Why “Baptism for the Dead” is NOT a Christian Practice

According to the Mormon practice of “Baptism for the Dead”, those who have already died can have proxy baptisms performed on their behalf by living Latter-Day Saints. 1 Corinthians 15:29 is often cited as a proof text for this practice, but is LDS Baptism for the dead actually a Biblical practice? Can we find Mormonism’s practice of proxy works anywhere in the Bible?

Here’s what the Bible says, “Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?” (1 Corinthians 15:29).

What did Paul mean in this verse? Should Christians be performing baptisms for those who have died? We don’t think so, and are going to explain in this video why the Mormon practice of proxy baptism is actually unbiblical.

When we consider what the Bible teaches, we need to substantially consider what the text is and is not saying. Just because a practice is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:29 does not mean that Christians are commanded to do that practice.

Do we still need Mormon Temples?

One of the most notable differences between Mormonism and Christianity is the way we view temples. Latter-day Saints often wonder why Christians don’t participate in Mormon temple practices today. The Bible addresses this exact issue. So what does the Bible teach us about our need for Mormon temples today?

First: God instructed his people to build a sanctuary that He…“may dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:8).

But because of their sin, God’s people were prohibited from entering into His presence. So God commanded that the sanctuary be divided by a floor-to-ceiling curtain which served as a physical reminder of the spiritual separation between us and God.

Second: God also intended that the Temple would serve as the center of the Old TestamenT sacrificial system.

Forgiveness of sins was dependent upon regular sacrifices being offered there. The Bible says that,

“…under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). 

It was impossible for a man to be seen as right before God apart from these regular blood sacrifices. The presence of a Temple epitomized our separation from God, and our need for continual sacrifice.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Christ’s death changed everything! 

The entire OT Temple System was designed to point us to our need for Jesus! The Bible tells us that

“…in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins…But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God…For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:3-14).

When Jesus went to the cross, He was offering himself up as our ultimate, fully-sufficient sacrifice. When Christ died, the Bible tells us,

“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51).

In His crucifixion, Christ not only fulfilled our need for sacrifice, but also provided a way for us to have access to God. The Bible tells us that we can now, 

“…have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20).

This is why Christians do not engage in Temple worship any longer.

Instead we celebrate how Jesus replaced the Old Covenant (with its temple practices) with a New and better one!

“In speaking of a new covenant he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13).

The Bible teaches that we no longer need a physical Temple because the  purpose of the Temple is now fully and finally satisfied in Jesus.

LDS Temples: Why Veils and Sacrifices Are A Real Problem

At the open house for the LDS Temple in Pocatello, a couple of guys from our team went up to talk with Latter-day Saints about their new temple and the Gospel of Grace. One of the signs we had asked the question “Do we still need a temple?” Many Latter-day Saints were quick to respond—”Yes!” Yet many people had no clue WHY Christians disagreed with this. Christians not only believe we no longer NEED modern temples, but also that Mormon Temples are dishonoring to God.

So, we decided to quickly film a video going over just a couple reasons why all the new LDS Temples being put up are displeasing to God. God completely fulfilled the need for a modern temple by sending Jesus to die on the cross. Jesus now gives us access to God (He is our SINGLE mediator), and He is our once-for-all sacrifice, cleansing us from our sins if we believe in Him.

The LDS Church continues to build temples that not only undermine the nature of Jesus and His Word, but that undermine the Gospel itself. If I must go into a temple to have eternal life (exaltation), then temple works become a necessary prerequisite for eternal life. Yet Jesus was quite clear: “Whoever BELIEVES in Him will not perish, but shall have eternal life” (John 3:16).

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

The Altar of REMEMBRANCE

Mormonism teaches that we need to go through the Temple to have Eternal Life. Not only is this unbiblical because of the nature of eternal life, but it is also unbiblical because of LDS temples and temple works. In our previous video about the LDS temple system (https://youtu.be/nC-cIUiHkO8), we explained why having multiple temples is an unbiblical practice.

