Gospel Principles
Unit 5: The Church of Jesus Christ
Chapter 16: The Church of Jesus Christ in Former Times
Concept 5: Some Features That Identify the Church of Jesus Christ; First Principles and Ordinances.
"The Apostles taught two basic principles; faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance. After new converts had faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and their Redeemer and had repented of their sins, they received two ordinances: baptism by immersion and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. These were the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. Jesus had taught, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5). Everyone needed these saving ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Concept 6: Some features That Identify the Church of Jesus Christ: Ordinances Preformed for the Dead.
"Jesus has provided for everyone to hear the gospel, whether on earth or after death. Between his death and resurrection, Jesus went among the spirits of those who had died. He organized missionary work among those who were dead. He appointed righteous messengers and gave them power to teach the gospel to all the spirits of people who had died. This gave them and opportunity to accept the gospel (1 Peter 3:18-20 "18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.",
1 Peter 4:6 "For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.";
D&C chapter 138). Living members of his Church then performed ordinances in behalf of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:29 "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?"). Ordinances such as baptism and confirmation must be done on earth."