The role of the baptizing priest
Priests are meant to teach people how Jesus is and baptize those who choose to become like him.1 The baptizing priest has a duty to teach the candidate what the priest knows and lives about the character of Jesus, subject to the limits of capacity—but not effort—in the candidate.
As a symbol of submission to God, a baptismal candidate must conform to what they understand about God. To be worthy of baptism, you have to make any changes necessary to live as you understand God would in your place. The priest you apply to for baptism decides whether you are worthy of it. By performing the ordinance, a baptizing priest is certifying to God that the candidate has been true and faithful to everything he has taught them about God.2
Once the priest is satisfied with the candidate’s repentance, he leads the recipient into the water,
24 ...calling them by name, saying:
25 Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water. (3 Nephi 11)
It is very difficult for a baptizing priest to adequately ascertain the worthiness of a candidate he does not know well. The greater the proximity of the priest to the candidate, the more effectively he can teach the candidate, and the more accurately he can assess whether they are fully living the gospel in the details of their lives. Ideally, the baptizing priest will be the husband or father of the applying candidate.
While a priest may baptize a candidate with less instruction,3 interaction, and verification,4 such baptisms provide far less of an opportunity to the candidate to learn about and live like Jesus before the baptism and a much lower likelihood that they will continue to do so after baptism. The gospel is designed so that, where possible, adherents can remain with the person teaching them more about Jesus until they have exhausted what the priest has to teach them. In ancient times, technological and geographical limitations forced gospel interactions to incidental contact on one extreme and leaving everything to accompany a gospel teacher on another.5 In the modern era, the internet provides opportunities for much greater contact without the need to uproot one’s life to follow a preacher.
Footnotes
- 1. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. (Mark 1:3-5) Therefore, there were ordained of Nephi, men unto this ministry, that all such as should come unto them should be baptized with water, and this as a witness and a testimony before God, and unto the people, that they had repented and received a remission of their sins. (3 Nephi 7:25) ↩
- 2. And again the Lord called others, and said unto them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize. And he said unto them: On this wise shall ye baptize; and there shall be no disputations among you. Verily I say unto you, that whoso repenteth of his sins through your words, and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them—Behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. (3 Nephi 11:22-23) ↩
- 3. And ye shall go forth baptizing with water, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (D&C 42:7) ↩
- 4. Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. (Acts 8:35-38) ↩
- 5. The schools of the prophets and extended “households” accomplished this purpose. For example, the household of Abraham consisted of more than three hundred men (see Genesis 14:14), besides women and children, of varying levels of aptitude and interest in the gospel he believed, but all of whom were willing to adopt his purpose in their scope sufficiently to abide with him in his sojourn through the land. ↩