sinful pleasures of his
old life, just as Jesus physically died to pay for mankind’s sins.
Then, when the person is physically raised up out of the water, it
pictures the spiritual renewal of the Holy Spirit given to help the
person “walk in newness of life,” just as Jesus rose from the dead
through the power of God’s Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:17 explains:
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Next, consider the example of the thief who died next
to Jesus at Luke 23. Although he was not baptized when he placed his
faith in Christ, Jesus promised him:
“...today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” —Luke 23:43
Finally, consider that Paul excluded water baptism from the preaching of the Gospel when He said:
“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…” —1 Corinthians 1:17
“Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ ”
While this verse is often used to support baptismal
regeneration, the real dispute in this verse is over the use of the word
“for” in the phrase “for the forgiveness of your sins.” There are two
ways one can interpret this word:
- “For” can mean “to cause” the “forgiveness of your sins.” OR
- “For” can mean “on account of” the “forgiveness of your sins.”
Reconciling this passage with the rest of Scripture, we would hold to
the second meaning of the word “for” being applied here so that the
verse in essence would be saying: “...be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ [on account of] the forgiveness of your sins.” Thus, Acts 2:38
would be viewed as proclaiming that because one’s sins are already
forgiven through faith and repentance, one should also become baptized.
Another way to interpret this passage is to view the
word “baptism” used in this passage as a reference to the spiritual
baptism described at Titus 3:5 where the “gift of the Holy Spirit”
regenerates and renews the spiritual side of a person. This would also
fit with the context of this passage where it proclaims that one would
“receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” upon being baptized. If baptism
in this occurrence is a reference to the spiritual baptism of the Holy
Spirit that occurs at the moment that a person places his faith in
Christ and is saved, it would also agree with the testimony of Acts
10:44-47 where we read that the gift of the Holy Spirit was given before
physical water baptism took place:
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, ‘Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?’”
Thus, either interpretation of this passage fits with
the context of Scripture that demonstrates that salvation occurs by
faith in Christ alone, prior to water baptism.
“Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.”
Notice that this passage describes the washing “away”
of sins. The only question is whether this occurs with the act of being
“baptized” or the act of “calling on His name.” We would view it as
being connected to the latter phrase, “calling on His name.” Thus, the
washing away of sins would occur the moment a person calls upon the name
of Christ for salvation, not at the moment of physical, water baptism.
While Mark 16:16 comes the closest to teaching baptismal regeneration, it still falls short when one considers the second part of the verse that proclaims that the only person who is “condemned” is the person who does not believe. Thus, a person is “condemned” for failing to believe in Christ, not for being un-baptized. So, even with this passage, one can argue that the baptism mentioned in the first part of the verse is a reference to the act of obedience that occurs after the “belief” that saved the person is profess“He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
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