To return to Him it is necessary to put away sin—to repent of it.
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?" (I Corinthians 6: 9).
"Except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish." (Luke 13: 3).
It is only upon certain conditions that the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin:
"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (I John 1: 7).
In order to "walk in the light" we must turn away from the dark paths of sin.
THE THIRD RULE—BAPTISM.
Repentance alone does not remit sin, yet every one who is truly penitent desires that his sins be remitted. It is through the atonement of Jesus Christ that a remission of sins is obtained. To make that atonement effective to each individual the Savior has instituted an ordinance. By obeying that ordinance, after repenting of his sins, a person can receive a remission or forgiveness of them.
TRUE MODE OF BAPTISM.
The ordinance for the remission of sins is called baptism. The meaning of the word baptize is to immerse or dip. The only proper mode of baptism is by immersion. All the baptisms described in the New Testament were performed by immersion.
St. Matthew says concerning the baptism of Jesus: