Baptism: What If I Was Baptized Before?

Since we have recognized that baptism is an initiation rite, but that it is more than just an initiation rite, you might be wondering, "What if I was baptized before?"  And what you are probably asking is this:  "Should I be baptized again?" "Should I be re-baptized?"

The answer is "no!"  And there's a very comforting reason for that "no":  Your first baptism is "still good"!  Remember:  Baptism is God's work, and He doesn't make mistakes. To get be re-baptized would express doubt that God did it right the first time!

But even if you still feel the need to publicly express your "recommitment" to the faith of your baptism, there are ways to do this without being re-baptized.  Just ask your pastor!

Why Should I Be Baptized?

If - after all that I've written - you are still wondering "Why Should I Be Baptized?", then the best I can do is give you the chance to clarify your real question or concern in the comments below.  Add your questions as a comment here and I'll take another stab at it!

However, if your question is "Do I have to be baptized?"  Then look to Christ's command to His church in Matthew 28 and Peter's instructions to the crowd in Acts 2.  If your question is "What's in it for me?", then look to the promises in Mark 16:16 and 1 Peter 3:21.

The better question is this: "Why NOT be baptized?"  And when you figure out your answer to that question, compare it to Christ's command and promise.

Baptism: Who Does the Baptizing? - Part III

But notice that even though we say that Church "goes and makes disciples by baptizing and teaching," we still say that God does the baptizing.  Why?  Because He's the One who sends the church to do it.  It's His command and the power in baptism is rooted in His promises.  In the end, we can do a lot of things, but only the ones that have His command and promise hold out any hope for us and inspire our faith.

When it comes to conversion and baptism, I like the analogy of God as a chess grandmaster.  Do you need to hear the Gospel to believe?  Yes.  But do you need to hear it all at one time in a crisis conversation with a friend who happens to be a deep Christian?  Well, it might happen like that and I've heard some pretty incredible conversion stories.

But here's another one!  Eric was raised in a "secularized home" with two athiests for parents.  And I don't mean the run-of-the-mill athiests.  I mean militant atheists.  Atheists who were angry every time "those Christians" were on the TV or newspaper.  Atheists who resented that kids got out of school for a Christmas break, because they knew the holiday had its origins in Christianity, even if it has lost much of its meaning in today's culture.  Atheists who were diligent to lift up every logical flaw in the arguments of any Christians they happened to hear.  And they were never wrong about these things!

Which had the effect of keeping Christianity in front of Eric all his life.  Many of his friends growing up were probably Christians, but Eric would never have known it.  They were quiet about their Christianity the same way he was quiet about being an atheist.  He just never gave it much thought.  They seemed like normal people; same as him.

The "rebellious teenage years" saw Eric exploring religion.  He'd tell his parents that it made him better able to argue when he needed to fend them off - words his parents appreciated - but in truth he was curious.

High school and college were a mishmash of religious experiences, but they always includes a handful of Christian friends, who became increasingly vocal about their Christianity.  ("Not militant, but not quiet, either.")  Eric didn't know how he felt about that, but they were all less aggressive than his parents and willing to talk to him.  They would talk about their lives and life choices, and Eric was struck by two things:  1) they owned up to mistakes they made and were willing to say they were sorry; 2) they were willing forgive Eric and others when they said THEY were sorry.  Over time, Eric found that this reliable pattern of apology and forgiveness made him more comfortable in his friendships.  He didn't have to justify himself when he was wrong, as though he'd lose his friends if they found out he'd made a mistake (even one that hurt them).

As a young man after college, he was dating a woman name Cara who was - surprise, surprise - a Christian.  During one of their weekend trips, he shared his reflections about the way some of his high school and college friends would apologize and forgive each other.  Cara said, "They sound like Christians to me... were they?"

Eric's conversation (and conversion) continued from there.  Cara connected a deep impression Eric had formed of Christians with the life Jesus Christ lived for us, so that we might receive forgiveness from God Himself.  This sounds very "bland" to you and me - especially those of us who have been "in the church" a long time - but with Eric, God used Cara to strike exactly the right chord.  The twenty-plus years prior were just the warmup.

