Gospel Themes

Sin, a Wilful Transgression of Law.—A man sins when he goes contrary to light and knowledge—that is, contrary to the light and knowledge that has come to him. One may blunder in ignorance, and suffer painful consequences; but one does not sin unless one knows better than to do the thing in which the sin consists.

Carlyle on Repentance.—"Of all acts," says Carlyle, "is not, for a man, repentance the most divine? The deadliest sin, I say, were that same supercilious consciousness of no sin;—that is death; the heart so conscious is divorced from sincerity, humility and fact; is dead: it is 'pure' as dead dry sand is pure."—"Heroes and Hero-Worship," Lecture II.

Condemnation Measured by Culpability.—They who refuse to repent will be damned; they damn themselves by that refusal. But damnation is not necessarily permanent, and like salvation or exaltation, it exists in degrees. The degree of condemnation is according to the measure of culpability in those condemned. Even the damned, who repent, can be saved.

Some Souls Incapable of Repentance.—Some sinners cannot repent. Their sins are of such a heinous character as to preclude it. The spirit of repentance cannot lay hold upon them. T heir conduct has so grieved it, that it is completely withdrawn. Consequently they cannot repent, and that is what makes their case hopeless. If they could repent, they could be forgiven; but not being able to repent, the pardoning power cannot reach them. There would be no unpardonable sin if all sinners were capable of repentance. Those who cannot repent, who have committed the sin unpardonable, are called sons of perdition.

A Hint from Shakespeare.—Apropos of the inability to repent, Shakespeare gives a philosophic hint in his tragedy of "Hamlet." Claudius, brother to the king of Denmark, has murdered the king in order to obtain his crown and queen. But remorse gnaws at the murderer's conscience—not a godly remorse, leading to repentance, but the terror that guilty souls feel at the prospect of judgment and retribution. Claudius kneels to pray, but can only pray with his lips, his heart being far from God. It is therefore no prayer at all. "The soul's sincere desire" is lacking.

"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;Words without thoughts never to heaven go."

So says the murderous monarch, as he rises from his knees. Prior to his ineffectual attempt to supplicate the Throne of Grace, he thus soliloquizes:

"My fault is past. But O what form of prayerCan serve my turn? 'Forgive me my foul murder?'That cannot be, since I am still possessedOf those effects for which I did the murder,My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.May one be pardoned and retain the offense?* * * * * *"Try what repentance can: what can it not?Yet what can it when one can not repent?"("Hamlet," Act. III, Scene III.)

The unpardonable sin involves utter recreancy to divine light and power previously possessed. It is the sin against the Holy Ghost; but one must first receive the Holy Ghost before he is capable of sinning against it. Such a sin can be committed only by men who have been equipped with every qualification for celestial glory.

The Sons of Perdition.—"Thus saith the Lord, concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers there of, and suffered themselves, through the power of the devil, to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—

"They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born,

"For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity;

"Concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come,

"Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father—having crucified him unto themselves, and put him to an open shame.

"They are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels,

"And the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power;

"Wherefore, he saves all except them." (D.&C. 76:31-37,44.)

The Saved and Glorified.—But the saved are rewarded according to their works. The glorified differ like the sun, moon, and stars, typifying, respectively, celestial, terrestrial, and telestial conditions. They who cannot abide any of these conditions, "are not meet for a kingdom of glory," and the utterly disobedient, who will to abide in sin, are fated to "remain filthy still" (D&C 88:22-35).

The Celestial Glory.—The inheritors of celestial exaltation, the highest degree of glory, are they who render to the Great Giver the fulness of their obedience, manifesting a willingness to lay all upon the altar at his bidding. In short, "to do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" (Abr. 3:25).

"They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given,

"That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power.

"And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.

"They are they who are the Church of the first born.

"They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—

"They are they who are Priests and Kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory,

"And are Priests of the Most High, after the order to Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son;

"Wherefore, as it is written, they are Gods, even the sons of God—

"Wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's and Christ is God's. * * *

"These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ for ever and ever.

"These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven, to reign on the earth over his people.

"These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection.

"These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just. * * *

"These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical."—(D.&C. 76:51-59, 62-65, 70.)

The Terrestrial Glory.—They who receive not the gospel here, but receive it hereafter; they who die without law; also "honorable men of the earth, blinded by the craftiness of men;"—

"These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness;

"These are they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father;

"Wherefore they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun.

"These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God.—(D.& C. 76:76-79.)

The Telestial World.—Concerning the inhabitants of the telestial world, it is written:

"These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus.

"These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit.

"These are they who are thrust down to hell.

"These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil, until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work.

"These are they who receive not of his fulness in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial:

"And also the telestial receive it of the administering of angels who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed to be ministering spirits for them, for they shall be heirs of salvation. * * *

"These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.

"These are they who suffer the wrath of God on the earth.

"These are they who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.

