Baptism By Immersion

It is often asked why members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in baptism by immersion, when many modern churches practice baptism by sprinkling. The most important reason is because that is how Jesus was baptized (as the root of baptism means to immerse). However, there is also beautiful symbolism that lies behind baptism by immersion.

Baptism by immersion represents the death and resurrection of Christ and our own death and resurrection unto eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the body is laid to rest in the cold dark tomb, the waters of baptism envelope us as we enter in and then by the power of one holding authority we are raised from that same tomb. He who holds the authority of the Priesthood acts in behalf of the Savior and thus it should be interpreted to mean that as we fall into the grasp of spiritual death by our own doings, it is the Lord and only He who raises us up and lifts us from the depths of sin and sorrow. It is He who in reality takes us by the hand and lifts us to the heights of heaven that we may partake of His glory and redemption. It is likewise only through the Savior’s infinite power that we are raised from death unto life that we may live eternally with the Father.

Baptism in and of itself is not enough to save one from spiritual darkness; baptism must be accompanied by true repentance and a desire to follow the Savior. Baptism only represents the change that we must go through in order to truly be born again. When we are baptized we symbolically reenact the process that we ourselves must go through to completely be born again. As mentioned before, to enter the water represents our own spiritual death, but it also represents the reliance we put upon a higher source to pull us from these depths. He who is officiating stands above the other and lowers them unto death and again unto life, just as we must allow Christ to lower the old man of sin unto death, so as to put an end to our old ways and habitats. We then must likewise allow the Savior to lift us from this death of the old man and allow Him to make of us a new person filled with His spirit, lifted up by His own hand. This complete reliance upon the Savior is a critical part in making Him the center of our lives.