KnoWhy #821 | October 28, 2025
Why Do Latter-day Saints Perform Baptisms for the Dead?
Post contributed by
Scripture Central
“Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.” Doctrine and Covenants 128:22
The Know
On August 15, 1840, Joseph Smith preached a funeral sermon for Seymour Brunson, one of Joseph’s friends and a member of the Nauvoo high council. Attending this funeral was a woman named Jane Neyman. Neyman had recently lost her teenage son Cyrus, who had not been baptized prior to his untimely passing.1
Noticing her in the crowd, the Prophet turned his funeral sermon to a subject of great importance for the Saints: baptism for the dead. Though no contemporaneous account of this sermon exists, Simon Baker understood from it that “people could now act for their friends who had departed this life, and that the plan of salvation was calculated to save all who were willing to obey the requirements of the law of God.”2
In his teachings on this subject, Joseph Smith often cited 1 Corinthians 15 and was especially drawn to verse 29: “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?” In an 1840 letter addressed to the Quorum of the Twelve (then serving their missions in England), Joseph declared that baptism for the dead “was certainly practiced by the antient churches.” He then went on to cite Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15 as evidence for this claim.3 Baptisms for the dead were indeed practiced in antiquity, and various references to this ordinance are found in early Christian literature.4
In 1842, Joseph wrote to the Church (portions of which were eventually canonized as Doctrine and Covenants 128), again drawing attention to 1 Corinthians 15:29 as he explained the restoration of baptisms for the dead in the current dispensation (Doctrine and Covenants 128:16). In this same section, Joseph also referred to Malachi 4:5–6, stating that Malachi “had his eye fixed on the restoration of the priesthood, the glories to be revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:17).
The angel Moroni quoted this same passage in Malachi, although with some variation, when he first appeared to Joseph Smith in 1823 (Joseph Smith—History 1:36–39). Malachi’s prophecy was dramatically fulfilled when Elijah appeared in the Kirtland Temple to bestow the sealing keys on Joseph and Oliver Cowdery (see Doctrine and Covenants 2, 110). By connecting Malachi’s prophecy to the ordinance of baptisms for the dead, Joseph made clear that this was an important aspect of sealing families together as temple ordinances began to be revealed in Nauvoo.
Furthermore, in connecting this prophecy to salvation for the dead, it is possible to better understand and appreciate how Joseph Smith learned this doctrine from the earliest days of the Restoration. Indeed, after Moroni first introduced this subject in 1823 when he cited Malachi’s prophecy, subsequent revelations continuously taught that God intended to save as many of His children as He could.
In Doctrine and Covenants 19 Joseph learned that eternal punishment was simply God’s punishment and that hell would not last forever. In section 76, Joseph learned about the three degrees of glory. The Prophet also learned through his translation of the Bible, specifically in 1 Peter 3–4, that those who die without having an opportunity to hear the gospel will eventually get that chance in the afterlife. This was again affirmed by the Lord when He revealed that “all people, both in heaven and in earth, and that are under the earth” would hear the gospel preached.5 This ordinance was therefore closely connected with the preaching of the gospel to the dead.6
Then Joseph Smith received another key vision regarding the redemption of the dead. On January 21, 1836, he saw the celestial kingdom while in the Kirtland Temple. Concerning this experience, he stated, “I saw . . . my brother Alvin, that has long since slept; and marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins.” The answer came shortly after: “All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God.”7
Because baptism is still necessary for salvation, the way these individuals could become heirs of the celestial kingdom became clear to the Saints at the funeral of Seymour Brunson. Shortly after this doctrine was expounded, the first baptisms for the dead in this dispensation were performed, on September 13, 1840. Alexander L. Baugh summarized, “Jane Neyman requested that Harvey Olmstead baptize her in behalf of her deceased son, Cyrus Livingston Neyman. Vienna Jaques witnessed the proxy baptism by riding into the Mississippi River on horseback to hear and observe the ordinance. A short while later, upon learning the words Olmstead used in performing the baptism, Joseph Smith gave his approval.”8 The next day, Joseph Smith Sr. requested that his sons Joseph and Hyrum be baptized for Alvin, their older brother who had died in 1823. Joseph Sr. passed away shortly thereafter, but he and his family rejoiced that his son Alvin could experience the blessings of baptism and become an heir of the celestial kingdom, just as Joseph saw in his vision.9
