Why Do You Need the Baptism of Fire & The Holy Ghost?
This post is an annotated summary and transcript of the video “Why Do You Need the Baptism Fire & Holy Ghost? – Part 2.”
Part 1 explained that the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost is an immersionary experience in heavenly fire as outlined in Helaman 5 (see also 3 Nephi 19, Acts 2). 2 Nephi 31 further explains that this event is “the gate”, or the ordinance, that opens up “the path” leading to eternal life.
For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life
Gentiles Deny the Baptism of the Holy Ghost in Last Days
Earlier in the same sermon referenced above by Nephi, he explains that in the last days the Gentile churches “shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost.”
The term Gentiles is specifically referring to the LDS restoration congregations the majority of the time in the Book of Mormon. Nephi most certainly is in this instance (see video: Promises and Curses of the LDS Gentiles). Why would we, the LDS people, deny the Holy Ghost? It’s because we assume we received it at age eight when we really haven’t, according to Nephi (2 Nephi 31:17-18) and Elder David A. Bednar (“Receive the Holy Ghost,” Oct. 2010 General Conference.).
Nephi then exclaims,
26 Yea, wo [cursed] be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God!”
Sadly, Nephi witnessed that many LDS in the last days would deny the gift of the Holy Ghost and become angry when they hear it taught differently from their tradition.
Alma & Alma the Younger
Inside the court of king Noah, Alma faced this very dilemma. He grew up belonging to the traditional church in his day. Alma had been ordained to the priesthood and assumed he had authority in that priesthood. He couldn’t discern the degenerate state of the church on his own.
But, upon hearing the words of Abinadi his heart was pricked. Alma was forced to make a decision. He could have become angry as Nephi explained in 2 Nephi 28:26-28 (referenced above). But instead, he was humble and received the truth with gladness, for he “knew concerning the iniquity which Abinadi had testified against them” (Mosiah 17:1-2). He was only one of many who received the word of the Lord from Abinadi.
Alma’s son, Alma, also had to be humbled before he recognized his own awful state. It’s assumed that he was taught correct principles in his youth, yet he was still numbered among the unbelievers. Like many of us, Alma the younger suffered from unbelief, false beliefs, and the precepts of men. Consider his own words concerning his baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost experience.
Alma the Younger is Born of the Spirit
Recall that the angel appeared to him and told him to “seek to destroy the church no more.” He was then struck dumb and paralyzed for three days (Mosiah 27:16-23, Alma 36:6-23). It was during that time that wicked Alma the younger received the true gift of the Holy Ghost. When he finally woke up, Alma exclaimed, “I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit” (Mosiah 27:24).
In other words, he received the baptism of fire and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. We know this by the linguistic clues he provides. While his body was paralyzed, his spirit “offered up a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (see 3 Nephi 9:20) and was “born again” of the spirit just as Christ taught Nicodemus (see John 3:3-5). If wicked Alma the younger could repent and receive this gift, why not us? We may not be seeking to destroy the church, but we are rejecting this critical saving ordinance by not understanding it or pursuing it. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is the key ordinance by which the Lord is preparing His people for His return.
Baptism of the Holy Ghost Brings Redemption from the Fall
Alma the younger chose the words “redeemed of the Lord” when he was baptized by the Holy Ghost (Mosiah 27:24). Redeemed means “Ransomed; delivered from bondage or penalty” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary). Alma was indeed delivered from bondage through the atonement of Jesus Christ when Christ “sealed” the gift of the Holy Ghost upon him. In other words, the baptism of fire and the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the event that redeems one from the fall of Adam. It opens “the gate” and puts us on “the path” leading to eternal life (2 Nephi 31:17-18).
Before this ordinance is sealed upon us by Christ, the path to eternal life is not even available to us.
41 Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate
As the Holy Spirit of promise, Christ is the one who determines when we are ready to receive this ordinance – by offering up a broken heart and a contrite spirit with real intent to do whatever Christ asks us to do. Only then can the gift actually be received (3 Nephi 9:20, D&C 88:3).
Alma’s Redemption via Baptism of the Holy Ghost
Regarding redemption through the ordinance of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, Alma continues.
25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;
26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
27 I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.
28 Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.
29 My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness…
When Alma the younger recounts his experience to his son Helaman in Alma 36, he provides a few more details confirming the baptism of the Holy Ghost as a saving ordinance. Contemplate the bitter anguish he felt before his experience and the utter joy after calling out to the Lord and repenting. Although most would deny it because of unbelief, all of us are subject to this same fate if we don’t receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Do not assume this is referring to others from different religions. Alma was raised in the true church and he didn’t understand the importance of the ordinance.
Alma’s Conversion & Mighty Change
12 But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins.
13 Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell…
15 Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds.
