Baptism

Feel the Spirit More Abundantly

Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

Mosiah 18:10

Ye Speak With the Tongue of Angels

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.

2 Nephi 31:13

Always Have His Spirit

Each week in sacrament meeting we promise to remember the atoning sacrifice of our Savior as we renew our baptismal covenant. We promise to do as the Savior did—to be obedient to the Father and always keep His commandments. The blessing we receive in return is to always have His Spirit to be with us.

Robert D. Hales - “The Covenant of Baptism” - October 2000 General Conference

The Comforter

And this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom.

Doctrine and Covenants 39:6

The Gateway into His Kingdom

Elder Robert D. Hales said: “Many members of the Church do not fully understand what happened when they went into the waters of baptism.” He then asked:

Do [we] understand . . . that when [we were] baptized [we were] changed forever? . . .

. . . Our baptism and confirmation is the gateway into His kingdom. When we enter, we covenant to be of His kingdom—forever!

Rosemary M. Wixom - “The Covenant Path” - BYU Speech March 12, 2013

Remission of Your Sins

Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

2 Nephi 31:17

A More Perfect Life

Repentance precedes baptism. And baptism itself is an ordinance to wash away former sins. So the washing in water symbolized the purification of our souls, just as bathing in water cleanses our bodies from the grime and dirt of everyday living and makes us feel refreshed again. But baptism symbolizes something more.

It is the beginning of a new life. Just as the resurrection purges the dross and imperfections of mortality and renews and perfects the body, so baptism cleanses the soul from sin and prepares a person to lead a better, more perfect life in the future. We can see how apt Paul’s simile was in which he compared baptism with death and the resurrection.

Theodore M. Burton - “A Born-Again Christian” - BYU Speech October 26, 1982

Will Open The Door to Every Spiritual Blessing.

It is important to remember that taking the Savior’s name upon us is a covenant commitment—beginning with the covenant we make at baptism. President Nelson has taught, “[Our] commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available.” One of the supernal privileges of taking the Savior’s name upon us by baptism is the access it provides to the next ordinance on the covenant path, our confirmation

Paul B, Pieper - “All Must Take upon Them the Name Given of the Father” - General Conference October 2018