Joseph also recognized the importance of recording the ordinances performed on behalf of the dead. In Doctrine and Covenants 127–28, he instructed the Saints to keep a careful record of all their proxy ordinances performed in the temple, viewing the record as an offering to be presented to the Lord when He returns (Doctrine and Covenants 128:24). While the earliest baptisms for the dead were performed in bodies of water such as the Mississippi River, a later revelation clarified that this was only acceptable “in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me,” and that all future baptisms for the dead must be performed in the temple.10 After Joseph Smith’s death, Brigham Young also clarified practices regarding this ordinance—namely, that men should be baptized for men and women for women.11
The Why
In Nauvoo, the Lord commanded His Saints to build a temple so He could reveal necessary ordinances to allow them to return to His presence and become like Him. The ability to perform ordinances for the dead in the temple allows all God’s children to enjoy those same blessings. Referring to this great doctrine, Joseph Smith wrote,
Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free. (Doctrine and Covenants 128:22)
This doctrine and ordinance, “instituted from before the foundation of the world,” would be the first of several temple ordinances revealed in Nauvoo (Doctrine and Covenants 124:33). Amy Harris observed that “baptism for the dead was an indispensable part of the plan of salvation from the beginning of the world. It was not a fix-it for a theological gap in the divine plan of salvation, but a precondition for the earth’s creation.”12 Moreover, through proxy ordinances, the Lord’s promise of gathering Israel can be fulfilled. As President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Anytime we do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—to make and keep their covenants with God, we are helping to gather Israel.”13
Indeed, as three Church historians have observed, through his many revelations on the subject, “Joseph had the joy of comprehending the infinitely tender mercies of the Lord, who provided the means of working for the salvation of each and every soul who would accept it. He had the joy of knowing that God loves us all and desires not to lose a single one of his children.”14 Through Joseph, the priesthood authority necessary to perform these long-lost ordinances was restored, allowing all God’s children who have ever lived or will live upon this earth the opportunity to embrace and experience the enduring joy that comes through making and keeping covenants with God and helping others to do the same in this life or the next.
Alexander L. Baugh, “‘For Their Salvation Is Necessary and Essential to Our Salvation’: Joseph Smith and the Practice of Baptism and Confirmation for the Dead,” in Joseph Smith: A Life Lived in Crescendo, ed. Jeffrey M. Bradshaw (Interpreter Foundation; Eborn Books, 2024).
Steven C. Harper, Doctrine and Covenants Contexts (BYU Studies, 2021), 234–40.
David L. Paulsen, Roger D. Cook, and Brock M. Mason, “Theological Underpinnings of Baptism for the Dead,” BYU Studies 55, no. 3 (2016): 101–16.
David L. Paulsen, Kendel J. Christensen, and Martin Pulido, “Redeeming the Dead: Tender Mercies, Turning of Hearts, and Restoration of Authority,” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 20, no. 1 (2011): 28–51.
David L. Paulsen, Judson Burton, Kendel J. Christensen, and Martin Pulido, “Redemption of the Dead: Continuing Revelation After Joseph Smith,” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 20, no. 2 (2011): 52–69.
Hans A. Pohlsander, review of Rescue for the Dead: The Posthumous Salvation of Non-Christians in Early Christianity, by Jeffrey A. Truymbower, BYU Studies 41, no. 2 (2002): 187–91.
H. David Burton, “Baptism for the Dead: LDS Practice,” in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, ed. Daniel H. Ludlow, 4 vols. (Macmillan, 1992), 1:95–96.
- 1. See Steven C. Harper, Doctrine and Covenants Contexts (BYU Studies, 2021), 234–35.
- 2. Cited in Harper, Doctrine and Covenants Contexts, 235; Alexander L. Baugh, “‘For Their Salvation Is Necessary and Essential to Our Salvation’: Joseph Smith and the Practice of Baptism and Confirmation for the Dead,” in Joseph Smith: A Life Lived in Crescendo, ed. Jeffrey M. Bradshaw (Interpreter Foundation; Eborn Books, 2024), 124
- 3. “Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 December 1840,” p. 6, The Joseph Smith Papers. The historical introduction to this source notes that it is “the earliest firsthand source from [Joseph Smith] to explain this teaching.”