16 And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.
Despite all the “outward ordinances” he had likely received, Alma knew very well he was not saved in his current state. His heart was not broken, nor was his spirit contrite.
17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment…
18 …I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold… my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
Those Truly Born Again Teach Others
So powerful was this experience “that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people… traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which [he] had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them” (Mosiah 27:32).
This is exactly the same type of missionary effort the Lamanites carried out when they were converted by Nephi and Lehi in the prison in Helaman 5.
Justification & The Comforter
Moses explains the same doctrine of redemption from the fall. When Adam received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, he too was “justified”, and thus redeemed from the fall.
59 …by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin…
60 For by the [baptism of] water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;
61 Therefore it [the Holy Ghost] is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter…
Nephi teaches that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the “justification event” that redeems us from the fall. He explains that the “awful gulf” that separates those who will not heed the word of God unto repentance are kept from the tree of life. Notice the word links to the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost:
The “Just” Have Been Baptized by Fire
30 And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.
D&C 76 informs us that those who come forth in the resurrection of the “just” are they who were baptized by water, fire and the Holy Ghost.
52 That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power;
53 And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.
The Process of Preparation & the Baptism of Fire Event
The following list shows the process of entering the everlasting covenant daily, the experience of receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost (the event), what the event actually signifies, and how it changes the individual:
- The individual demonstrates a broken heart and a contrite spirit in their life (3 Nephi 9:20)
- Christ accepts their sacrifice and pleads their case with Father who approves the ordinance (3 Nephi 12:1, D&C 33:15, 3 Nephi 9:20)
- Just before the event, they must receive a new baptism of fire, cleansing them to interact with heaven. Heavenly fire brings the remission of sins (2 Nephi 31:17)
- A servant with power in the apostolic order of the Melchizedek priesthood bestows the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. This includes mortals, angels or heavenly beings (Helaman 5, 3 Nephi 19)
- The physiological sensation of the gift includes burning fire in the heart, which spreads over the body like warm liquid or light. Electricity can be felt for some.
- The individual can then speak with the tongue of angels or power of the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 32:2-3)
- They are justified, redeemed from the fall, spiritually marked or divided from the children of men as a new son or daughter of Christ (Mosiah 5:7, 3 Nephi 9:16-20, D&C 11:28-30, John 1:12-13)
- They desire to share this experience with others (Helaman 5:49-50, Enos 1:9, 1 Nephi 1:4,18-20, Alma & Alma the Younger)
- The connection with the Lord is made easier (although not always automatic) when they truly seek him (D&C 50:24, D&C 93:28-42)
How The Event Changes the Individual
Notice similar descriptors in Joseph’s words.
“There are two Comforters spoken of, one is the Holy Ghost the same as given on the day of Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith, repentance and baptism [three baptisms]. This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence, It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge… the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp.149-150)
The following list specifies what happens to the individual upon receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost:
- Gentile blood is purged from them as they are numbered among the House of Israel (3 Nephi 16:13, 3 Nephi 21:6, 3 Nephi 30:2, 1 Nephi 14:1-2)
- A large percentage of the natural man dies within them, and they have “no more disposition to do evil but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2)
- They become a member of the church of Christ, the terrestrial order (4 Nephi 1:1)
- They become a “new creature in Christ” (Mosiah 27:26, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
- The person is “redeemed from the fall” (Mosiah 27:24-28)
- They are endowed with power from on high, the true endowment (Luke 24:49, D&C 105:11-12,33)
Ask Father
We live in a day where we have “strayed from [God’s] ordinances, and broken [the] everlasting covenant” (D&C 1:14). Like in Mormon’s day, we too have grown up in a time where “there were no gifts from the Lord, and the Holy Ghost did not come upon any, because of their wickedness and unbelief” (Mormon 1:14). Fortunately, we are entering a time when the Lord is restoring this ordinance in preparation for his return to the earth.
Ask Father to lead you to the baptism of fire and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Many incorrectly assume they received it at age eight, despite not experiencing any of the evidences that must accompany this event, as outlined in scripture. We should seek it with all our hearts by offering up a broken heart and a contrite spirit (3 Nephi 9:20).
All Mankind Must Be Born Again
Christ said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:5-7).
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.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
2 Nephi 28:26,29
26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
…
29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
Mosiah 27:25
Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God.
Marvel Not
Yes, this may be new to you. Marvel not! “You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask [Father] if it be right, and if it is right [He] will cause that your bosom shall burn within you [through a baptism of fire]; therefore, you shall feel that it is right” (D&C 9:8). Such a witness may take some time for you to fully demonstrate to the Lord your true intent. The answer can certainly occur through a physiological sensation of burning fire in your heart or through the still small voice.
