Is authority from God required to perform a baptism? To get to the bottom of this, two other questions must first be answered. They are: what is this authority and why isn’t doing it in the name of Christ enough?

Let’s start with the authority itself. It is called the priesthood and is the right to act in God’s name. Chapter 5 in the book of Hebrews lays some of the groundwork. Verse 1 states: For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men (not ordained of men, mind you) in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. Verse 5 says: And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

The priesthood is a gift, which can only be given by God or one who is ordained of Him. In old times it was given to the tribe of Levi, and the descendants of Aaron became priests and were given additional keys. One who bares the priesthood is able to heal the sick and perform ordinances such as baptism.

In Matthew we learn that Jesus bestowed this authority on his twelve apostles. Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. In verses 7 and 8 of the same chapter Jesus sends them forth and tells them: And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
The apostles were not only given the priesthood, but they were also sent by the savior himself to preach. This goes along perfectly with the 5^th LDS article of faith: We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

The next question is: what happens if you only use the Savior’s name? Is the priesthood really necessary? Here I will give an example from The Acts where some individuals learned the answer to this question the hard way.

The Acts 19:13-16 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
A tragic story indeed. Of course, it is arguable that vagabond Jews tried this, and if they had been Christian the spirit would have obeyed because of their actual faith in Jesus. It is true that faith has a part to play in everything, including the priesthood. The prayer of faith can heal the sick and move the Lord to compassion to banish evil spirits; but by no means can baptism be performed without the priesthood.
Many Christians are adamant that Christ’s name must be proclaimed during baptism and they are right. Jesus said to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Although God’s name is observed however, several scriptures concerning priesthood authority to baptize are blatantly ignored.

            Let us examine the baptism of John. John the Baptist baptized Jesus, in fact the Lord walked several miles to be baptized by him specifically. But why John? Was it because he was the popular choice at the time? The scriptures give a resounding ‘no’!
            John’s father was Zacharias, a priest after the order of Abia. If his father was a priest who held the priesthood, it makes sense that John did also. On another note, John did not take it upon himself to baptize, but was actually called of God for that purpose. John 1: 32-33 And John bare record saying, I saw the Spirit descending like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
            In the Book of Matthew we read that Jesus used his power to cause a fig tree to wither. Soon afterward the Pharisees asked him by what authority he did these things, and who gave him that authority? In Matthew 21:24-25 Jesus answers, “I will also ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or of men?”
            Most Christians, whether they find baptism to be essential or not, would agree that baptism itself is an ordinance of God. However, Jesus gives two distinctions- there is the baptism from heaven and there is the baptism of men. Right before switching to the topic of baptism Jesus and the Pharisees had just been talking about ‘authority to do these things’- are all these scriptures just a strange coincidence?
            Even the Jews seemed to think that not just any believer could baptize. When they discovered John wasn’t the Messiah they asked, “Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?” A few verses down he confesses that God sent him to baptize (John 1:25). How many can claim such a thing today?

            Even if I could prove that special authority was once needed to perform baptisms, today is a very different story. A major belief is that since the death and resurrection of Christ, he has become our high priest and it is no longer important for men to hold the priesthood. This is simply not true; the authority was never taken from those he had bestowed it on.
            Matthew 28: 16-19 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
            Even after his death Jesus never changed the requirements for baptizing. Here he asks his apostles to teach and to baptize. Each of them had already received authority from him; in fact, if you look at any New Testament baptism, you will see it being performed by one who held the priesthood.

It is true that the priesthood was taken from men during the great apostasy. It is easy to see one reason people may have supposed the priesthood was no longer necessary- after all, it was no where to be found until it was restored through Joseph Smith the prophet. In conclusion I would like to bare my testimony on the priesthood itself. I know without any doubt in my mind that the priesthood is indeed nothing less than the power of God. It does exist, and has been given to man on earth again. I know it is needful for this authority to be used in baptisms. It is not something to try to disprove, but it if many understood what it was, they would seek after it instead.

The Great Apostasy