"Buried in the Water in His Name"

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon experienced a series of visions recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 76, and commonly referred to as "The Vision." Among other things they saw the Father and the Son and bear testimony to the world of the living reality of the Son of God.

They also bear witness of the resurrection of the just. And it was upon the subject of the resurrection as recorded in the Gospel of John that prompted this vision.  They speak of the resurrection of the just using the following language:

"And again we bear record—for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just—

They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—

That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power;

And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true" (D&C 76: 50-53).


Today, I took my normal Saturday walk. And needing a restroom and finding the one at a local grocery store locked, I proceeded on my walk. I soon encountered a stake center near my walking route and seeing cars parked outside and realizing it is the first Saturday of the month, I knew baptisms would be going on and the doors would be open.

Sporting casual pants and a tee shirt and equipped with headphones covered with a stocking cap to mitigate the noise of the wind, I entered the building and probably looked more like a vagabond than a saint. It wasn't my intention, but I garnered some puzzled stares while a sacred ordinance was taking place.

A brother, who was probably listening to the Spirit, gave me directions to the restroom without my asking. I passed by the baptismal font, and it was apparent that someone had just received that sacred ordinance, being buried with Jesus in those holy, special, and cleansing waters.

I cannot witness a baptism without thinking of the beautiful doctrine illustrated by Paul, as he describes, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6: 3-4).

What makes baptism so special? Is it the words of the baptismal prayer and other prayers recited verbatim? We know we take His name upon us, and it is renewed each time we partake of the sacrament. But like other ordinances, it becomes most endearing and sweet as those special words become written in the heart as ordinances are "sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise." We can walk with others in "newness of life" and become living examples, or Paul would say, living epistles, as the gospel law is "written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart" (2 Corinthians 3: 3).

As I walked down the halls of this church, I heard the beautiful singing of children, as their chorus proclaimed, "I'm trying to be like Jesus." I can't describe how good it sounded--how good it feels.

As a recovering addict, still trying to recover from addictions, I've tried the walk with Him and without Him. Walking with Him yields newness of life, newness of Spirit, newness of hopes, newness of His grace, and newness of dreams.

What a great day to walk with Him.