"These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fulness of times when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work. * * *

"And they shall be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end." (D.&C. 76:82-88, 103-106, 112.)

"And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is one.

"And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon is one.

"And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one, for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world." (D.&C. 76:96-98; 1 Cor. 15:40,41.)

A Nautical Illustration.—Thirty years ago I was crossing the Atlantic on an ocean liner. I was a first cabin passenger, and besides myself there were forty or fifty others in that part of the vessel. The second cabin had about twice as many passengers, and in the steerage were several hundred more. I found that the first cabin berths—secured by a fortunate few—were not only the best furnished, but the most favorably situated for comfort, convenience, and safety. The food was of the choicest, every possible courtesy was shown to the passengers, and they had the full freedom of the ship. They might go down into the second cabin, or lower down, into the steerage, at will, and return without hindrance or question. They had paid for these privileges, and were therefore entitled to them. The captain and other officers were their associates.

It was different in the second cabin. There the food was not so good, the berths were not so comfortable, and the privileges were fewer. The passengers there might descend into the steerage, but were not permitted upon the upper deck. In the steerage, conditions were even less favorable. The food was still poorer, and the restrictions yet more rigid. The occupants of that section were not allowed even in the second cabin. Having paid only for steerage accommodations, these were all they could consistently claim.

Viewing the situation, I said to myself, What a striking analogy of the final destiny of the human race, as set forth in the revelations of God! All men rewarded according to their works, and saved according to their merits in the eternal mansions of the Father! And I then and there resolved anew that I would be a first cabin passenger on the good ship Zion, over the ocean of life, into the haven of celestial glory.

Men's Desires a Basis of Judgment.—At a date subsequent to February 16, 1832, when Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received that wonderful vision, portraying the celestial, terrestrial and telestial glories, the heavens were again opened to the Prophet, who thus describes what he saw:

"I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire; also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold. I saw Fathers Adam and Abraham, and my father and mother, my brother, Alvin, that has long since slept, and marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set His hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins.

"Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying—

"All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom, for I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.

"And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability, are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven." (History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 380.)

Grades of Celestial Glory.—The Prophet also taught that there are grades of glory, even in the celestial kingdom; his exact language being: "In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees" (D&C 131:1).

CHAPTER V

Water and Spirit Birth

The Initial Ceremony.—As faith is the first principle of the gospel of Christ, so baptism is the initial ceremony. Baptism is twofold, corresponding to the soul, its subject, which is both spiritual and temporal. It signifies for that soul rebirth and illumination.

"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

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

So said the King of that kingdom, the only One empowered to prescribe conditions upon which men might become his subjects, or his fellow citizens, in that heavenly common-wealth where he shines first and foremost among the sons of God.

Jesus to Nicodemus.—Jesus, when he uttered those words, was speaking to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, a Pharisee, and, as some suppose, a member of the Sanhedrim. Favorably inclined toward the unpopular Nazarene, yet too politic to be seen associating with him openly, Nicodemus came to him by night, avowing a belief that he was "a teacher come from God." In response to this confession of faith, Jesus taught Nicodemus the doctrine embodied in the lines I have quoted.

A Subject of Controversy.—"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Probably no theme connected with the gospel of Christ has caused more controversy than this positive and important declaration, the meaning of which, however plain to Christians anciently, has been a matter of uncertainty to their successors all down the centuries. From the days of the early Greek fathers of the Christian Church, to the days of St. Augustine, the great theologian of the Western or Roman Catholic division of that church; from his time to the time of Luther and Calvin, and thence on into the present age, men have disputed over the significance of those sacred words, over the mystical birth of water and of spirit, declared by the world's Redeemer to be the doorway to his Church, the portal of admittance into his kingdom.

What is Baptism?—Over the general meaning of the phrase, "born of water and of the Spirit," there may have been no serious contention. In all or most of the Christian denominations, Catholic and Protestant, that phrase means baptism, the ordinance whereby a person is initiated into the Church. But what does baptism mean? That is the problem. The significance, form, purpose, and effects of the ordinance, and whether or not it is necessary to salvation—these questions have furnished the backbone of the controversy. And yet they are questions easily answered, problems readily solved, if we take the Holy Spirit for our guide, and wrest not the Scriptures.

The Savior's Example.—The New Testament teaches plainly the necessity of baptism. The words of Jesus, already quoted, may be reinforced by the following passages:

"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

"But John forbade Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

"And Jesus, answering, said unto him: Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him." (Matthew 3:13-15.)

A Universal Requirement.—If it was becoming in the Son of God to be baptized, it is becoming in all who follow in his footsteps and hope to be with him hereafter. They must be baptized with the baptism that he was baptized with—not only the baptism of suffering, through which "the captain of our salvation" was "made perfect," but the baptism of water and of spirit, received by him at the River Jordan, nineteen centuries ago.

