Bearing Testimony in Ordinances

This weekend in our stake conference, the visiting authority spoke about the Sacrament in a way that I hadn’t thought of before.  He referred to how when the Savior visited the Nephites and gave them the Sacrament, He said this, “And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me” (3 Nephi 18:7).  A little later He also commented, “This is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you….  Ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me” (3 Nephi 18:10-11).  The point that was made was that partaking of the Sacrament is a form of bearing our testimony; we testify to the Father that we remember the Savior and are willing to keep His commandments.  This speaker suggested then that we actual bear our testimony every week when we come to Sacrament Meeting and partake of the emblems of bread and water.  Once every month a small portion of members offer their verbal testimonies that they share with ward members; but every week nearly everyone in the meeting testifies together that they are willing to follow Jesus Christ.  It’s as if each member stood as they partook of the bread and water and said out loud, “I will remember and follow Jesus Christ this week.”  That is what we are committing to do. 

                Just as in the ordinance of the Sacrament, with baptism we likewise are bearing a testimony to the Father as we accept the ordinance.  Alma said this to his people in the waters of Mormon: “What have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments” (Mosiah 18:10).  So here Alma taught that when we are baptized we give “a witness” to God that we will serve Him and keep His commandments.  When Alma baptized the first person, he said, “Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body” (Alma 18:13).  According to this language, baptism is a “testimony” that we have entered into a covenant with God and that we will serve Him all of our life.  We see similar language in Alma’s words to the people of Gideon.  He invited the people this way: “Come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism” (Alma 7:15).  So in baptism we “witness” to God that we have repented and entered into a covenant with Him to keep the commandments. 

                Normally we think of “bearing testimony” as giving our verbal witness to other people to help strengthen their faith in the Savior and invite them to follow His gospel.  These scriptures teach us a broader view of the matter: we also bear testimony to the Father as we participate in the ordinances of the gospel to affirm that we will abide by the covenants we have taken on us.  And that is certainly a bearing of testimony that we shouldn’t take lightly.