Baptism by Immersion

"Baptism by immersion" is the phrase The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon Church) uses to describe baptism in which a person's entire body is put under water and then brought back up. In fact, according to Mormon belief, unless every part of the body (including hair) goes under water the baptism is not valid, and must be done again.

In the LDS Bible Dictionary it states:

Baptism: From a Greek word meaning to dip or immerse. Baptism in water is the introductory ordinance of the gospel, and must be followed by baptism of the Spirit in order to be complete…. Baptism has always been practiced whenever the gospel of Jesus Christ has been on the earth and has been taught by men holding the holy priesthood who could administer the ordinances.

The action of baptism contains symbolic meaning. It symbolizes "death, burial and resurrection, and can only be done by immersion" (Bible Dictionary). From the Bible we know that John the Baptist and Philip baptized by immersion. In Matthew 3, Jesus goes to John the Baptist to be baptized, the baptism occurs in the River Jordan. If other methods of baptism were acceptable, they would not have taken the time to go to a large body of water. The same applies to Philip in Acts 8:37-39 when he baptizes the Eunuch.

When Christ went to John the Baptist and asked to be baptized John protested saying that he needed to be baptized by Christ. Christ answered, "Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him." Essentially Christ explains that baptism is needed to receive salvation. For Latter-day Saints, baptism is the first step required to gain entry into heaven. The Bible Dictionary states, "Baptism in water has several purposes. It is for the remission of sins, for membership in the Church, and for entrance into the Celestial Kingdom, it is also the doorway to personal sanctification when followed by the reception of the Holy Ghost." This statement points out another essential part of baptism, which is receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. When Christ was baptized the Holy Ghost fell upon Him in the form of a dove.

The Bible is vague about baptism before Christ, but through modern day revelation and Joseph Smith's translation of both the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price, Mormons are taught that all the true prophets of Christ practiced baptism. In Moses 6:64-68 we learn that Adam, the first prophet was baptized.

The age that is appropriate for baptism is another point where Mormons differ from other religions. The Bible does not give a specific age for baptism but it is apparent that a person must be old enough to have an understanding of the ordinance, and be accountable for their decision. Modern day revelation sets the minimum age for baptism at eight years old. In the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 17:11 it reads, "And I will establish a covenant of circumcision with thee, and it shall be my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations; that thou mayest know for ever that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old." This same idea is revealed in D&C 20: 71 and D&C 68: 25-28.

For More Information

Baptism in Mormonism

Questions about Baptism