King and Subject.—Can you conceive of a kingdom in which the king is required to obey the laws ordained for its government, while his subjects are not required to obey them? Far more likely, is it not, that the king, rather than the subject, would be exempt from such obedience? But the laws of God's kingdom are just and impartial, bearing with equal pressure upon all. "The Son doeth nothing but what he hath seen the Father do;" nor does he require of us what he himself is not willing to render. "Follow me," is the watchward of his mission, and it applies to baptism as much as to anything.

To Fulfil All Righteousness.—True, baptism is "for the remission of sins" (Mark 1:4; Acts 2:38) and Jesus "grew up without sin unto salvation." Hence, there was no sin in him to remit. Why, then, was he baptized? John saw this point when Jesus presented himself for baptism: "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" While we cannot impute sin to the sinless, and say that Jesus was baptized, like an ordinary man, for the remission of his sins, we can and should take him at his word, that it was becoming in him, and is becoming in us, to be baptized, in order "to fulfil all righteousness."

Necessity of Baptism Not Obviated by Christ's Baptism.—Some hold that Jesus was baptized vicariously for original sin, the sin of the world, resulting from the transgression of Adam. That load of guilt, it is argued, had to be remitted, and hence the Savior, who had taken the burden upon him, was baptized that it might be washed away. I cannot vouch for the correctness of that view; but this I know: The baptism of Jesus did not obviate the necessity of baptism, any more than his suffering of the pangs of every man, woman and child (2 Ne.9:21, 22), did away with human suffering. Men still suffer, notwithstanding that infinite atonement—necessary, in order that the resurrection might pass upon all men. And they must still be baptized for the remission of their own sins, notwithstanding the baptism of "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Christ plainly taught, after his own baptism, the necessity of baptism as a universal requirement, obligatory upon all capable of faith and repentance.

Little Children Exempt.—The only class exempt are infants, or children young enough to be without sin. Obviously they cannot repent, and are therefore not fit subjects for baptism. Jesus said: "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Again: "Except ye humble yourselves and become as this little child, ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven." This shows not only that little children are sinless, but that they are types of the innocence and purity required of men and women, who, because not sinless, must be baptized and have their sins remitted, before they can enter into that kingdom where no sin, no uncleanness, can come. For this cause—that men and women must "become as little children" before entering there—baptism, the doorway, is compared to a birth, the entry of an infant into life. For this reason also, converts to Christ in ancient times were referred to as "new-born babes." Peter so styled them (2:2); and the first principles of the gospel, those easiest to comprehend, to mentally digest, were termed both by him and by Paul, "the milk of the word," in contradistinction to "the meat of the word"—advanced principles and mysteries (1 Pet. 2:2; Heb. 5:12-14; 1 Cor. 3:2). The effect of baptism is to make men childlike, not in ignorance, nor in physical weakness, but in innocence and humility.

Mormon to Moroni.—Upon this theme Mormon writes thus to his son Moroni, voicing the word of the Lord:

"Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me.

"And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children.

"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. * * *

"Little children cannot repent; wherefore it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are alive in him because of his mercy. * * * The power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing." (Moroni 8:8-10, 19, 22.)

Children Become Accountable.—As children advance in years, however, they become accountable, and then, like adults, they must yield obedience to the requirements of the gospel. The Lord explained this matter to Adam in these words:

"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.

"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.

"Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in no wise 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.

"Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:

"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;

"For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified." (Moses 6:55-60.)

Early Christian Views.—The earliest Christians did not doubt the necessity of baptism. On the contrary, they strongly insisted upon it, as indispensable to a saved condition. During the Patristic age—that of the early fathers, following the apostles—the conviction that no soul could be saved without baptism was so firm that it led to pedobaptism—the baptism of infants, and to other innovations upon the primitive faith. It was seen that infants could not believe in Christ, nor repent of sins that they had not committed; but it was held that the church, or those who stood sponsor for the little ones, could believe for them, and they were baptized for original sin, the sin of Adam, which they were supposed to have inherited. Peter's words in promising the Holy Ghost: "For the promise is unto you and to your children" (Acts 2:39), were construed to sustain infant baptism. It was even assumed that the Savior authorized it in saying, "Suffer little children to come unto me," the inference being that they could come unto him only by baptism.

Pedobaptism.—Holders of these ideas have never explained why infant baptism did not become prevalent until two or three centuries after Christ, and why such eminent Christians of the fourth century as Gregory, of Nazianzum, the son of a bishop; Basil the Great, of Cappadocia; Chrysostom of Antioch, and Augustine of Numidia—whose mothers were the most pious of Christians—were not baptized until they were over thirty years of age. Paul's affirmation that "children are holy" (1 Cor. 7:14), the Savior's declaration, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven," and Mormon's words to Moroni, already cited, are a sufficient answer to the assumption that children under the age of accountability have need to be baptized. Those who introduced the practice of baptizing infants for original sin, overlooked the fact that Christ atoned for original guilt, and that men are accountable for their own sins and not for Adam's transgression.