Jesus Christ invites everyone
everywhere to come unto him and be baptized. The requirements are
simple and are not controlled or managed by men or institutions . . .
only by God himself.
“Those who believe Christ's doctrine will need to have the baptism you will minister to survive the judgments to come. This is the only way they can face Him when He comes again.” Preserving the Restoration page 21
So
what is the doctrine of Christ?
“Behold,
verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine.
And
this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father
hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and
the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth
record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father
commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
And
whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved;
and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And
whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record
of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth
in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me,
for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy
Ghost.
And
thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will
bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and
the Holy Ghost are one.
And
again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a
little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise
receive these things.
And
again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and
become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the
kingdom of God.
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
And
whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish
it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my
rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the
gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the
winds beat upon them.
Therefore,
go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken,
unto the ends of the earth.” 3 Nephi 11:31-41
After being taught the doctrine of Christ, this is what Alma did:
“And
it came to pass after many days there were a goodly number gathered
together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all
were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he
did teach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and
redemption, and faith on the Lord.
And
it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters
of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to
come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and
are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
Yea,
and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea,
and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as
witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all
places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed
of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection,
that ye may have eternal life—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? And now when the people had heard these words,
they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire
of our hearts.
And
now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being one of the first,
and went and stood forth in the water, and cried, saying: O Lord,
pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with
holiness of heart.
And
when he had said these words, the Spirit of the Lord was
upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from
the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into
acovenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body;
and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he
grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom
he has prepared from the foundation of the world.
And
after Alma had said these words, both Alma and Helam were buried in
the water; and they arose and came forth out of the water rejoicing,
being filled with the Spirit.” Mosiah 18:7-14
If
this is the desire of your heart, come forth and be baptized :)
“And
this I do that I may establish my gospel, that there may not be so
much contention; yea, Satan doth stir up the
hearts of the people to contention concerning the points of
my doctrine; and in these things they do err, for they do wrest the
scriptures and do not understand them.
Therefore,
I will unfold unto them this great mystery;
For,
behold, I will gather them as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings, if they will not harden their hearts;
Yea,
if they will come, they may, and partake of the waters of
life freely.
Behold,
this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me,
the same is my church.
Whosoever declareth more
or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me;
therefore he is not of my church.
And
now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my
church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
And
now, remember the words of him who is the life and light of
the world, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God.
Amen.” D&C 10:64-70