In this video, we walk through Joshua 22, and explain why LDS temples are refuted by this forgotten Bible story about the people of Israel and the Altar of Remembrance. Latter-day Saints claim that the modern temple practices of the LDS church are comparable to the Temple practices of Old Testament Israel. Yet the truth is that the Mormon Church differs greatly from the Jewish customs and practices concerning the Temple.

Mormon temple rituals were never practiced in any era of Jewish history—the Temple was primarily for sacrifices! Yet with the advent of Jesus, we no longer need a Temple to offer sacrifices! Mormons who claim that the Genesis of Mormon temples is the Old Testament Temple system are incorrect—and this video shows just ONE reason why that’s the case.

There was only ever one authorized temple/tabernacle. Christians know this. The Jews of Joshua’s day knew this. Why don’t Latter-day Saints know this?

“Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away this day from following the LORD by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle!” (Joshua 22:29)

The High Places: Why Having Numerous Temples is Unbiblical

During General Conference in April 2021, 20 new LDS temples were announced. This isn’t uncommon as multiple new temples are announced every General Conference. And Latter-day Saints are generally proud of their temples being present in cities around the globe.

But did you know that building multiple temples is actually considered wicked in Scripture? Here’s 3 reasons why:

#1) There was only ever one authorized Temple

 Upon entering the promised land, God commanded Israel to

“…drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places.”(Numbers 33:52).

The land of Canaan had many places of worship dedicated to the worship of false gods. God didn’t want Israel to be like the Canaanites and simply repurpose those places of worship for the worship of God. Therefore, God commanded them to worship Him at a single location of his choosing:

“then to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow to the Lord…” (Deuteronomy 12:11). 

“Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see, but at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.” (Deuteronomy 12:11–14).

Before the temple was built, God had instructed Israel to build a tabernacle: the place of God’s presence in the camp of Israel. Up until the days of Solomon’s Temple, the people were only to offer sacrifices and worship God at that tabernacle!

After the Temple was constructed, people were obligated to come, sometimes long distances, to that one temple in Jerusalem; the location God had chosen to be worshiped at (Deuteronomy 16:2, 16, Deuteronomy 26:2). Ezekiel 20 says

“For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord God, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. (Ezekiel 20:40)

#2) Israel sinned by worshiping God at other temples, called High Places

King Solomon was committed to serving the Lord faithfully in his youth. 1 Kings 3 recognizes the one exception to this. It says,

“Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.” (1 Kings 3:3).

Solomon honored God, but offered sacrifices in places that God had not authorized. Later in King Solomon’s life, he would permit these high places to become places of worship for false gods to appease his idolatrous wives (1 Kings 11:1-8). These false places of worship eventually developed into places of idol worship. 

After Solomon’s day, when the Northern Kingdom of Israel split from the Southern Kingdom of Judah, King Jeroboam of Israel knew that the people would be sympathetic to the southern Kingdom of Judah because the temple resided in its capital: Jerusalem. 

“And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” (1 King 12:26).

 And so “He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.” (1 Kings 12:31).

To keep his people from needing to visit the enemy capital each year, he built new temples, also called “high places”, and appointed priests who weren’t authorized to be priests, because they weren’t Levites!  

Causing the people to dishonor God by going to false temples and by having a false priesthood was part of why God judged Jeroboam (1 Kings 14:7-16, 1 Kings 13:2). There was only one authorized place of worship for God’s people: the Temple in Jerusalem. To do sacrifices anywhere but the Temple in Jerusalem was to reject what God had commanded in his Law.

The later kings of both Israel and Judah were judged on whether or not they removed these false centers of worship. Sometimes even faithful kings who removed the worship of false gods displeased God by not wholly removing the high places (1 Kings 15:12–14, 2 Kings 14:4, 2 Kings 15:35). 

When God eventually destroyed Israel and Judah, he did so in part because of these high places (2 Kings 17:9).

#3) We don’t need a physical temple anymore

The Old Testament Temple existed so that people could offer sacrifices to God. There were never any sealings, or endowment ceremonies, or even baptisms ever performed at the Temple.

