Baptism by Fire and by the Holy Ghost of the Nephite
Disciples After Christ's First Appearing
Thus this prison experience is the great and marvelous event that would have come to
the minds of the people several years later as the voice of the Lord spoke from the
heavens in the midst of the darkness that encircled them about because of the cataclysmic
destructions that had just come upon them, when he said, "And whoso cometh unto me
with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy
Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their
conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not."
(3 Ne. 9:20.) Then later (nearly a year according to 3 Nephi 8:1,2,5 and 10:18), under
circumstances again of indelible impact, Christ himself appeared to the people assembled
at the temple in the land Bountiful and reiterated his doctrine. After inviting the
multitude forward to one-by-one thrust their hands into his side and feel the prints of
the nails in his hands and in his feet, he called Nephi out of the assembly and gave him
power to baptize, along with eleven others, whom he called as disciples. (3 Ne. 11:21,22.)
The very next thing he did was begin teaching his doctrine. (11:23-41.) It is significant
to note that even this intimate experience that the people were having with Christ --
as glorious as it was -- was not sufficient to somehow circumvent the need for them
to heed this doctrine and partake of its promise -- which is what transpired the
following day. While we are not told, we can feasibly conjecture that most, if not all of
this multitude that had gathered at the temple, were already baptized. (3 Ne. 7:25.) And
yet, for some reason, at this juncture the power to baptize and give the Holy Ghost were
granted anew as well as the injunction to accomplish the conditions of the doctrine of
Christ.
The last thing the Savior did during that first visit was give these twelve disciples
"power to give the Holy Ghost." (3 Ne. 18:37.) The next day, after the disciples
taught the now-larger multitude the "same words which Jesus had spoken..., they knelt
again and prayed." (3 Ne. 19:8.) The thing "which they most desired" was
"that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them." (3 Ne. 19:9.) This desire is
significant considering the grandeur of the glorious events of the preceding day: Christ
himself had taught them, administered the emblems of his flesh and blood, healed their
sick, prayed to the Father for them "so great and marvelous things" that tongue
cannot speak them, blessed their children one by one, and angels had come down and
ministered unto the children. The account says, "No one can conceive of the joy which
filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father." (3 Ne.
17:17.) Why then would the scriptures say that the next day, with these events still fresh
in their minds and hearts would their greatest desire be "that the Holy Ghost should
be given them"? Why not, for example, desire for a repeat of the experience of the
previous day?
According to the account, at this point, "Nephi went down into the water and was
baptized. And he came up out of the water and began to baptize. And he baptized all those
whom Jesus had chosen. And it came to pass when they were all baptized and had come up out
of the water, the Holy Ghost did fall upon them, and they were filled with
the Holy Ghost and with fire." (3 Ne. 19:11-13.) The description of this group
event continues, resembling -- as the voice from the heavens had promised -- the
experience of the conversion of the Lamanites: "And behold, they were encircled about
as if it were by fire; and it came down from heaven, and the multitude did
witness it, and did bear record; and angels did come down out of heaven and did minister
unto them." (3 Ne. 19:14.) Thus they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
Then, "while the angels were ministering unto the disciples, behold, Jesus came and
stood in the midst and ministered unto them." (3 Ne. 19:15.)
What, therefore, is the difference between this event and that which transpired the
previous day to make the latter, in which they received the Holy Ghost, such that it was
described as the thing "they most desired"? Could it be that the events of the
first day, while they were glorious beyond description, were something that happened to
them, while the bestowal of the Holy Ghost actually transformed them? Third Nephi 19:28
reveals that they were now "purified." The context of this verse, which is the
great intercessory prayer of Jesus Christ (compare John 17), expounds the significance of
the purified state. Verse 29, which is the end of the recorded prayer, captures the
essence: "Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out
of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified
in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be
glorified in them." This last phrase, "that I may be glorified in them,"
epitomizes the divine nature: Divine Nature of God because God is glorified by bringing to
pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39); and divine nature of man,
because his works of righteousness are only expressions of God working through man by the
instrumentality of the Holy Ghost which dwells in man -- the changed man. This is the
perfection by the grace of God for which we seek. This is the state of being holy without
spot. According to the definition of the gospel given by Jesus Christ to the Lehites, it
is "by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may be sanctified," whereby
"ye may stand spotless before me at the last day." (3 Ne. 27:20.)
