The need for each individual to be baptized as an act of repentance and the vehicle by which they access the spiritual blessings of the covenant is more explicitly addressed in the Book of Mormon than it is in the Bible. “The Torah never requires immersion as a component of repentance. Immersion in water accomplishes ritual purification, but the Torah does not prescribe it as a repentance-ritual. In rabbinic thought, however, ritual immersion can symbolize the spiritual washing obtained by true repentance” [d]. Joseph Smith taught “‘Baptism is a sign ordained of God, for the believer in Christ to take upon himself in order to enter into the kingdom of God,’ and again more explicitly, ‘Baptism is a sign to God, to angels, and to heaven that we do the will of God’” [b]. The Book of Mormon is replete with examples of baptism for repentance and individual commitments to keep the commandments. Salvation however does not come from the act of baptism alone but must be extended by God and ultimately repentance and baptism are only one step in the salvation process.

Patterns of Salvation

In his work “A Word of Warning and Instruction”, Parley P. Pratt examines the account of Pentecost in the book of Acts and identifies a 5-step process by which individuals receive salvation and adoption into the Kingdom of God [e]. Noel B. Reynolds, in a paper published in BYU Studies Quarterly, identifies a similar multi-step process that is repeated in numerous Book of Mormon accounts that he calls “the principal elements of the gospel message” [b]. This principle is also called the “doctrine of Christ” (2 Nephi 31) and is that salvation comes as a result of a series of actions taken on the part of both God the Father and the convert. It begins when “men and women encounter the gospel first as a commandment or invitation to repent and come unto Christ” and they respond with faith in the good news that is offered to them. This faith then results in a decision to repent, or turn away from, whatever is at odds with the commandments of Christ. Repentance is followed by the convert’s act of baptism, to which the Father responds with the remission of sin and giving the gift of the Holy Ghost. The convert is then to “endure to the end” in order to receive the fullness of the covenantal blessings. The archetype for this pattern is found in the narrative of the first Passover, which was a defining moment for the nation of Israel and forms the basis for their identity as a people group that has covenanted with God.

1. Faith
2. Repentance
3. Baptism in water
4. Baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost
5. Enduring to the end

The Baptism of Israel

The first step in the pattern of salvation is that of faith. But faith does not spring forth in the heart of a person fully formed, doubt always precedes faith. Faith grows as we hear the words of God through the scriptures, through prophets, and even as we see Him at work in our lives. When faced with the undeniable reality of God’s calling for his life Moses’s first response was one of doubt. “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3:11)?” Moses didn’t start out as the great prophet “in the similitude of the Only Begotten”, he grew into that identity with each action he took to follow the instruction of the Lord to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. Often expressing his doubts and insecurities to God each step of the way. The children of Israel likewise often expressed their doubts even after an initial burst of faith. When Moses first appeared to them and showed them the signs of God they believed him and his message, initially. But when deliverance didn’t come quickly and hardships increased, the children of Israel expressed their doubts in the promises of God and in Moses. Yet each time there was an action that needed to be taken, in faith the people would place the blood over their lintels, eat the first Passover, and cross through the sea. Faith and doubt go hand in hand and there is no faith where there is not first doubt. What defines faith is the action that is taken in the face of doubts. 

Faith is then followed by repentance; in Hebrew the word for repentance is teshuva, which means “returning” and in Jewish thought it is a returning to the reality of our divine nature as children of God created in his image [f]. It is a turning away from “Egypt” which is a symbol of the “evil powers of this world”. The children of Israel demonstrated their repentance and desire to live up to their identity and divine nature every time they turned away from their doubts, which they had with each new challenge or hardship, and chose faith in the words of God through Moses. In the end acting on that faith when they followed Moses out of Egypt, and with each new test at the Red Sea, the waters of Marah, the manna in the wilderness of Sin, and the rock in Horeb. The children of Israel were often called to repentance over their rebelliousness and lack of faith which often showed in their cries of “why didn’t you just leave us in Egypt”. In this world only Christ has lived a life of perfect faith and did not need to repent. Faith and repentance are therefore inseparable elements that exist as two sides of the same coin. Repentance is an act of faith in which the convert turns away from “Egypt” and returns to their divine nature as a child of God; faith is believing in what God has said about our identity and making choices about how we act accordingly.