Any efficient talk for a baptism should be given in a way that is conducive to the Spirit, is easy to understand for the audience in attendance and gives feeling to the person being baptized. The best baptism talks are ones that go over the Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel, what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints consider to be the "saving ordinances" that a person needs to
. return to live with God after death.The first principle of the Gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Many scriptures are available that detail the value of faith and what determines what faith truly is. The most common quoted scriptures about faith during baptisms are Hebrews 11:1, Alma 32: 21 and James 2: 17. These scriptures detail the importance of having an active faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice can have in a person's life and salvation.The second principle of the Gospel is repentance. Repentance is to recognize one's sins and to turn away from them. While the Lord declared the two great laws, love the Lord God with all thy heart, and love thy neighbor, as the two greatest commandments, there are many ways in which people can sin. A person should be sincere in their desire to free themselves from the sin which has them in bondage and lead a life as free from sin as they can. No amount of sin is tolerable in the sight of God. A true repentance involved recognizing one has sinned, making things right, asking for forgiveness and not returning to that sin again. In Proverbs 26:11, a sinner repeating a sin is compared to a dog returning to its own vomit. Repentance is the only way to free oneself from Satan's grasp.As the prior two paragraphs made mention of the Principles of the Gospel, the first Ordinance of the Gospel is baptism by immersion. The word baptism is of Greek origin, and the word literally means to immerse in water. There is a reason that John the Baptist did not merely stand on the banks of the river Jordan to sprinkle water on the penitent who wished to wash away their sins, they needed to be immersed in water. There is great symbolism in baptism by immersion. Going under the water is symbolic of death and burial. The old sins, trials and tribulations of the person die with that simple act, and when they person emerges from the water, they do so clean both figuratively, having left their sinful life behind, and literally, being cleansed by the water itself. The Lord does not grant His power to baptize to anyone. The person performing the baptism must have the Priesthood bestowed upon him by the proper authority. Romans 6:4 details the symbolism of being "buried with Christ" and why it is important for all to come to the waters of baptism. In baptism, the person is making a covenant with God that they will follow the commandments, pay an honest tithe, fast offerings, repent of their sins and live a clean life. In return, God promises to forgive their sins so that they can live in the presence of God after this life.The other important Saving Ordinance of the Gospel is the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the Laying on of Hands. After a baptism by water, the baptism by fire comes from the Holy Ghost, who sanctifies and cleans away the sins of a person. The Holy Ghost is given to each person who covenants with the Lord to act as a guide in life, one who can testify to Jesus Christ and God that the person has obeyed the commandments and led a righteous life. The Holy Ghost is given to all to act as a witness, if the person lives his or her life in a way that allows the Holy Ghost to dwell with them. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Repentance and Baptism by Immersion are all important principles, but without the seal of approval and cleansing by the Holy Ghost, it is all for naught. A life of purity lived after these ordinances is similarly the only way a person can fully hope to receive the blessing of eternal life after death.
