Writing Him on My Heart

BAPTISM

Baptism is the first ordinance of the Gospel. It is the first step towards Eternal Life. By being baptized we show Heavenly Father that “we are willing to come into His kingdom and keep His commandments” (Elder Ballard, The Covenant of Baptism, Oct. 2000). In the Book of Mormon we are reminded that baptism is a covenant (which is a promise) to “stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things, and in all places (Elder Ballard, The Covenant of Baptism, Oct. 2000).

What does it mean to stand as a witness of God?

There are three parts to standing as a witness of God. First, we covenant (or promise) to take upon us Christ’s name, which means we will become followers of Christ. Second, we promise that we will remember Jesus Christ. And third, we promise to keep the commandments even when it is difficult. There are several examples in the scriptures of prophets who have kept their baptismal covenant. One of my favorite examples is the example of Abinadi.  Abinadi was a prophet who was called to testify of Jesus Christ to the wicked people of King Noah. King Noah and his wicked priests did not like the words of Abinadi. King Noah told Abinadi that he would kill Abinadi unless he  took back what he had said against the people of King Noah. Abinadi continued to testify of Christ—he would not recall his words, and he was put to death.  As Abinadi died, he again warned the people to repent and to come unto Christ. Abinadi gave his life as a witness of the truth. I love the example of Abinadi! I love that He kept his baptismal covenants even unto death! Of all the prophets in the Book of Mormon, I have always wanted to be just like Abinadi! We may not be called to testify as Abinadi, but his example teaches us that we must choose the right even when it is difficult—that is the baptismal covenant. That is what we are promising when we are baptized!

A covenant is a two-way promise, so just like we promise to keep the commandments; Heavenly Father also makes a promise. He promises us to forgive us when we repent, to give us the gift of the Holy Ghost, and He promises that if we do this, we can live with Him again.

When we are baptized our sins are washed away.

This old tarnished penny represents what happens to us when we sin, or make mistakes. Each sin, no matter how small, adds darkness to our spirits. If we keep sinning, and don’t repent, eventually our spirits will turn as dark and ugly as this penny.

Heavenly Father loves us! And because he loves us, he has provided a way for us to forsake our sins and find a way back to Him. Through baptism, our tarnish or sins are removed.

The new penny represents us after baptism.  Baptism makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven and our “tarnish” to be removed. After baptism, we are as clean as this shiny penny.

Eight is the age of accountability, so each of you are still fresh and clean; however, there will come a time when you may get a few tarnishes. Because Jesus Christ died for us, we can repent, and every Sunday we can renew our baptismal covenant through the sacrament. It is like being baptized all over again!

Baptism is so important that Jesus Christ was baptized. Jesus didn’t need to have His “tarnish” removed, because He was perfect. He didn’t sin. Because He wanted to keep His Father’s commandments, and because He wanted to set the example for us—He too, was baptized.

As I was preparing for this talk, I wanted to know about my baptism, so I searched through my journals, and found the page in which I described my baptism. In my journal I had written one line. It reads: “I am happy I am a member of the Church.”  I am happy I am a member of this Church! Because of that choice I made many years ago, I have had so many blessings.  Today, as you get baptized, I challenge each of you to record how you feel. Remember how clean and pure you are, and then on Sunday as you renew your covenants through the sacrament, strive for those same feelings. President Monson said, “Decisions determine DESTINY”…. The decision that each of you are making, is one that will lead you on His path—it is the first step on the path to Eternal Life! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true!