Misunderstanding Baptism for Salvation

While the title of this blog post seems simple, it is a continuation of my previous blog post. If you are reading this and have not read that first, or are not a Latter-day Saint, it may mean little to you.

By the end of the timeline presented in the previous post, it was well established through revelation that baptism is required for salvation, which is eternal life, life with God, and life in the kingdom of God. This is not limited to life with God the Father, as was assumed by some which will be shown below, but is life in the kingdom of God, which includes three kingdoms of glory. Included are the telestial kingdom, which is life with God the Holy Ghost, the terrestrial kingdom, which is life with God the Son and Holy Ghost, and the celestial kingdom, which is life with God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

There is but one way in which men can receive salvation, exaltation, and glory, and that is through the order of baptism and the ordinances connected therewith. No mortal man or woman will ever receive celestial glory unless he or she has been baptized, receiving this ordinance personally or by proxy. That is the order that God has established. (Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p.96)

This quote by President Lorenzo Snow, said before 1902, is completely doctrinally accurate. However, it can be interpreted in two ways. The first sentence clearly reflects what I have presented which agrees that baptism is the one way to receive glory. Those who enter the telestial kingdom receive glory; therefore, baptism is the one way to receive telestial glory as well as any other. In the second sentence President Snow only mentioned celestial glory. Therefore, it can be interpreted to mean that baptism is not necessary for the other kingdoms. This would be an incorrect interpretation but one easy to make.

Here is a simple analogy: A man owns a house with one door into the house. The door leads directly onto the first floor of the house, which has three floors with stairs connecting them. The man lives on the third, highest floor. If the man told someone that they had to enter the door to get into his house, they may think, having never seen the house, that there is only one floor to the house. Now, if the man showed someone pictures of the house and talked about the differences between each floor, they may think that there are actually three houses because of how different the floors are. For example, when he talked about the third floor it may be interpreted as the floor of the third house and the door into his house only goes to the floor of the third house, which is the floor where he lives. This is the interpretation assumed by many and it stemmed from Joseph Smith's comment in 1832, early in his understanding of the kingdom of God. The most vocal person who has interpreted it this way was Joseph Fielding Smith.

Joseph Fielding Smith Misunderstands
Joseph Fielding Smith began working in the Church Historian’s Office in 1901. He compiled many of Joseph Smith's teachings. He understood much of what Joseph Smith taught far better than I do. However, while compiling his teachings he came across the quote shown in the last post by Joseph Smith in 1832 and took it at face value without following through with Joseph Smith's understanding of the topic up to his death in 1844. He took it, assumed that it was correct and that the Lord had not enlightened Joseph Smith's mind after that point, and started to reteach it in the church and in his own writings. Despite his own father receiving revelation related to the topic, he was not able to see how this concept was not correctly understood.

Before I continue, the first thing I want to say is that the following quotes are coming from books which are not considered doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This includes the 1832 quote from Joseph Smith. His quote is in a book or books of history of the church but is not in any books of doctrine. It was, however, printed in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, a book written and published by Joseph Fielding Smith in 1938, but was not published by the church, written by the church, or accepted by the church as church doctrine. I have tried to compile every quote by him on this specific topic. There is only one that was obviously given at General Conference and printed in the Conference Report (CR), but his books do not indicate where or if they were given over a pulpit, in a church publication or anywhere other than in his two books, Doctrines of Salvation vol. 2, published in 1955 (DS), and Answers to Gospel Questions vol. 5, published in 1966 (AGQ).

"Who, among Latter-day Saints, is seeking a place in the telestial kingdom? Who, among the Latter-day Saints, is seeking a place in the terrestrial kingdom? With those kingdoms we should want nothing to do; it is not the intention of the man who is baptized into the Church, or ought not to be, to so live that he will not find a place in the celestial kingdom of God; for baptism, itself, is the way into that kingdom. Baptism is of two-fold nature; primarily for the remission of sins, and then, entrance into the kingdom of God, not the telestial kingdom, not into the terrestrial kingdom, but entrance into the celestial kingdom, where God dwells. That is what baptism is for; that is what the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands, is for—to prepare us that we may, through obedience, continue on and on, keeping the commandments of the Lord, until we shall receive the fulness in the celestial kingdom." (CR, Apr. 1922, 60–61) (See my explanation)

"The Prophet says a man may enter into the terrestrial or the telestial kingdom who has not been baptized with water and who has not in this life received these ordinances, but he can never enter into the celestial kingdom without complying with these eternal laws.
"Each kingdom, of course, is governed by laws. We have nothing to do with the laws of the telestial or terrestrial kingdoms, so far as the preaching of the gospel is concerned. Our mission is to preach the salvation of the kingdom of God, where he and Christ dwell, which is the celestial kingdom. And all of the principles of the gospel which have been given unto us pertain to the celestial kingdom." (DS p.25-26) (See my explanation)

"Baptism is the door into the celestial kingdom. All the ordinances of the gospel pertain to the celestial kingdom, and any person who is faithful to the covenant of baptism will be entitled to enter there, but no person can receive an exaltation in the celestial kingdom without the ordinances of the temple. The endowments are for advancement in that kingdom, and the sealings for our perfection, provided we keep our covenants and obligations.
"People baptized, and who are not endowed in the temple of the Lord, may enter the celestial kingdom. But that does not mean that a baptized person is going to get the exaltation in that kingdom. He is not going to pass on to the fulness just by being baptized. He will not pass on to the fulness even after he has been baptized and received an endowment in the temple. He has also to receive the other ordinances so that he can become through his faithfulness and obedience a son of God. . . .
"The first principles of the gospel are principles that save. By obedience to them we enter the celestial kingdom of God. Then, when we get into that kingdom, if we have received the other covenants, have been true and faithful to other obligations, we will advance until we shall become like God -- his sons, his daughters, receiving a fulness of his kingdom. That is the promise." (DS p.45-46) (See my explanation)