So I ask you?  When Eric was baptized three years later in the church he and Cara now go to, who did the baptizing?  Was it Eric who figured it all out himself and brought himself forward? Or was it God who used the constant mention of Christian's in Eric's militantly anti-Christian home, followed by Eric's teenage rebellion and subsequent seeking, followed by Christians who lived out a critical feature of Christian living (i.e., asking for and receiving forgiveness), followed by an intimate conversation in the context of a trusted relationship?

I assure you:  Eric had the experience of making a choice to be baptized, and we should never try to take that away from him.  But Eric now recognizes the hand of God leading him to that moment from a very early age.

Baptism: Who Does the Baptizing? - Part II

"Okay, then," you might ask, "why does the CHURCH do the baptizing?  Why doesn't God do it directly, like He baptized the disciples in the Holy Spirit on Pentecost?" (You can read this story in Acts 2, by the way.)

Again:  These are good questions, so I hope you will find the answers equally good.  In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gave his disciples (i.e., the earliest Christian Church) this commission: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.  And surely I will be with you to the end of the age."

When Jesus said this, He didn't rule out God accomplishing baptism in other ways, but He did tell the Christians what He wanted them to do.  Go baptize!  Now if you search the scriptures, you will not find any other command telling the church to baptize in any other way, nor will you find a command to individual Christians to seek baptism in any other way.  So although God COULD do it some other way, that's not the way He's given to Christians and the Christian church to do it!

Baptism: Who Does the Baptizing?- Part I

I've already "telegraphed the punch" on this one, but all of the power and promise of baptism depends on the answer to this question:  "Who does the baptizing?"  

Many Christians think of baptism as something that YOU do.  It's your repentance, your commitment, your vows, your agreement to live as a Christian.  So even though a pastor or another Christian may sprinkle, pour or dunk, it's the Christian being baptized who does the baptism.

Unfortunately, that way of viewing baptism limits it to self-expression, and misses much of what we've considered in the last few posts.  Forgiveness, life and salvation are gifts that GOD gives.  So if baptism gives these gifts, then your commitment can't be the main thing.  

After all, when was the last time you committed yourself to never sinning and followed through on your commitment?  Never, right?

Remember what we learned about the work of the Holy Spirit!  We can't believe in Jesus on our own and we can't come to Him on our own.  We need God to draw us.  If baptism is just an initiation rite, then it should come after the Holy Spirit's calling and coming.  But if it's just an initiation rite, it doesn't have the power of the promises that Christ has attached to it.

No.  We need to turn it around.  Although we do "get baptized," we don't "baptize ourselves."  Baptism is something that God does to us!  And that's a good thing!

Baptism: More Than Just an Initiation

"Okay," you might say.  "We baptize (and receive baptism) because Christ commanded it.  But that doesn't make it more than just a symbolic act of initiation!"

You would be quite right... given what we've said so far.  But there's more.  And the "more" is what makes Holy Baptism more than just an initiation.  

In Mark 16:16, Christ our Lord says, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."  Peter wrote in his first letter, "This water [of Noah's flood] symbolizes baptism that now saves you also... It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."  And earlier, in the earliest days of the church, Peter said to a crowd on Pentecost: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."

Because of verses like these, the Reformers concluded that baptism conveys great gifts: "It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare."

When was the last time a Junior High Honor Society initiation or citizenship ceremony did all of that!?!  Clearly Holy Baptism is more than just an initiation.

Baptism: More Than "Just a Good Idea"

We need to take a step back and ask a really basic question:  "What is baptism?"

After a thorough examination of the Bible, the Reformer's gave this answer: "Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in and combined with God's word."

You see, there were baptisms before Holy Baptism.  "Baptism" means "to wash" and human beings didn't just start washing themselves 2000 years ago.  And it was inevitable that some humans would make a ritual or rite out of something that humans have been doing from the beginning.  In the Bible itself, we read about John the Baptist baptizing people in the river Jordan with a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."  And there are indications that there were other "washing rituals" inside and outside Judaism.  Judaism and Christianity do not have a corner on the "baptism" market.

But that's why we need to mark a difference between just any baptism and Holy Baptism.  Holy Baptism is the baptism instituted by God in His Word.  Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew:  "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)

In other words, Holy Baptism is God's invention, not ours.  We don't do it because "it seems good to us."  It's more than just a good idea.  We baptize (and receive baptism) because Christ commanded it!