The Restored Church

This week I had the opportunity of teaching Sunday School in my ward. This gave the opportunity to focus on the restoration of the Priesthood through the prophet Joseph Smith. This happened when John the Baptist appeared to Joseph and Oliver Cowdery on May 15^th, 1829 in Harmony, Pennsylvania. This was important because after the death of the Apostles, the Church fell into apostasy. The leaders became wicked and the Priesthood power and authority was lost from the earth. The essential, saving, ordinances which are necessary for salvation were changed and distorted over time. One of the most important ordinances which was changed from its proper form was baptism.

John the Baptist was sent before the Savior to teach the preparatory Gospel of the Aaronic Priesthood. The Bible records John saying “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Matthew 3:11). As Latter-day Saints we believe that baptism is properly performed when a person having authority, such as John the Baptist, baptizes someone by immersion (going completely under the water) who is of an accountable age (8 years old). We can see how this has been changed by many religions. Most people are baptized today when they are infants. We believe that children are not accountable for their sins because they are not able to commit sin (see Mosiah 3:16). Baptism nowadays in large part is performed by “sprinkling,” and not by immersion. It was a rather interesting thing during my time in Europe to go into a Catholic and see a picture of the Savior standing in the Jordan River with John sprinkling water on Him. I just can not see that happening. I’m glad that the Priesthood authority has been restored and that the ordinances necessary for salvation have been returned to their proper state.