Baptism is the gateway ordinance by which one enters the kingdom of God.
We covenant to serve Him and one another, to bear one another's burdens, to obey his commandments, and to remember Him always. In return, He promises that we can have his spirit to be with us.
In the performance of this ordinance, we are immersed in water. This is symbolic of several things, such as being washed clean from our sins, or burial of the old sinful self and resurrection as a new-born child of God.
Jesus said, "Except a man be born of the water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Once we are baptized and confirmed, we are officially members of the Lord's church, and we have begun the path of ordinances that will lead us back to Him.
Baptism is incomplete if not accompanied by the gift of the Holy Ghost, which will be next week's subject.
What does all of this mean to me? It means that a loving God has provided a way for me to be cleansed of sin, enter his church, and begin on the road home to Him. It means that He has provided authorized agents who hold his priesthood, and who can perform the ordinance of baptism with his full authority and backing.
It is yet another evidence of his love for us.
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