Legalism and Baptism for the Dead
The problem of legalism is that in order to follow it out to its logical conclusion, one has to take extreme theological liberties and create extreme practices in order to come to any kind of internal comfort level with its demands. Examples of these in the Mormon Church include post-mortem proselytizing, proxy ordinances, and hierarchy of sin. All such attempts to fit legalism into a quasi-Christian religious framework demonstrate a misunderstanding of both the nature of God (holiness) and the nature of man (depravity). They also serve to demonstrate a misunderstanding of the life and mission of Jesus Christ.
1. The first paradigm problem is that Mormons (especially Joseph Smith) tend to bring their theology to the Bible, instead of taking their theology from the Bible. The Mormon has decided that in order for God to be “just” that every single person on the earth must have the opportunity to hear and accept the “gospel”. This understanding applies to God’s Justice the human idea of “fairness”. Not only must every person have the opportunity to hear and accept the “gospel”, but in order for God to be “just”, they must also have the opportunity to meet the legal requirements of salvation, specifically the “ordinances of the gospel” which include baptism, “confirmation”, the endowment, and “eternal marriage”.
2. The second paradigm problem is the idea of legal requirements and the two-way nature of the new covenant. Mormons believe that the statement by Jesus - “unless a man is born of water and the spirit, he can not inherit the kingdom of God” is a literal, unbending, legal requirement of every person who will go to the Celestial Kingdom (heaven), which must be satisfied apart from grace. The Mormon has no concept of “imputed” righteousness. To a Mormon, righteousness must be earned by obedience to all the commandments of God in order for a person to return to God in the Celestial Kingdom.
These two paradigms combine to create the necessity for the doctrines of post-mortem proselytizing and proxy ordinances in the Mormon theological framework.
Mormons believe that when we die there is a “spirit world” which is divided into two places – Spirit Prison and Spirit Paradise. Those who have died without accepting the “gospel” will go to Spirit Prison and missionaries from Spirit Paradise will go and preach the “gospel” to the spirits in prison. In this way, every person will have the opportunity to hear the “gospel” (gospel is in quotations because by “gospel” the Mormon means the teachings of the Mormon Church). According to Mormon doctrine, death does not relieve the person/spirit of the legal requirements of salvation; therefore the ordinances must be performed by the living on behalf of the dead. These ordinances are performed in the Mormon temples, and the dead person will then have the chance to accept or reject the ordinances performed.
As is the case with most errant teaching, the problems with the Mormon framework are two fold – Logic and the Bible.
Justice
God’s justice from a biblical perspective is not the same as the human idea of “fairness”. The biblical idea of God’s justice is that we are all accountable, offensive, and condemned before God based on our actions. God’s justice requires the punishment of those offenses which is described in the Bible as God’s wrath. Paul makes it clear in Romans 1 -3 (as well as other places) that all men are under sin, justice, and wrath. All means ALL, as what can be known about God is visible in creation.
Logic also tells me that if God is infinitely holy, then my sin is infinitely offensive to his nature (the idea of “infinite” excludes the ability to create a hierarchy of sin relating to justification). Logic also tells me that if I have infinitely offended an infinitely holy God, I am deserving of infinite wrath in order for the demands of His infinite justice to be satisfied. In order to deny this, a person must make God less than infinitely holy and thereby make our sin less than infinitely offensive to His nature. This brings God down and brings us up.
In Romans 2, Paul discusses how a person is held accountable for the amount of knowledge which they have. Those under the law will be accountable for the law. Those not under the law, will be accountable for that which God has revealed to them. A Mormon tends to think that this somehow gives a pass to those who have lived without the law (commandments) thus creating an opportunity for them in the spirit world. The purpose of the illustration however, is not to give a pass to some because of ignorance, rather to show that ALL are accountable, offensive, and condemned based on whatever level of knowledge they have.
God is under no obligation to extend the same mercy, opportunity, “chance” to every person. God is under no obligation to show mercy to any. Paul anticipates and speaks directly to the error of attaching the human idea of “fairness” to the idea of God’s justice.
See Romans 9:14-23
Scripture is clear that we do not get to apply our idea of “fairness” to God’s justice, nor do we get to dictate the terms of His mercy. This is a very difficult thing for people to understand. It requires us to leave our pre-conceived notions of what it means for God to be “loving” and “just”.
Two-Way Covenants?
Mormons believe that the covenant that is made between us and God is a two way promise whereby we keep our end of the deal (obedience to the law/commandments) and God will keep His. To a Mormon, baptism is one of the main and major acts which we must perform in order to keep our end of the covenant. This requirement must be satisfied, whether in this world or the next.
The problem is that if this is the requirement for the covenant to remain valid, then obtaining of God’s promises is a logical impossibility. No one keeps “their end” of the covenant. Logic tells me that if the validity of the covenant is dependent upon my obedience, then the covenant was, is, and will always (in the future) be broken.
The bible is also clear that the new covenant is dependent on one thing, God and His grace through Jesus Christ. His promises to us are what we depend on, not our promises to Him – because He is faithful, even when we are not. If the new covenant is like a marriage covenant, surely our role is the adulterous bride.
See Hebrews 8:8-13 for a description of what the New Covenant is really about. Awesome!
Righteousness Imputed
Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He didn’t only die for us; he lived a perfect life for us. He satisfied the demands of the law both by absorbing its punishment and by meeting its requirement of perfection. This includes baptism.
Christ was baptized to “fulfill all righteousness”. What does this mean in relation to the Mormon practice of baptism for the dead? It means that the legal requirement that Mormons are trying to satisfy for the dead has already been satisfied by Jesus Christ. When we come to Christ in faith, we “put on Christ” (Gal 3:27). This is the idea of being clothed in Christ. I have heard it described as “When God looks at us, He sees Jesus.” I like to think of it in a court room setting at our judgment. It goes something like this.
When I stand before the throne of judgment, Jesus is my defense lawyer. When the list of requirements is brought out and my life is compared, it is not my righteousness that will be judged, it is Christ’s. When the question is asked - Did you keep the law of chastity? The answer will be from Jesus “No, but I did – and he is in me.” Did you murder or have anger in your heart? “Yes, but I didn’t – and he is clothed with me.” Did you love God with all your heart, might, mind and strength? “No, but I did – and he is covered in my blood.”
Were you baptized as was commanded? “No, but I WAS – and he IS MINE!”
It is interesting that Mormons are very intent on proxy. They have no problem accepting that Jesus suffered for our sins by proxy. Why then do men have to be proxy for the dead if Jesus has already “fulfilled all righteousness” for us by proxy? If he died “once for all” why can’t he be baptized “once for all”? It is my belief that he has.
Of course we who have been saved follow the example of Jesus Christ in baptism. We try to follow the example of Jesus in all things. We are compelled to, by the change that has occurred in our heart and because we are a new creation. But baptism, just like all other legal requirements, was fulfilled on our behalf by Jesus Christ. That is why “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 8:1)
Imputed Righteousness is not the only way Jesus saves us. He also pays the penalty for our sin. If the charge is brought against us and the sentence is read “The defendant is found guilty, the sentence is death.” – He can answer “I’ve already suffered the penalty, and he is IN ME!” No matter how you slice it – he’s got us covered.
This is why the hypothetical situation of a person being saved but not being baptized is a non-issue. Just like in all other commandments - for those who are in Christ – Jesus says “I got that.”
