And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. (Acts 19:3-6)
In a note to his general review of New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodologies, John Tvedtnes wrote:
I have already read Acts 19:3-6 differently from most Latter-day Saints, believing verse 5 to be part of Paul’s words referring to those who heard the message of John the Baptist. If John’s baptism was of no value, it is difficult to understand why Jesus would have submitted to the ordinance. Because the baptism that John said Jesus would bring was the baptism of the Spirit (Matthew 3:11), it is logical to see Acts 19:6 as Paul’s response to the men who had “not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:2). But to baptize them again after they had received John’s baptism makes no sense to me. I may be wrong in this assessment, and the Greek text may contain nuances that my minimal exposure to that language cannot detect. (p. 46 n. 58)
I happen to agree completely with Tvedtnes on this issue, and there is much to support this interpretation. For instance, in biblical Greek there are no quotation marks, so the Greek, so whether Paul’s words end at verse 4 or 5. Furthermore, the salvific efficacy of water baptism and being baptised “into” or “unto” repentance and remission of sins indicates that water baptism, even that of John the Baptist, was not a mere symbol, and what made “Christian” baptism superior was that it was coupled with the gift of confirmation of the Holy Ghost after baptism (on baptism into/unto remission of sins, see the comments on Acts 2:38 at
Modern revelation further supports this reading and militates against the popular but errant reading:
Thou art blessed, for thou shalt do great things. Behold thou wast sent forth, even as John, to prepare the way before me, and before Elijah which should come, and thou knewest it not. Thou didst baptize by water unto repentance, but they received not the Holy Ghost; But now I give unto thee a commandment, that thou shalt baptize by water, and they shall receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, even as the apostles of old. (D&C 35:4-6)
Some might appeal to Joseph Smith once stating that baptism without being coupled without confirmation is worthless, but that is a case of reading too much into a single quotation. When Joseph Smith’s entire theology and comments on baptism are taken into consideration, he never denied baptismal regeneration; instead, he often stated that water baptism affected remission of sins, including the baptism performed by John the Baptist! Consider the following quotations, taken from
Affirmation of Baptismal Regeneration
The Baptism of John the Baptist:
It was the baptism of repentance unto the remission of sins for the receiving of the Holy Ghost, and it was the gospel baptism. (Discourse of 17 June 1843, recorded by Wilford Woodruff; WJS, 155) (p. 116)
John preached the gospel and must have preached the first principles. If so he must have preached the doctrine of baptism for the remission of sins, for that is the first principle of the gospel and was ordained before the foundation of the world. (Discourse of 22 January 1843, recorded by William Clayton; WJS, 159) (p. 116)
John came preaching the gospel for the remission of sins. He had his authority from God, and the oracles of God were with him. The kingdom of [God] for a season seemed to be with John alone . . . He preached the same gospel and baptism that Jesus and the apostles preached after him. (Discourse of 22 January 1843, recorded by Wilford Woodruff; WJS, 156-58) (p. 116)
On John 3:3-5
Baptism is a sign ordained of God for the believer in Christ to take upon himself in order to enter into the kingdom of God. For “except you are born of the water and the Spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of God,” saith the Savior, as it is a sign of command which God hath set for man to enter into his kingdom. Those who seek to enter in any other way will seek in vain, for God will not receive them, neither will the angels acknowledge their works as accepted. For they have not taken upon themselves those ordinances and signs which God ordained for man to receive in order to receive a celestial glory. And God has decreed that all who will not obey his voice shall not escape the damnation of hell. What is the damnation of hell? To go with that society who have not obeyed his commands.
Baptism is a sign to God, to angels, and to heaven, that we do the will of God, and there is no other way beneath the heavens whereby God hath ordained for man to come. Any other course is in vain. God hath decreed and ordained that man should repent of all his sins and be baptized for the remission of his sins. Then he can come to God in the name of Jesus Christ, in faith. Then we have the promise of the Holy Ghost . . . It mattereth not whether we live long or short after we come to a knowledge of these principles and obey them. I know that all men will be damned if they do not come in the way which God has appointed. (Discourse of 20 March 1842, recorded by Wilford Woodruff; WJS, 107-9) (pp. 129-30; cf. D&C 55:1)
This strong and positive answer of Jesus, as to water baptism, settles the question. If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, it is no wonder he is so positive in the great declaration: “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believes not shall be damned” [Mark 16:16]. There was no other name given under heaven, nor any other ordinance admitted, whereby men could be saved. No wonder the apostle said, “being buried with him in baptism,” ye shall rise from the dead [Rom. 6:4]. (Times and Seasons, 1 September 1842, 905) (p. 130)
On Acts 2:38-39
By this we learn that the promise of the Holy Ghost is unto as many as the doctrine of repentance was to be preached, which was unto all nations. And we discover also that the promise was to extend by lineage, for Peter says, “not only unto you, but unto your children and unto all that are afar off.” From this we infer that it was to continue unto their children’s children, and even unto as many generations as should come after, even as many as the Lord their God should call . . .
We learn from Peter that remission of sins is obtained by baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Ghost follows inevitably. For, as Peter says, “you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Therefore, we believe in preaching the doctrine of repentance in all the world, both to old and young rich and poor, bond and free . . . In order to be benefitted by the doctrine of repentance, we must believe in obtaining the remission of sins. And in order to obtain the remission of sins, we must believe in the doctrine of baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if we believe in baptism for the remission of sins, we may expect a fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Ghost, for the promise extends to all whom the Lord our God shall call. (Messenger and Advocate, September 1835, 181) (pp. 144-45)
Here you see the doctrine of repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, connected by the promise inseparably. Now I want you to consider the high standing of Peter. He was now being endowed with power from on high and held the keys of the kingdom of heaven . . . This was the character that made the glorious promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost, predicated upon the baptism for the remission of sins. And he did not say that it was confined to that generation, but see further: “or the promise is unto you, and your children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Then, if the callings of God extend unto us, we come within the purview of Peter’s promise. (Letter to Isaac Galland, from Liberty Jail, Missouri, 22 March 1839; Times and Seasons, February 1840, 55) (p. 145)
On 1 Pet 1:23
Being born again comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances. (Discourse of summer of 1839, recorded in Willard Richards’s “Pocket Companion”; WJS, 12) (p. 200)
On Acts 10:44-48 and the Holy Ghost
There is a difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Cornelius received the Holy Ghost before he was baptized, which was the convincing power of God unto him of the truth of the gospel. But he could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost until after he was baptized. And had he not taken this sign [or] ordinances upon him, the Holy Ghost, which convinced him of the truth of God, would have left him until he obeyed those ordinances and received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, according to the order of God. (Discourse of 20 March 1842, recorded by Wilford Woodruff; WJS, 108) (p. 150)
The "rebaptism" reading of Acts 19:3-6 seems rather untenable in light of (1) the ambiguity of the Greek text; (2) the salvific efficacy of water baptism in [a] New Testament and [b] Latter-day Saint theology and (3) the teachings of modern revelation and the Prophet Joseph Smith.