I noticed the above short video by Kelly Powers in which he criticizes the beliefs and teachings of Latter-day Saints. He raises two main objections. The first relates to the need for water baptism for salvation; and also the gift of the Holy Ghost necessarily following water baptism. His argument is that water baptism is not a requirement for salvation; nor a necessary prerequisite for receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. That is his first argument—which is unbiblical. Here are some references:
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.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Peter does not qualify his statement by adding, “But if you are not baptized, don’t worry about it, you will still be okay.” Here is another:
Acts 19:
1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Again, baptism is made both a requirement for salvation, as well as a necessary prerequisite for receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. If the baptism of John which they had previously received was sufficient, why did they need to be baptized again, in the name of Jesus, before they could receive the gift of the Holy Ghost? Here another:
Acts 8:
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Again, baptism in the name of Jesus precedes receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. Another example:
Acts 22:
16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Again, baptism is made a prerequisite for the remission of sins, which in turn is a prerequisite for obtaining the gift of the Holy Ghost. Here are some more:
Romans 6:
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 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.
1 Corinthians 6:
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed [of their sins, by baptism], but ye are sanctified [made holy, by receiving the Holy Ghost], but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 12:
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Galatians 3:
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Titus 3:
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration [baptism], and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
1 Peter 3:
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
In the video he focuses a lot on John 3:5:
John 3:
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, 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.
His argument being that verse 5 does not explicitly mention water baptism—as if that is somehow the only biblical proof text for baptism, which of course it is not. He also focuses on Mark 16:16:
Mark 16:
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not [and consequently not baptized] shall be damned.
His argument being that in verse 16, it does not explicitly mention “not baptized”—which is a meaningless and nonsensical objection, because it doesn’t need to be. Baptism follows faith, belief in the gospel, and repentance. Why would they want to be “baptized” if they haven’t “believed”?
Another objection he raises to LDS theology is belief in vicarious baptisms (and other sacraments) for the dead—his argument being that once you are dead, you don’t get a “second chance”. He has badly misunderstood that as well. The LDS doctrine of vicarious baptism for the dead doesn’t mean that you get a “second chance”. If you have knowingly and willfully rejected the message of the restored gospel in this life, you don’t get a “second chance”. LDS doctrine of vicarious baptisms are intended for those who have not had a first chance. There are two points to be made here. Firstly, in LDS theology, the various ordinances or sacraments of the gospel—including baptism, confirmation (laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost) etc., require a valid priesthood authority to perform them, which currently only the LDS Church possesses, and no other church does—nor has had since the first century. Therefore if you have previously been baptized, or received such ordinances through other channels, that doesn’t count. You need to receive them again, by proper priesthood authority—in order for it to be valid, and be in force in heaven—which only the LDS Church possesses, and no other church does. Vicarious baptisms (and other sacraments) for the dead are intended to fulfil that requirement. That is the first point. The second point is that once you have had a proper chance to accept the fullness of the gospel in this life, and knowingly and willfully rejected it (like he is doing right now), you don’t get a second chance; your fate is sealed. And as far as biblical references are concerned, the Bible affirms baptisms for the dead:
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?
Baptisms for the dead were performed in the ancient church, in the days of Paul. We also have this biblical passage:
1 Peter 3:
18 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:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Jesus after his crucifixion, and during the three day period between his death and resurrection, spent his time in the spirit-would, preaching the gospel to the spirits of the dead. Why would he want to do that, if it didn’t provide them with the chance to repent, accept the gospel message, and obtain salvation through faith, repentance, (vicarious) baptisms for the dead, and other necessary (vicarious) sacraments?
And lastly, he has titled his video, “What is the Gospel?”. That also requires a response. The “gospel” is literally the “good news” of the salvific and redemptive work of Jesus Christ, which is received through faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands of those having proper priesthood authority to perform them, as expressed in the Bible verses quoted above, as well as in articles 3-5 of the LDS Articles of Faith (emphasis added).
Articles of Faith:
3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
And that is not the same as “works salvation”. We don’t “save ourselves by our own works”. We are saved by God when we do what he says—not the same thing. And the LDS Church is the only church on earth at the present time which has the necessary priesthood authority to perform those sacraments—both for the living and the dead. No other church does.
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