A recent news article told the story of a couple in Oregon who was prosecuted for and eventually pled guilty to second-degree murder of their newborn child. Due to their religious beliefs, this couple had chosen to have their child born in a bedroom, with no medical assistance. To everyone’s surprise, twins were born. The parents didn’t have any sonograms, nor did they visit a doctor during the pregnancy. Neither of them could have known the mother was carrying twins. Even still, at the time of the birth, and with the life of their little girl on the line, they chose not to forego their religious beliefs by seeking medical help. Because of that, the child died, just hours after her birth, leaving her twin in critical condition.

This couple was fifth generational members of the Church of Christ. They believe that God is the master healer. Many others share this belief as well. However, the difference between common belief and the Church of Christ is that they believe He is the master healer 100% from every angle. Meaning that if it’s God’s will, He will heal the person—no additional medical assistance necessary.

In 1998, Oregon stated that the number of children’s deaths, in the Church of Christ, between then and 1955, was 78. They concluded that 21 of those deaths could have been avoided by seeking medical assistance.

As Mormons we, too, understand that God is the master healer. However, we believe that He would expect us to seek medical help as part of that healing process. God is the master healer because He is the master of everything. He heals us but He has also provided us with tools to seek the best learning.

Modern Medicine and Prophets

Many of the prophets and apostles in the Mormon church have been successful in the medical field. Current prophet, Russell M. Nelson, is a world renowned heart surgeon and medical researcher. In April 1972 he was called to perform a very risky heart surgery on President Spencer W. Kimball. Kimball was then a member of the twelve apostles and at the age of 77. Nelson had never performed this specific surgery on a man of his age group. It was decided he would go through with the surgery, anyway, as President Harold B. Lee, then the president of the quorum of the 12 apostles, insisted that President Kimball was to be prophet someday.

On the day of the surgery, there were many that were fasting and praying for it to go well. President Nelson received a blessing from the first presidency that he would be able to efficiently perform the operation. All of those, combined with a lifelong study of medicine and surgery, helped President Nelson to operate on President Kimball’s heart perfectly. He then went on to live another phenomenal thirteen years.

This can all be found in President Nelson’s biography, Father, Surgeon, Apostle.

Priesthood blessings can be a vital part of healing for people in the Church. Christ came to Earth and, as part of His earthly ministry, healed the sick. His priesthood remains on the earth today and is exercised through righteous men who have received it through the laying on of hands.

Faith and sacred Priesthood power can help us heal. But God also expects us to seek help and take action by getting the best medical help available. He takes care of us and meets our needs through many different avenues.

Jesus’ response to that was, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.”

This meant that in order for the Savior to be completely perfect and fulfill His father’s plan, He had to be baptized. But how could that be when we are baptized to be forgiven of our sins?

Jesus taught that baptism isn’t just a washing away of our sins but an entrance—a gateway that opens a pathway back to the Father.

This can be confusing because there is a common belief that God is both the Father and the Son. But this event tells us that not only was Christ baptized by water, but the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings. We call that the Godhead.

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

We have Jesus, who was just baptized by John the Baptist in His temporal, mortal body; we have the Holy Ghost, which descended in the form of a dove on Jesus’ shoulder; and we have the voice of Heavenly Father. Three separate beings, but all with the same purpose. And that purpose is to help us make it back to them someday.

The act of being baptized by full water is symbolic. It represents our willingness to follow Jesus Christ, strip ourselves of our old selves and come out of the water, clean again. It’s a symbolic death and rebirth. It’s also essential to our salvation, including the Savior’s. Even though He is God, because He chose to come to Earth in a mortal body and suffer for us, part of that deal included baptism.

To reiterate Christ’s words, “For thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.” A common belief among Christians is thanks to Christ, by grace we are saved. Many believe that as long as we accept Christ into our hearts and believe on His name, we will be saved. Mormons believe very similarly. We believe that when we are baptized, we promise to take His name upon us.

We covenant, or make a promise with God, that we will do all that we can to keep the commandments and live as Christlike as we can. That’s what we do when we follow the Savior’s words, “For thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” This means we help each other in times of need and we give ourselves through service whenever and wherever we can. He meant that justice is a real thing and that we need to fulfill that law. We need to do all that we can do to follow Him, just as He did all that He could to follow the Father. Then, after we do all we can, by grace we are saved.

“Then he suffered him,” can be interpreted to mean that the law will suffer us. As long as we try our best and be baptized, then we are able to repent and be forgiven of our sins all throughout our lives.

Baptism was part of the law that Jesus had to fulfill. It was a symbolic message to us that because He was baptized, so must we be, by full immersion in water. It’s that first step to entering the Kingdom of God.