Moroni 6

Moroni 6

Baptism and Church Membership

Moroni 6:1–3

1 And now I speak concerning baptism. Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized save they brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of it.

2 Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.

3 And none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.

Comments

Moroni begins this chapter by speaking about the ordinance of baptism. He starts out stating who should be baptized. Of all the people in the world, who receives this ordinance? Before commenting on Moroni’s specifics, it should be noted that there is no evidence that the Nephites understood the ordinance of baptizing for the dead, which deals with a very different type of application of the baptismal covenant. For the dead, all are baptized so that they will have the ability to accept or reject it. For baptisms of living persons, which is what Moroni is discussing, there are necessary requirements for baptism.

The first requirement is that the candidate should have “brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of [baptism].” The phrasing is a little surprising, for when we see “elders, priests, and teachers,” we assume that Moroni is speaking of those who will do the baptizing. He is not. He is only saying that these kinds of people should be baptized, and that they should be worthy of baptism.

The second requirement is that “they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.” Repentance is an important precursor to baptism, and an important part of both the worthiness and the manifestation of fruitful works. If we do not repent, we have not “brought forth fruit meet” for baptism.

Finally, the baptismal covenant to take upon oneself the name of Christ, and to follow his commandments “to the end,” is to persevere in bringing forth good fruit.

Moroni 6:4

4 And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.

Comments

Moroni moves to the next important question: what happens after baptism?

The person who has been baptized is “numbered among the people of the church of Christ.” This means that they have entered into the community of Christ. They are considered part of that community and are partakers of communal benefits and obligations. What is interesting is that entry into the church of the newly baptized is characterized by the obligations of those who are in the church already. The newly baptized are to be cared for “that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ.”

Church Meeting and Administration

Moroni 6:5–6

5 And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.

6 And they did meet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.

Comments

Having explained the responsibilities of the members of the church, Moroni turns to speak of the community into which the baptized person has entered. How did that subcommunity of the larger population function?

Moroni clearly defines church in terms of a community. He had previously said that the community should care for its new members, and now he is saying that it should “meet together oft.” When they meet, what should they do? They should be a community, and they should fast and pray to commune with God, and they should “speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.”

Moroni continues to reinforce the purpose of the community: they, the church, partake of the sacrament often. While it simply says that they met “in remembrance” of the Lord, it is likely that there was also an understanding of covenant renewal in the ordinance.

Moroni 6:7–8

7 And they were strict to observe that there should be no iniquity among them; and whoso was found to commit iniquity, and three witnesses of the church did condemn them before the elders, and if they repented not, and confessed not, their names were blotted out, and they were not numbered among the people of Christ.

8 But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.

Comments

As in any family, any community, life is not a continually smooth path. There would be no need to have the community care for the “welfare of their souls” (verse 5 in this chapter) if there were no threats to those souls. Thus, the next responsibility is not directed to the freshly repentant and baptized, but to the members of the community who must live their lives as best they can. Thus, while they try to keep iniquity out of their lives, it will enter in for some. The principle of repentance returns to primary importance.

The community cares for those who desire to be a part of the community. If a member were to sin and not repent, “their names were blotted out.” They had not fulfilled the requirement to be a part of the community. Nevertheless, repentance was primary, and “as oft as they repented . . . they were forgiven.”

Moroni 6:9

9 And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done.

Comments

What happened when they met together oft? The Spirit led them. Activities that were deemed spirit-led and appropriate were preaching, praying and singing. Doubtless there could be others, but those are some of the ones listed.