Writing in a Sunday School manual for the Church, M. Lynn Bennion and
J.A. Washburn wrote the following about water baptism being the instrumental means
of one’s initial remission of sins and being “born again” (baptismal
regeneration) as well as the issue of post-baptismal sins and the forgiveness
thereof:
The Two-fold Purpose of Baptism
Shortly after you
were baptized, you were confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. You could not have become a member of the Church and kingdom
of God without first being baptized. Jesus said: “. . . Except a man be born
[baptized] of water and of Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5,
13-16.) Jesus Himself set the example and was baptized by John saying, “ . . .
Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness .
. .” (Matthew 3:15.) Baptism acts as the door into the Church—the kingdom of
God, as well as for the remission of sins.
There is still
another phase of baptism. Suppose a man is forty years old when he is baptized.
If he has repented and complied with the necessary requirements, it is clear
that his past sins are remitted. But what of the future? He still is not
perfect—there will be mistakes in the future no matter how hard he tries to
live perfectly.
The same rule holds
good for the future. One acknowledges his sins and honestly tried to overcome
them, then baptism holds good for past, present, and future. It is like a
two-edged sword; it cuts both ways—going and coming.
Baptism, then, is for
the remission of sin. It is the door into the kingdom of God, and it is in
force for all periods of life, past, present, and future. (M. Lynn Bennion and
J.A. Washburn, Principles of the Restored
Church at Work [Course 13 for the Sunday Schools of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints; Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1958], 72-73)
