Baptism is gateway to eternal life
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Quoting Nephi, President Howard W. Hunter of the Council of the Twelve said the greatest objective of the Church's missionary endeavor is to help nonmembers enter the gate into the pathway of eternal life.
The gateway, said President Hunter during the Mission Presidents Seminar, is "repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost." (2 Ne. 31:17-18.)President Hunter affirmed that "no man or woman can receive eternal life without the Atonement of Jesus Christ being fully efficacious in one's life."
He cited the pattern of conversion in the Book of Mormon following King Benjamin's sermon in Mosiah 4. The effect of the message, President Hunter observed, was that the people viewed themselves in their worldly state, and they next cried to the Lord for mercy, forgiveness and purification. Ultimately the Spirit of the Lord rested upon them and filled them with joy.
"That pattern of conversion applies to every member of the Church today," President Hunter said.
Posing the question of what the Atonement has to do with missionary work, President Hunter said, "Any time we experience the blessings of the Atonement in our lives, we cannot help but have a concern for the welfare of others."
To illustrate, he cited examples from the Book of Mormon, including Lehi partaking of fruit from the tree of life, Enos' concern about the Nephites and Lamanites, and the sons of Mosiah and their mission among the Lamanites.
He read the conversion story of Alma the younger in Alma 36:12-24.
"A great indicator of one's personal conversion is the desire to share the gospel with others," he commented. "For this reason the Lord gave an obligation to every member of the Church to be missionaries."
Reviewing the covenants of baptism and the sacrament, President Hunter said missionary work is one important way to take upon oneself the name of Christ.
"Those of us who have partaken of the Atonement are under obligation to bear faithful testimony of our Lord and Savior," he declared.
