The Restoration of the GospelWidtsoe, Osborne J. P.
Religion
The Restoration of the Gospel
Widtsoe, Osborne J. P.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
There is a right way and a wrong way to do all things. It is the
following of the right way that brings reward. For example, a company
of soldiers is ordered by their captain to charge up the steep side of
a hill and engage with the enemy at the top. Any other side of the hill
is more easy of ascent than the one designated by the captain. In fact,
that particular one seems almost inaccessible. The soldiers, therefore,
act upon their own judgments and desires. They scatter, and charge up
the hill from all sides. Of course, they may all come finally to the
top of the hill; but they come in broken line and are easily repelled.
The day is lost to them. But why? Is not one ascent as good as another?
Surely, when one is climbing for pleasure. But when one is acting under
organization, there can be but one ascent. The soldiers who chose the
other way, reached the summit of the hill, but in disorder, broken, and
disunited. Moreover, by choosing their own road, they missed the very
point and purpose for which the captain ordered them to charge together
up the steepest way. And what was even worse, by breaking to follow
their own desires, they brought confusion, chaos even, into their ranks.
It may be that the appointed way will not appear to be our way. But
it is for the Master of the organization, for Him who has established
order, to say how we shall proceed, that order, peace and harmony may
persist. With a Church organization restored we should expect to find
restored also the ordinances and ceremonies divinely prescribed for the
continuance of the organization.
First, then, to belong to the Church of Christ, it becomes necessary to
make covenant with Him in His chosen way. That way is baptism. It is
the outward ordinance in covenant of the new condition existing between
the Savior and the saved. This it was that Paul had in mind when he
wrote to the Romans: "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized
unto Jesus Christ were baptized unto His death? Therefore we are buried
with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness
of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection."[A]
And again he wrote to the Galatians: "For ye are all the children of
God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized
into Christ have put on Christ."[B] It is evident, then, that baptism
is the ordinance of initiation into the Church of Christ; and further,
that that ordinance must be by immersion since it is in the likeness of
the burial of Christ.
[Footnote A: Rom. 6:3-5.]
[Footnote B: Gal. 3:26, 27.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account