“Yea and Are Willing to Mourn with Those That Mourn”
Baptism is the “first fruits of repentance” (Moroni 8:25). It is an ordinance, a sign of a covenant, an outward expression of the acceptance of and participation in a two-way promise. The initiate promises God certain things; in return, God promises certain blessings. According to Alma, persons desiring to enter the kingdom of God promise to:
(1) bear one another’s burdens;
(2) mourn with those that mourn;
(3) comfort those that stand in need of comfort; and
(4) stand as witnesses of God at all times.
In return, God promises that obedient souls may be:
(1) redeemed from death;
(2) numbered with those of the first resurrection; and
(3) inheritors of eternal life.