A Computation of Steps to a Beginning Knowledge of God

In this post:  equations for baptism - equations for repentance - equations for knowledge of God

 Light at Witte Museum  

Math is a universal language.  One aspect of its beauty is how it describes laws with formulas which provide the same answer every time.  In a world where so many things are subjective, it is nice to have a concrete playing field.  In this post, I’m going to combine mathematics and religion.  The mathematical terms I’m going to use are:

language   |      mathematical symbol

is/are/be               =

and                      +

without                  -

The religious text I’m going to describe mathematically is Mosiah 18:8-10

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

In this text it says:

Desire + bear burdens + mourn + comfort + stand as witnesses = prepared to be baptized

I want to interpret it a little so I’m going to add

Desire to come to God 

+ willing to bear the burden of living among imperfect people + willing to mourn for own sins 

+ willing to forgive others who mourn 

+ willing to comfort the weak 

+ willing to stand for God and defend truth 

= prepared to be baptized

Now here’s another equation:

baptism 

+ repentance 

= a beginning knowledge of God - burden of guilt + an endowment of power

If we consider the steps of repentance as:

acknowledge sins 

+ confess 

+ forsake 

+ make restitution 

+ time to demonstrate a commitment to change 

+ time to strengthen defenses 

+ self forgiveness 

+ Divine forgiveness

and we substitute that in for repentance in the previous equation

and if we consider the following:

baptism = passing through a gate in a clean state 

+ self knowledge of cleanliness

and we substitute that in for baptism then we get (briefly):

gate baptism 

+ cleanliness 

+ repentance 

+ self forgiveness 

+ divine forgiveness 

= knowledge of God + power

Read more here:  Ordinances and Covenants