We don’t need to keep offering sacrifices in the New Covenant because Jesus is our once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10-14), and the New Testament teaches that Christians are now God’s dwelling place on earth (Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Corinthians 3:16–17). The need for a temple no longer exists! 

But let’s just say, hypothetically, we were to need a modern temple. In this case, there would only be one authorized location for it: Jerusalem.

The LDS Church has no such temple in Jerusalem; the place God had chosen for His temple to be built. Additionally, the false practices of LDS temples are the basis of a false gospel that teaches that man must make himself worthy enough to enter God’s Kingdom. 

But the true Gospel of Jesus says that all who trust in Jesus alone for their worthiness will not perish, but will have eternal life (John 3:16).

Christians Are The New Testament Temple

Christians are often outspoken about our disagreement with the LDS Church concerning modern temples. In Mormonism, the temple is a critical part of the plan of salvation. 

Latter-day Saints will often appeal to the unchanging nature of God explaining that there were temples in the Old Testament, and so we should expect to see temples today? How do Christians respond to this claim? In this video, we’ll explain where Christians think the temple is in the New Covenant age.

The Temple is the Dwelling Place of God among man

In the sinless Garden of Eden, God regularly communed directly with Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:15-17, 3:8), but after the fall, Adam and Eve were permanently barred from the Garden—they were not permitted to be in the perfect place of God’s dwelling any longer. Sin caused a deep separation between mankind and God (Isaiah 59:2).

The Bible tells us that after judgement day, when all sin has been dealt with, God will again dwell with his people like He did before the fall (Rev. 21:3). Revelation even says of eternity that there will be

“no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” (Rev. 21:22). 

In the days of Moses, God commanded that the tabernacle, also called the “Tent of Meeting” be built (Ex. 26-27). But this tabernacle was to contain a floor-to-ceiling curtain (or veil) to separate the people from the holy presence of God  (Ex. 26:31-37). Even though the tent of meeting was in the middle of the camp of Israel, it actually epitomized man’s inability to fully dwell with God due to sin!

Under the reign of King Solomon centuries later, God’s people constructed a more permanent dwelling place for God in Jerusalem—the Temple (1 Kings 5-8). Yet the veil remained as a reminder that sin has separated mankind from the presence of God.  

The Old Temple system was fulfilled in Jesus

The Temple also served as the center of the sacrificial system (Lev. 1-5). In order to deal with sin, humans need a substitute to die in our place, taking the wrath of God that we deserve (Isaiah 53)! These sacrifices served as an atonement for sins under the Law of Moses (Heb. 9:22). But Hebrews says

“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God…For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:12-14).

 When Jesus died,

“behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matt. 27:51).

Jesus was not only our fully-sufficient atoning sacrifice, but He also provided us a way for God to dwell with us, as illustrated on earth by that veil tearing in half! The problem of sin separating God’s people from His presence was done away with by the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus atoning for our sin!

To say that we still need a temple today is to say that Christ’s sacrifice was insufficient to reconcile us to God, and that Jesus failed in repairing the breach that sin created between us and God.

Christians are now the Dwelling Place of God

Jesus promises His disciples that:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:15-16). 

Later in that chapter, Jesus said,

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23).

His teaching was that God – the Father, Son, and Spirit – will now live within those who love Jesus. In other words, Jesus taught that Christians are now God’s dwelling place on earth.

Paul taught this same thing in several of his epistles:

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22).

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17)

“What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16)

So where is the New Testament Temple? Christians are the temple: the dwelling place of God on earth. 

Jesus’ death on the cross fulfilled the need for a veil that separated humanity from God’s presence. There is no more need for a physical building to epitomize our separation from God! Those who believe in Jesus are now God’s holy temple, His dwelling place, on earth.

The Biblical Issue With Secret Mormon Temple Rituals

Mormon Temples are a significant part of the LDS faith. The rituals and ceremonies that Latter-day Saints perform in these Temples are considered so sacred that members of the Church are prohibited from ever speaking in detail about them.

