Water Baptism for the Dead
Again on the subject of salvation, the Mormons teach and practice water baptism for the dead. They do extensive genealogical work constantly in an effort to locate ones for whom they may perform this vicarious rite. This false doctrine was taught by the already proven false prophet Joseph Smith.
"For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead....that after you have had sufficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of baptism for the dead belongeth, and for which the same was instituted from before the foundation of the world..." (D&C 124:29-33 and 128)
You may recall the earlier quote from Alma 34:33-35 where the above was contradicted in their own writings:
"...do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end...Ye cannot say when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot do this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that you go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world...ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his...and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked."
A number of true scriptures could be cited from the Bible to squash this antichrist ritual. For example:
"There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." 1Tim 2:5
"None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him, (for the redemption of his soul is precious, and it ceaseth forever)..." Psalms 49:7-8
Notice here again that the Book of Mormon did not contain the "everlasting gospel" because water baptism for the dead was added later in the "Doctrine and Covenants" by Joseph Smith!
The meaning of 1 Corinthians 15:29 (the verse the Mormons cite in an effort to prove their water baptism for the dead doctrine) has to not only be consistent with all the rest of God's word, but it must also fit the immediate context. Virtually the entire 15th chapter consists of Paul's arguments proving the resurrection of Christ and therefore the future resurrection of His children. In the midst of this he asks the question (not states a command), "Else what shall they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?" In Colossians 2:10-12; Gal 3:27 and Romans 6:3 we read that we (that is, true Christians who have received Jesus Christ as their Saviour), have been baptized into Jesus Christ (notice it does not say into water, but rather right into Jesus Christ)! The very next verse in 1 Corinthians 15 says, "And why stand we in jeopardy every day?" In other words it is fruitless to be in jeopardy every day if the dead One of the preceding verse (Christ into Whom we have been baptized) is not to be resurrected. If that were so, there would be no value in being baptized into a dead Jesus and very foolish to be in daily jeopardy.
http://www.BibleTruths.org/cults/MormonismBaptismDead.html
updated September 4, 1998 by Webservant@BibleTruths.org