Lesson
30
“The
Prisoners Shall Go Free”
By
Neal Neumann
Alvin
Smith died some five years before the restoration of the priesthood,
but he had accepted his brother Joseph’s testimony of the First
Vision. Speaking of his oldest brother, Alvin, Joseph said, “He
was … one of the noblest of my father’s family. He was one of
the noblest of the sons of men … In him there was no guile … He
was one of the soberest of men, and when he died the angel of
the Lord visited him in his last moments” (History of the Church, 5:126-27).
The
Lord revealed the doctrine of priesthood ordinances for the dead
Since
Alvin’s death, the gospel restoration has made available the saving
ordinances as part of the fullness of the gospel. Because the
Saints can function as proxies for deceased family members, we
can provide the temple ordinances for all those who were unable
to receive those saving ordinances in their mortal lifetime.
Everyone
must have the opportunity to hear the gospel message and receive
the ordinances of salvation administered through the authority
of the restored priesthood. If that opportunity was not available
to an individual in mortality, it will be extended in the spirit
world. Since these ordinances require a mortal body, and spirits
in the spirit world are separated from theirs, we act as proxies
serving “for and in behalf” of the dead who are receiving these
ordinances. The deceased may then accept or reject the ordinance
in accordance with the principle of free agency.
President
Gordon B. Hinckley commented on the teachings that the Prophet
Joseph Smith received from the Lord: “It is tremendously significant
to me that … this repetition of the wondrous words of Malachi
concerning the work for the dead, was given to the boy Joseph
four years before he was allowed to take the plates from the hill.
It was given before he received either the Aaronic or Melchizedek
Priesthood, before he was baptized, and well before the Church
was organized. It says much concerning the priority of this work
in the plan of the Lord” (Ensign, Mar. 1995, 61).
On
15 August 1840, the Prophet spoke at Seymour Brunson’s funeral.
During his sermon, he quoted extensively from 1 Corinthians 15,
in which verse 29 refers to baptism for the dead. He followed
this scripture with an announcement that members could be baptized
for their family members or friends who had died without receiving
the gospel. The Prophet further assured the Saints that the plan
of salvation offered the opportunity to save anyone who was willing
to obey God’s law and accept the gospel covenants. The nearby
Mississippi River became the site of the baptisms for the dead
until a proper site could be prepared in a house of the Lord.
(See the Journal History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, 15 Aug. 1840)
The Lord
commanded the Saints to build a temple in Nauvoo
We
find in D&C 124:25-27 that several months after baptisms for
the dead began to be performed in the river, the Lord commanded
the Saints to build a temple in Nauvoo. Reasons for constructing
a temple included:
·
Additional priesthood
ordinances would be revealed (D&C 124:28, 40-41)
·
A font for baptizing
the dead would be provided (D&C 124:29-30, 33)
·
An opportunity
for the Saints to prove their faithfulness would be offered.
Their faithfulness would allow the Lord to bless them with honor,
immortality, and eternal life. (D&C 124:55)
The
Nauvoo temple was the second temple in this dispensation and as
such, was designed for ordinances that were not performed in the
Kirtland Temple, such as baptisms and confirmations for the dead,
the endowment, and temple marriage.
After
great sacrifices by the Saints to build the temple and obey the
Lord, the temple was built in Nauvoo. (See “The Nauvoo Temple”,
Our Heritage, pgs 58-60.)
For
a short time, baptisms for the dead continued to be performed
in the Mississippi River, but in October 1841, the Prophet gave
instructions that the practice should cease “…until the ordinance
can be attended to in the Lord’s House” (History of the Church,
4:426). The baptisms quickly resumed after a temporary, but carefully
crafted, wooden baptismal font was dedicated. The dedication
was performed in the unfinished temple’s basement by Brigham Young
on 8 November 1841. Today all ordinances for the dead must be
performed in temples. We should give serious thought to the determination
and priority demonstrated by the anxious efforts of the early
Saints to prepare a place where they might redeem their dead.
We
should be enthusiastic and joyful in our efforts to perform baptisms
for the dead
While some baptisms for the dead were performed after the Savior’s
resurrection, the great work of redeeming the dead falls to
Latter-day Saints in this last dispensation. To participate
in baptisms for the dead, proxies must be 12 years of age or
older and hold a current temple recommend appropriate for their
age and membership status. New converts can participate, but
any male member must hold the priesthood.
D&C 128:15 emphasizes the mutual dependency for salvation
that we share with our dead. D&C 128:17-18 give further
enlightenment. President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “That which
goes on in the House of the Lord … comes nearer to the spirit
of sacrifice of the Lord than any other activity of which I
know. Why? Because it is done by those who give freely of time
and substance, without any expectation of thanks or reward,
to do for others that which they cannot do for themselves” (Ensign, Mar. 1995, 62-63).
Elder John A. Widtsoe said: “In our preexistent state, in the day of the great
council, we made certain agreements with the Almighty. The
Lord proposed a plan, conceived by him. We accepted it. Since
the plan is intended for all men, we become parties to the salvation
of every person under that plan. We agreed, right then and
there, to be not only saviors for ourselves, but … saviors for
the whole human family. We went into a partnership with the
Lord. The working out of the plan became then not merely the
Father’s work, and the Savior’s work, but also our work. The
least of us, the humblest, is in partnership with the Almighty
in achieving the purpose of the eternal plan of salvation” (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Oct. 1934,
189).
Baptisms for the dead are a work of the heart, as illustrated
by the story of some youth in Idaho. “After researching more
than 400 names, both male and female, the Young Women of the
Meridian [Idaho] 15th Ward invited the Young Men
to go with them to the Boise [Idaho] Temple to do baptisms.
The temple arranged for the names to be kept in a file for their
ward. Heather Bennett, 15, said, ‘The best part was being baptized
for them. The names sounded familiar to me. That was the neatest
thing about the whole project. We did work for people that otherwise
wouldn’t have been done. They might have been forgotten.’”
Cori Christensen, another member of the group, said, “While
we were sitting in the baptistry in the temple, we had this
totally good feeling. It was a feeling of victory. We’d given
them a chance” (New
Era, Feb. 1994, 32).
The Prophet Joseph Smith called the work of redeeming the dead
the “most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting
gospel.” As faithful Saints, we should seek to do all that
we can to redeem our dead and offer salvation and exaltation
to all of our brothers and sisters.
Historical
background for D&C 127 and 128
In
the summer of 1842, a group of men were seeking to unjustly imprison
the Prophet. Because of this persecution, Joseph left Nauvoo,
saying, “I have thought it expedient and wisdom for me to leave
the place for a season, for my own safety and the safety of this
people” (D&C 127:1). In spite of difficult circumstances,
he wrote joyful words in letters to the Saints. In D&C 128:1
we find that the subject of baptism for the dead was very much
on the Prophet’s mind during this time.
The importance
of record keeping
D&C 127:5-9; 128:1-9 record the Lord’s command to the Saints
to keep careful records of baptisms for the dead. D&C 128:6-8,
24 indicates that when the Savior returns in the Second Coming,
those very records will be presented to Him and the dead will
be judged from these books.