- 4. For a discussion on the antiquity of this authentic early Christian practice, see Scripture Central, “Why Are People Baptized for the Dead? (1 Corinthians 15:29),” KnoWhy 687 (September 5, 2023). See also Hans A. Pohlsander, review of Rescue for the Dead: The Posthumous Salvation of Non-Christians in Early Christianity, by Jeffrey A. Truymbower, BYU Studies 41, no. 2 (2002): 187–91. Richard D. Draper and Michael D. Rhodes, “Excursus on the Ancient Practice of Vicariouis Baptism in Behalf of the Dead,” in Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians (BYU Studies, 2017), 788–93.
- 5. Doctrine and Covenants 88:104. The development of this doctrine as Joseph learned line by line through revelation is discussed in David L. Paulsen, Kendel J. Christensen, and Martin Pulido, “Redeeming the Dead: Tender Mercies, Turning of Hearts, and Restoration of Authority,” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 20, no. 1 (2011): 37–39.
- 6. In July 1838, Joseph Smith published an editorial in the Elders’ Journal in Far West, Missouri, that also taught this doctrine and even alluded to proxy ordinances. Answering the question, “What has become of all those who have died since the days of the apostles?” Joseph Smith wrote, “All those who have not had an opportunity of hearing the gospel, and being administered to by an inspired man in the flesh, must have it hereafter, before they can finally be judged.” This marks the first time the doctrine of proxy ordinances would have been taught to the Saints. Cited in Baugh, “‘For Their Salvation Is Necessary,’” 123. For a discussion on how the evangelism of the dead was also an ancient Christian belief and doctrine, see Scripture Central, “Why Did Jesus Preach to the Dead? (1 Peter 4:6),” KnoWhy 700 (November 21, 2023).
- 7. Doctrine and Covenants 137:5–7. Discussions regarding this revelation and its full import can be found in Stephen O. Smoot, “Joseph Smith’s 1836 Vision of the Celestial Kingdom: A Historical and Contextual Analysis,” in Joseph Smith as a Visionary: Heavenly Manifestations in the Latter Days, ed. Alonzo L. Gaskill, Stephan Taeger, Derek R. Sainsbury, and Roger G. Christensen (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Deseret Book, 2024), 209–27; Robert L. Millet, “Joseph Smith’s Vision of the Celestial Kingdom: The Problem of Evil, the Promise of Salvation,” in Gaskill et al., Joseph Smith as a Visionary, 229–46; Jubal John Lotze, “Expanding Heaven and Contracting Hell: Joseph Smith’s 1836 Vision of the Celestial Kingdom,” in Gaskill et al., Joseph Smith as a Visionary, 247–64.
- 8. Baugh, “‘For Their Salvation Is Necessary,’” 125.
- 9. Baugh, “‘For Their Salvation Is Necessary,’” 125–26.
- 10. Doctrine and Covenants 124:30. While the majority of baptisms for the dead occurred in Nauvoo since Joseph Smith had instructed the Saints to gather to Nauvoo at that time, historical evidence shows that they were also performed in Latter-day Saint communities in Montrose, Iowa; Nashville, Ramus, LaHarpe, and Plymouth, Illinois; and even Kirtland, Ohio. The fact that “those who are scattered abroad” were performing baptisms for the dead is even mentioned in Doctrine and Covenants 124:35. Issues with how the ordinance was performed in some of these communities, specifically in how it was taught by some leaders in Kirtland who did not want to gather with the Saints in Nauvoo and the fact that many of these baptisms apparently were not accompanied by proxy confirmation, may have been contributing factors to the Lord’s disallowing this ordinance until the baptismal font could be installed and dedicated in the Nauvoo Temple. See Baugh, “‘For Their Salvation Is Necessary,’” 128–31.
- 11. Baugh, “‘For Their Salvation Is Necessary,’” 126–27.
- 12. Amy Harris, Redeeming the Dead (Neal A. Maxwell Institute; Deseret Book, 2024), 16.
- 13. Russell M. Nelson, “Let God Prevail,” October 2020 general conference.
- 14. Paulsen et al., “Redeeming the Dead,” 45.