# Baptism

Explore baptism as a ritual of healing, renewal, and commitment—symbolizing the burial of sin, resurrection in Christ, and entrance into God’s kingdom.

[Image: The “first principles and ordinances” of the gospel place baptism after faith, treating it as a concrete next step that follows belief and trust in Christ toward a changed life.]

Baptism is a ritual cleansing, reserved only for those old enough to be held morally accountable, that both heals and restores the baptized person and formally marks their entrance into God’s kingdom.

Latterday Saints believe in baptism by full immersion under water. Among other things, this symbolizes forsaking one‘s former sins by burying them (along with one‘s former self) in the water, and arising from the water as a new person committed to a life in Christ. It also symbolically reenacts the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Baptism is the second of the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel, coming after Faith in Christ. After developing faith in the possibility of improvement, both of ourselves and of the world around us, we signify our faith by immersing our entire body (our heart and mind) in the role of Christ. Thus baptism by immersion becomes a symbol for our commitment to assuming Christ’s role in the world.

## **Iterative Growth and Grace** 

As an ordinance, baptism functions as the ceremonial starting line for lifelong discipleship. Those who enter into this covenant pledge to spend the rest of their lives participating in a continuous cycle of learning, failing, and improving, with the ultimate goal of transforming themselves and the world around them. 

Fundamentally, baptism establishes a covenantal relationship that necessitates constant course correction—repentance—in response to the feedback of our lived experiences. This ongoing transformation is fueled by grace, which encompasses the unmerited gifts, inherited knowledge, and legacy of faith passed down by previous generations. Baptism provides the ceremonial anchor to regularly reflect upon and renew our resolve to this cause.

## Proxy Baptism: A Welding Link 

[Image: In the Mormon tradition, members are invited to fully immerse themselves in Christ's role by engaging in temple work and family history.]

The commitments made at baptism extend beyond the individual to encompass the entire human family. Mormonism’s focus on the material reality of the body and its practice of proxy baptisms for the dead underscore a profound ethical responsibility to past generations. This ordinance reflects a materialist ontology and an eschatological hope that aligns with the transhumanist pursuit of overcoming death: a refusal to leave the dead behind. By binding generations together through proper priesthood authority, baptism anticipates a future where humanity actively participates in the literal resurrection, the renewal of this world, and the realization of the immortality and eternal life of humanity.

*See also*: [Atonement](/topical-guide/atonement), [Baptism for the Dead](/topical-guide/baptism-for-the-dead), [Covenant](/topical-guide/covenant), [Ordinance](/topical-guide/ordinance), [Repent](/topical-guide/repent), [Salvation](/topical-guide/salvation)