Baptisms for the Dead

My ward has planned a trip down to the Salt Lake Temple this Friday. This temple isn’t special just because the Saints spent so much time and made so many sacrifices to complete it, being one of the first temples in this dispensation, but also because they administer the Endowment in a more traditional manner. However, since we’re not in the Salt Lake Temple’s district, they’ve asked us to provide our own names for the ordinances. So, last week I got in contact with my Aunt Susan, and she sent me 5 male names that hadn’t had any of the ordinances done yet.

Since we’re just doing an Endowment session when we go down to Salt Lake on Friday, I needed to do all the rest of the ordinances first this week before we go. I went over to the Provo Temple today and did the Baptism, Confirmation, and Initiatory ordinances in behalf of these five dead ancestors. This is my first time taking names all the way through the temple like this, so it’s been a really neat experience!

The doctrine of vicarious ordinances done by the living in behalf of the dead is one very unique to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, the doctrine is there. As Elder Holland has pointed out in the past, anyone who believes in the Atonement of Jesus Christ automatically believes in the concept of ordinances by proxy. Also, in Paul’s writings to the early saints in Corinth he asked, "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1 Cor 15:29). However, the full doctrine of vicarious ordinances for the dead was lost during the apostasy...

I am so grateful to live in the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. I can't imagine living in a time covered by the darkness of apostasy. We are so lucky to know that our Father in Heaven loves all of His children, and that the Atonement of Jesus Christ has power to save every man, woman and child. Even if our ancestors didn't have the opportunity to hear the gospel during their lifetimes, they have the chance to hear it in the spirit world, and we can perform the saving ordinances in their behalf here. If they choose to accept the service we do for them, then they can enjoy all of the same blessings as we will for all of eternity!