Members of the LDS Church are quick to say that these ceremonies aren’t “secret”, but are exceedingly precious and sacred. So sacred, in fact, that to speak of them to the outside world would be defiling.

But what does the Bible say about sacred Temple rituals in the New Covenant?

Temple Ceremonies and Rituals were not kept secret under the Old Covenant

The books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy include incredibly specific instructions concerning the building and ceremonies of the Tabernacle (a kind of mobile Temple). This “tent of meeting” would later be permanently established in Jerusalem as the Temple of God.

The ceremonies and rituals of this Temple in Jerusalem were to strictly follow the specific instructions set forth in the Law of Moses. But in contrast to modern LDS Temples, because no secret ceremonies were included in the Law of Moses, no secret temple ceremonies were to be performed in the Temple of God.

Everything that God expected His people to do in the Temple was clearly and plainly laid out in His Word.  The most sacred & holy place on earth was in the heart of the Temple: in the Holy of Holies, the very dwelling place of God.

Yet despite it being the most sacred place on the planet, we are given specific details about everything that should happen in that room (Leviticus 16, Hebrews 9:6-14).

There was nothing SECRET about the most SACRED part of God’s Temple!

In our age, The Old Testament Temple has been completely fulfilled in Jesus. We no longer need a veil that separates us from the presence of God, from the Holy of Holies (Hebrews 10:20), nor do we need the continuous atoning sacrifices any longer (Hebrews 10:1-4). 

Both of these have been completely fulfilled in Jesus! The veil separating us from God was torn at Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:51). And, Jesus was our once-for-all atoning sacrifice on the cross (Hebrews 10:10-12). New Covenant believers have absolutely NO Temple ceremonies or rituals they should be performing!

But let’s just say (hypothetically) that there were to be a New Covenant Temple, and let say that Christians SHOULD still perform certain Temple ceremonies. If that were the case, then we should expect the Bible to clearly lay out everything about these New Covenant rituals and ceremonies, just like the Old Testament did!

But this isn’t what we find. There is NOTHING in the Bible that tells us we should have New Covenant Temples and Temple rituals so sacred that we should keep their details a “secret”… in fact—the Bible tells us the exact opposite.

Jesus commanded us to proclaim from the rooftops all that we’ve heard in secret

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He commanded people to keep his works and miracles a secret for the time being (Mark 3:12, Matthew 8:4, Luke 4:41). But Jesus taught that after His resurrection, there would be no more secrets in the Christian faith. All of Jesus’ teachings were to be boldly proclaimed!

Jesus said

“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” (Matthew 10:26-27).

Jesus commands that everything should be proclaimed from the rooftops! There are no secrets that Christians should keep! Jesus even explains elsewhere why there should be no secrets in Christianity 

“[Jesus] said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.” (Mark 4:21-22) 

The most glorious parts of the Gospel are to not be kept secret, but are to be made known to the whole world so that men everywhere may see, hear, and believe the fullness of the Gospel! We don’t hide the best parts of the Gospel from people, we make them widely known to everyone!

Jesus is the world’s most sacred mystery fully revealed

Jesus was the Old Testament’s greatest mystery, the greatest secret — the promised Messiah would, in-fact, be God Incarnate; God in the flesh (John 1:1-4, John 1:14, Colossians 2:9)! Though there were veiled references to the nature of the Messiah, it was not made clear until Jesus was revealed (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:22-23). 

Colossians refers to

“the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints” (Colossians 1:26).

This great mystery hidden for ages and generations was Jesus, now in the New Covenant age widely revealed to all God’s people (Ephesians 3:9)!

Jesus is the most holy, most sacred thing ever revealed! If the Most Holy Jesus is not a secret on account of his “sacredness”, then nothing else in all creation qualifies for being too sacred to speak of!

There are no secret Temple rituals or ceremonies that are pleasing to the Lord. Christians are commanded to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), not hide the most precious elements of the Gospel from the World! The fullness of the everlasting Gospel has been fully and publicly revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2).