Let's overlook the fact that the story in Mosiah 27 (Pages 200-201) looks remarkably similar to that of the conversion of Saul/Paul in the New Testament. Many stories in the Book of Mormon look like the familiar stories of the Bible. Were they just patterned after Bible accounts? That's a PUZZLE for another time.
Notice what happened to Alma in Mosiah 27:23-24. In one moment he is persecuting the believers, and in the next, he is on the ground, unconscious. He is out cold for a few days, and when he revives, he declares that he has "repented", he has been "redeemed of the Lord" and he has been "born of the spirit".
When did he get baptized in water? That's part of this PUZZLE. Mormonism demands that a water baptism proceeds being born of the spirit. Mormonism teaches that John 3:5 is talking about two baptisms, the first in water, and the second in and by the Spirit. It also claims that the spiritual baptism cannot happen unless men of authority lay their hands on your head to confer it as a gift.
When did these things happen to Alma? The text here states quite clearly that he jumped up and began to speak, and what he said was that he was "born of the spirit".
We should notice that the same thing happened to Paul, but after he had been born of the Spirit, he was told to go and be baptized in water. His water baptism was a proclamation of his faith in and identification with the Lord, and it followed his spiritual rebirth. Let's look at what Jesus told Nicodemus, seeing as how we brough it up and being as how the Mormons believe that it mandates the order of these things.
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2) The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4) Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5) Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:1-6)
It is clear that this passage from the gospel of John is speaking of two births, not two baptisms. The first birth (of the water) is our birth into this world from the bag of water in our mother's womb. The second birth is "of the spirit", and it needs neither the 'laying on of hands' nor a previous baptism in water.
The birth of the spirit comes when, as Paul, we repent and accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Our baptism in water often follows as we publicly proclaim
what has happened within us.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment