Joseph Smith taught:
“Being born again comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 162).
How? How do ordinances facilitate spiritual rebirth?
Perhaps a review of those ordinances essential for salvation will help us answer this question.
Baptism
Few things recapitulate physical birth quite as obviously as the ordinance of baptism. Nicodemus sneaked in secret to talk with Jesus one night, and their words are recorded in John 3:
“…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
“Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
“That which is born of the flesh (a mother) is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:3-6).
The symbolism of baptism is manifold; a bath to cleanse our sins, death and burial of sinful old persons, and resurrection, are each legitimate interpretations. It also represents the womb, being immersed in amniotic fluid, and being born into the world.
In case there is any doubt that Jesus and Nicodemus were talking about baptism (immersion) in water, a few verses later the same chapter offer clarity:
“After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
“And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there; and they came, and were baptized” (John 3:22-23).
Water baptism is the context, and the early Church obviously taught the necessity of this ordinance (or sacrament). It is a powerful way to symbolize birth into Christ’s Church.
Confirmation
Before an unborn child emerges from the womb, his or her eternal spirit enters the body of that child. After immersion in water, baptism, a person has hands laid on his or her head, and is confirmed a new member of the Church. During this confirmation, the person hears this command: “…I confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and say unto you: Receive the Holy Ghost.”
Our bodies receive their spirits before leaving the womb; we receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, the companionship of His influence, after we leave the waters of baptism. “…that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Yes, we are promised to have the Holy Spirit with us as long as we are keeping the commandments, but confirmation is not necessarily the moment when we are fully spiritually reborn. Typically, we spend a lifetime heeding the command to “Receive the Holy Ghost.”
John Taylor reports what Joseph Smith told him: “…you have been baptized, you have had hands laid upon your head for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and you have been ordained to the holy priesthood. Now, if you will continue to follow the leadings of that spirit, it will always lead you right. Sometimes it might be contrary to your judgment; never mind that, follow its dictates; and if you be true to its whisperings it will in time become in you a principle of revelation so that you will know all things” (Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, Jan. 15, 1878, p. 1).
Joseph Smith taught: “We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where his is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the…laws of that kingdom…” (TPJS, p. 51).
“It is one thing to see the kingdom of God, and another thing to enter into it. We must have a change of heart to see the kingdom of God, and subscribe to the articles of adoption to enter therein.
“No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a revelator” (TPJS, p. 328).
As we exercise faith in Christ and repent, the Holy Spirit will guide us into what we need to repent of next, what to do next in order to be changed and improved and polished.
The Spirit “strives” with us. (This implies a struggle; imagine the behavioral tug-of-war between children and parents.) The Spirit encourages us to let go of the bad we are fond of, and accept the good things we hesitate to adopt. There is always something to repent of, as long as we are alive and know enough to be accountable for our sins.
Sacrament
Just as an unborn child is fed in the womb through the umbilical cord at its navel, and fed by mother and then by both parents after birth as that child grows, so Christian life and spiritual growth involve regular spiritual feeding. The emblems of the Sacrament (Eucharist in other churches), or the Lord’s Supper, are a part of that regular feeding. And it is a family meal.
Instituted by Jesus at the Passover, we meet each Sunday (“the Lord’s Day”) to partake of bread and water. While this ordinance is technically not necessary for salvation, it is what we have been commanded to do. We do not emerge from the waters of baptism and walk directly past angels and Jesus into heaven. We stay here on earth, working out our salvation, preparing and repenting and anticipating the day when we will stand before God to be judged of our works.
While most other ordinances are individually administered, the Sacrament is a group ordinance. It could be construed as group repentance. We collectively meet and quietly reflect on Jesus Christ, His suffering and death on our behalf, and what we need to do in the coming week in order to improve.
Just as athletes feed their bodies to heal and be strong between bouts of exertion, we partake of the emblems of the Sacrament as spiritual food on the Lord’s day of rest. Done properly, the ordinance allows us to “always have [Jesus’] Spirit to be with us.”
It is a long journey for most of us; what sustains us through the decades? The Sacrament—it is the most frequently administered ordinance in the Church. If God wants us to repeat this ordinance weekly for the rest of our lives, it must be very effective in giving us the sustaining help we so desperately need through the trials and tests of life.
Ordination (for Males)
In order to receive exaltation, men must receive the priesthood. Women do not need to be ordained to the priesthood in order to be saved. There is a parallel between physical birth and spiritual rebirth here, as well.
Everyone must be born of a woman in order to leave God and come to this earth. She can give birth to anyone but herself.
Everyone must receive priesthood ordinances administered by men and be spiritually reborn thereby in order to return to God. A priesthood holder can administer these ordinances to anyone but himself.
Women beget us physically, and we die spiritually as we leave the presence of God; men officiate in the the ordinances that allow us to be spiritually reborn of God, and as we die physically we are then able to return back to His presence.
Yes, men make a small but essential contribution at the beginning of the process of physical birth; yes, women are involved in performing essential ordinances at the end of the process of spiritual rebirth (especially marriage); but it is bad form to talk too extensively or too openly about these things in public.
Initiatory
A new child is attended to quite earnestly by parents. The child is cleaned, clothed, fed to start life properly. The child is given a name.
Similar ordinances are performed in the Temple. “And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.
“And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
“And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:
“And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations” (Ex. 40:12-15).
Names
Throughout the scriptures, new names are given to various people to signify the end of an old life and the beginning of a new life, or a new calling: Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah; Jacob to Israel; Simon to Peter (or Cephas; they both mean Small Rock); Saul to Paul; and so on. This puts spiritual rebirth on a parallel with physical birth once again.
“Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known;
“And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word” (D&C 130:10-11).
Endowment
The garments of childhood meant to cover nakedness are soon covered with the clothes of an adult. The word “endued” (endowed) as used in Luke 24:49 means to be clothed.
“…(in the sense of sinking into a garment); to invest with clothing (literally or figuratively)…array, clothe (with), endue, have (put) on. (Greek Dictionary, pg. 28, entry 1746, Strong’s Concordance of the Bible).
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued (clothed) with power from on high…”
“…And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
“And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen” (Luke 24:49, 52-53).
To be endowed in modern Temples carries all the implications of that word; clothed, endowed with new power and knowledge.
The purpose of the endowment is to empower us to return to the presence of God, and to empower us to perform the work of God here in this life. Missionary work and marriage (having a family, parenthood) are both preceded by receiving one’s endowment in the Temple because these tasks are the work of the Lord. He wants His servants prepared with the necessary tools before they begin helping with His work.
Just as His disciples were commanded to wait at Jerusalem for an endowment of power before they went into all the world, so we go to the Temple to receive power formally before assisting in God’s work.
Sealing to Family
“The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World, 1995).
In the Temple, we are sealed as husbands and wives; any children born to couples thus sealed are then eternally sealed to their parents. Those who are sealed after children are born can have their children sealed to them as though they had been born under that covenant.
This doctrine of eternal marriage ties all the deepest questions about life together. Why did God create the universe, this earth, and life on it? Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where do we go after we die? What will we be doing in heaven? What does it mean to be like God?
Among the reasons God has put us here on this earth is to create a family. Through priesthood power, the promises we make with our spouses, those relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, can rise with us in the resurrection and be permanent.
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16 19). Why was it necessary for Jesus to grant this authority to Peter?
“All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both in time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power…are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead” (D&C 132:7).
If a man dies deep in debt, does that debt follow him into the next life and damn him? No, if he was honest, that contract is dissolved the instant he departs this life. This cleans the slate, so to speak, for all of us, and rids us of baggage and guilt and responsibility for so many things at the Judgment Day. Alas, it also means that marriages and family relationships are dissolved, too.
But Jesus gave power to Peter to seal on earth AND in heaven. This power was later given by Peter, James, and John to Joseph Smith. It is still on the earth today, and is only to be found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in no other organization.
Why come to earth and go through the arc of life? Why put us through birth, puberty, marriage, begetting children, old age, and death? Because these things show our readiness to participate in the same activities and relationships in eternity. Eternal life is to know God; how better to know Him than to be like Him and do what He does?
The context for the following verse is an explanation of the law of eternal marriage:
“This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law” (D&C 132:24).
Christians have prayed for millennia to “Our Father which art in heaven,” and yet the majority have never taken that phrase, or its implications, literally. If we are the children of God, what is our trajectory? Cubs grow into wolves and lions; seeds become mighty trees. What are we going to grow into?
If Jesus was fully divine and fully mortal, and He ascended back to the right hand of God to rule forever, what does it say about our course and development if we are to be His disciples and follow in His path, and be “joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17)?
After this crowning ordinance of marriage-sealing, we come full circle. The man and woman have received the necessary ordinances and accoutrements for spiritual rebirth; now they begin the process of physically begetting others, bringing children out of the presence of God into this world.
Ideally, those who have been spiritually reborn are ready and waiting to raise those who are fresh from the presence of God, to help them along the path of spiritual rebirth and back into the presence of their heavenly Parents.
Other Ordinances
Resurrection is, perhaps, the last ordinance associated with this earth, and it could be characterized as physical rebirth. Our spirit bodies were born in heaven; we are spiritually reborn here on this earth. Our physical bodies are born on this earth, and reborn as we burst from the grave and into immortality. Everyone will receive this gift of resurrection, their spirit bodies reunited with their physical bodies, restored and without pain or death ever again.
But only those who have been thoroughly spiritually reborn and received all the priesthood ordinances will have the power to beget children after the resurrection. Romantic love in the next world is only for those who are completely spiritually reborn, and therefore fully capable of raising offspring.
To be like God, our Father, is to have His abilities and do what He does. We imitate on a tiny scale here on earth, the activities of our heavenly Parents.
Priesthood ordinances recapitulate aspects of physical birth and physical development, but they facilitate spiritual rebirth and progress instead. Internal and external, physical and spiritual, male and female, temporal and eternal; all these aspects are woven together as part of the trajectory, the path from eternity into this life, and again as we progress in this life back to eternity. Jesus Christ oversees and coordinates all these things. His Atoning sacrifice makes all this possible.
It is easy to take ordinances for granted; to see ordinances as mundane, or perceive them as pedestrian; but the eternal results will be of great consequence.
“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33).