"Will those who enter the terrestrial and telestial kingdoms have to have the ordinance of baptism? No! Baptism is the door into the celestial kingdom. The Lord made this clear to Nicodemus. We are not preaching a salvation for the inhabitants of the terrestrial or the telestial kingdoms. All of the ordinances of the gospel pertain to the celestial kingdom, and what the Lord will require by way of ordinances, if any, in the other kingdoms he has not revealed.
"It seems to me to be so clear that the ordinances of the gospel are for those who are entitled to enter the Celestial Kingdom, based on obedience to the principles of the gospel, that there should be no question about it....
"The First Presidency have said in answer to a similar question: "We know of no ordinances pertaining to the terrestrial or the telestial kingdom. All of the ordinances of the gospel are given for the salvation of men in the celestial kingdom and pertain unto that kingdom."" (DS p.329-330, emphasis added) (See my explanation)

"Question: Is baptism necessary to gain entry into the terrestrial and telestial kingdoms? Won't all who are resurrected and go into these lower kingdoms have to be baptized before they can leave paradise? What will happen to those in paradise who refuse to accept the gospel and accept baptism, even by proxy? Answer: The scriptures are very clear in declaring that baptism is for the celestial kingdom only. For a place in the terrestrial or the telestial kingdom, baptism is not required...
"The kingdom of God mentioned by the Savior in his conversation with Nicodemus points clearly to the fact that it is the celestial kingdom that is meant. This is also implied in the instructions given by our Savior to his apostles when he left them. They were to go into all the world and preach the gospel, all who accepted and were baptized should enter the celestial kingdom, but all others would be damned, or be assigned to one of the other kingdoms." (AGQ p.147) (See my explanation)

None of these quotes were given while he was the spokesman for the church. None of these were said while he was the prophet and president of the church. And none of these were ratified unanimously in either the quorum of the twelve apostles or the first presidency of the church as doctrine of the church.

Misunderstanding Persists
Through the writings of Joseph Fielding Smith and Bruce R. McConkie, who wrote Mormon Doctrine (a book that is also not church doctrine), some of these ideas have persisted. There are few instances where they appear directly, only one I can think of, but some ideas have persisted which are started on similar false ideas. The quote above from General Conference did make it into Teachings of The Presidents of The Church: Joseph Fielding Smith.

In the Gospel Principles manual under the topic The Final Judgement it states, speaking of the telestial kingdom, "These people did not receive the gospel or the testimony of Jesus either on earth or in the spirit world." While the first part is true (up to 'on earth'), no one can receive any glory without a testimony of Jesus and the saving ordinances of the temple, including baptism, before they are resurrected (see Joseph Smith's quote from June 1843 in the previous post); and the scriptures that speak of the telestial kingdom do not support this. Also, under the topic Baptism is this quote, "We Must Be Baptized to Enter the Celestial Kingdom. Jesus said, “Whoso believeth in me, and is baptized … shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned” (3 Nephi 11:33–34). Baptism is the gateway through which we enter the path to the celestial kingdom (see 2 Nephi 31:17–18)." This statement is completely true, but because of Joseph Fielding Smith, Bruce R. McConkie and possibly others, it is interpreted that the kingdom of God is exclusively the celestial kingdom. There is no place in scripture that states that the kingdom of God is exclusively the celestial kingdom. There is also nowhere in scripture that states that the telestial kingdom is not a part of the kingdom of God or that the requirement of baptism does not apply to those who go there.

I would have outlined more places in church manuals that are either easily misinterpreted or wrong, but it is not my intent to try to find all instances of inaccurate doctrine that has persisted due to the one quote by Joseph Smith and the ideas of men that have interpreted it. But I hope that by bringing this to light it may become clear that when God gave D&C 76, He was expanding our understanding of His kingdom and it's glories. He was not introducing some in-between places which He has never previously talked about that is not in hell but is not in heaven either. D&C 76 outlined the state of men as they currently are on this earth and after, and the hope that they have to receive a glory. Of course, we now know that to receive glory in a kingdom of God requires each person to be spotless (see telestial reference in D&C 76:107), which requires that they accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, have faith, repent, and get baptized, in person or by proxy, to be cleansed by the blood of Christ, even if it takes a millennium of suffering for them to make that choice.

After saying all of this, I must conclude that Joseph Fielding Smith did not make a grave mistake or mislead millions of people on a faulty path. What Joseph Smith said was said in the light and knowledge that he had at that time. He understood things differently at different times, as do we all. The Lord revealed corrections to his understanding, of which he marveled, as do we all. Joseph Fielding Smith made a mistake of understanding, but we all do this is well. Nobody is going to lose their salvation based on the comments of either of these two men in this regard. And we praise the Lord for His mercy in that. Neither does it diminish the authority that they had in their callings as apostles or presidents of the church. Anything that they might have said or did that might have affected the salvation of the saints would have been corrected by the Lord. (See also my disclaimer)