WHAT IS
THE PURPOSE OF BAPTISM?
It is for remission of sins we personally commit, or is it to
remit the Original Sin of Adam and Eve and free us from its consequences? To determine
this let us first ask what is the result of the original sin of Adam and Eve
from which some say we are freed by baptism?
To understand what the original was, and what it brought into
the world, let us again resort to the scriptures:
Genesis 2:17
Catholic Bible: “But of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou
shalt eat of it, THOU SHALT DIE THE DEATH.”
King James Bible: “But of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in
the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
American Translation (Smith & Goodspeed): “From
every tree in the garden you are free to eat; but from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil you must not eat; for the day that you eat of it you
shall certainly die.”
New Revised Version: “But of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day
that you eat of it you shall die.”
Genesis 3:3-4
Catholic Bible: “But of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not
eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die. And the serpent said
to the woman: o, you shall not die the death.”
King James Bible: “But of
the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye
shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent
said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:”
American Translation (Smith & Goodspeed): “ . . .
it is only concerning the fruit of the tree which is in the idle of the garden
that God has said, ‘You may not eat any of it, nor touch it, lest you die.’ But
the serpent said to the woman, ‘You would not die at all; . . .’”
New Revised Version: “but God
said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the
garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ But the serpent said to the
woman, ‘You will not die.’”
1 Corinthians 15:21-22
Catholic Bible: “For by a man came death,
and by a man the resurrection of the dead. And as in Adam all die, so also in
Christ all shall be made alive.”
King James Bible: “For
since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as
in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
American Translation (Smith & Goodspeed): “For
since it was through a man that we have death, it is through a man also that we
have the raising of the dead. For just as because of their relation to Adam
all men die, so because of their relation to Christ they will all be brought to
life again.”
New Revised Version: “For as
by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For
as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
Greek New Testament: (Literal translation
into English by Berry.) “For since by man (is) death, also by man resurrection
of (the) dead. As for in Adam all die, so also in the Christ all shall be made
alive.”
From a reading of these scriptures it is plain that the original
sin brought death into the world. What does away with death? Baptism? Or Christ’s
resurrection?
The scriptures quoted above from 1 Corinthians 15 are
sufficient to show that death is overcome through the resurrection of
Christ, which brings about our resurrection. So it is not baptism at all which
does away with the result of Original Sin. It is Christ’s resurrection. Therefore,
we are not baptized to do away with the Original Sin.
What is baptism for then? It is for remission of
which we ourselves personally commit, and of which we are expected to repent. (Mark
E. Petersen, One Lord, One Faith! [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1962], 123-25,
emphasis in bold added)
Further Reading on the Salvific Efficacy of Water Baptism
I have written a full-length book addressing water baptism and related topics (e.g., two appendices refuting imputed righteousness):
"Born of Water and of the Spirit": The Biblical Evidence for Baptismal Regeneration
If one wants a free copy (PDF format), you can contact me at:
ScripturalMormonismATgmailDOTcom
