Question about adults getting baptized twice

[Eye4Eye26]

I would like to read people’s replies to this question.

If an adult believer was baptized as an adult but strayed away from their faith-life for a few years do you think they should get baptized again or is there one time enough?

 

[Tigger45]

Baptism is a one time event repentance however is a daily event.

 

[Eye4Eye26]

Baptism is a one time event repentance however is a daily event.

I agree, love this answer. I think the fact that a believer’s baptism happened at least once means the person knew in their heart enough what they were declaring publicly due to the classes leading up to it & other forms of preparation for it.

 

[Sabertooth]

A second such baptism is not necessary but (I believe) permissible.
It is the equivalent of a married couple renewing their vows.

 

[Sophrosyne]

I believe that if one feels a need to be baptized again then nothing wrong with it. I contend there are 3 types of baptisms (with water)
infant
confirmation baptism
believers baptism

There is also a fourth type of baptism and that is when you join a group that mainline Christians reject as Christian like the JWs and Mormons most churches don't accept their baptism as valid.

 

[Eye4Eye26]

A second such baptism is not necessary but (I believe) permissible.
It is the equivalent of a married couple renewing their vows.

Fair analogy & a different way to look at this in a good way.

 

[Eye4Eye26]

I believe that if one feels a need to be baptized again then nothing wrong with it. I contend there are 3 types of baptisms (with water)
infant
confirmation baptism
believers baptism

There is also a fourth type of baptism and that is when you join a group that mainline Christians reject as Christian like the JWs and Mormons most churches don't accept their baptism as valid.

I’d say that if someone feels the need to be baptized again for personal reasons then it makes sense. Not that they have to because of choices they made after their first adult/believers baptism but because they want to.

 

[Carl Emerson]

I think God knows if a previous event was the real deal. Seek His guidance on this in conjunction with mature believers He leads you to listen to.

 

[Eye4Eye26]

I think God knows if a previous event was the real deal. Seek His guidance on this in conjunction with mature believers He leads you to listen to.

Fantastic advice brother!!

 

[Sketcher]

If an adult believer was baptized as an adult but strayed away from their faith-life for a few years do you think they should get baptized again or is there one time enough?

Not necessary. Just return home.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

I would like to read people’s replies to this question.

If an adult believer was baptized as an adult but strayed away from their faith-life for a few years do you think they should get baptized again or is there one time enough?

Personally, it would mean the first one meant nothing to you. I fell off as well and came back but I never stopped believing, I just "quenched" the work and guidance of the Holy Spirit. I would never think my adult baptism was of no meaning.
Blessings.

 

[public hermit]

I would like to read people’s replies to this question.

If an adult believer was baptized as an adult but strayed away from their faith-life for a few years do you think they should get baptized again or is there one time enough?

I don't believe it's necessary. We're not saved by baptism (think of the thief on the cross). Baptism is a visible, tangible sign of God's invisible grace. We grow into our baptism, sometimes quickly and at other times not so quickly, but God is faithful and will complete the good work God has started in us. If someone feels the need for re-baptism, that's a sure sign that God's grace is at work in their lives. What they need is not another baptism but to nurture that latent faith in God's grace that has them thinking about it.

 

[Sophrosyne]

I’d say that if someone feels the need to be baptized again for personal reasons then it makes sense. Not that they have to because of choices they made after their first adult/believers baptism but because they want to.

And then there are people who don't think baptism is necesary to begin with as the thief on the cross was saved without it.

 

[PloverWing]

My church's tradition has a formal ceremony for someone who wants to reaffirm their faith in a public way. It's not a repetition of baptism (we only do that once), but it's for someone returning to their faith in a situation like you've described. Does your church have a provision like this for people who want to reaffirm their faith?

 

[seeking.IAM]

The Nicene Creed, "...We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins."

 

[Daniel9v9]

Perhaps I can start with the simple fact that there is no example in the Bible of anyone being baptised into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit twice. And I think we should be very careful with any teaching or idea that has no command, promise, or example in God's Word. Our Lord's promise through Baptism is still valid, even if we wander off and by God's grace are brought back, for God does not lie, and we can rejoice in and take comfort in that!

When Scriptures say: "One Lord, one faith, one baptism", we can understand from this that this not only means "one kind of baptism" but also "a (singular) baptism in God's name".

Baptism is not something we do for ourselves or for God, but something God does for us — it's His gift to us. And the further away we get from understanding it as a gift, the less we know what Baptism is.

It can be good to read everything the Bible says about Baptism because the language the Holy Spirit uses to explain Baptism is very powerful. The Bible talks about Baptism in connection to faith, salvation, forgiveness of sins, a birth from above, the gift of the Holy Spirit, entering the kingdom of God, being baptised into Jesus’ death, a good conscience, a circumcision of Christ, a washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, a baptism into Christ, putting on Christ etc. So, in other words, a baptism into the triune name is not a symbol of being baptised in God's name, but it is being baptised in God's name, and that is God's work, gift, and promise to you. You are not baptised for God's benefit, but God has you baptised for your own benefit, to comfort you with His promise in a tangible way.

Peter sums all of this up wonderfully in 1 Peter 3:21: "Baptism, which corresponds to [the flood], now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Hope this helps! God bless!

 

[sandman]

I would like to read people’s replies to this question.

If an adult believer was baptized as an adult but strayed away from their faith-life for a few years do you think they should get baptized again or is there one time enough?

The new birth made available on Pentecost to the Jews and extended to the Gentiles in Act 10 is a complete salvation in every sense of the word. You have been freely given everything in Christ Jesus.

This new birth baptism via holy spirit is permanent, it’s seed (1Pe 1:23) and it’s unalterable; there is absolutely nothing you can do to lose it.

Once you receive the spirit of God you are endued with power from on high sealed with the holy spirit of promise…eternal life is yours there is nothing more you need do….. You can sit on your can and wait to die or till Christ returns…. or you can tap the resources given to you by renewing your mind to the Word of God and walk with the power an authority you have received.

The criteria for being born again is listed in Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

That’s it!.... that is your part in the acceptance of the new covenant…it’s pretty simple, so simple in fact that many Jew couldn’t accept …they still wanted to hack away… to perform something in the flesh. They couldn’t accept that everything was completed in Christ….similar to today…. people still want to do works to gain salvation including water baptism…. This is what Christ told the Apostles before He was taken up. Act 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the holy spirit not many days hence.

In simple terms …. when the greater came the lesser was done away with.

Water baptism is nothing more than a feel-good symbolic action that does nothing…. it ceased when the greater came.

 

[Eye4Eye26]

My church's tradition has a formal ceremony for someone who wants to reaffirm their faith in a public way. It's not a repetition of baptism (we only do that once), but it's for someone returning to their faith in a situation like you've described. Does your church have a provision like this for people who want to reaffirm their faith?

That’s a great question, I’ll ask them to find out then let you know

 

[disciple Clint]

I would like to read people’s replies to this question.

If an adult believer was baptized as an adult but strayed away from their faith-life for a few years do you think they should get baptized again or is there one time enough?

one water baptism is all that is needed.

 

[BobRyan]

I would like to read people’s replies to this question.

If an adult believer was baptized as an adult but strayed away from their faith-life for a few years do you think they should get baptized again or is there one time enough?

If by "stray" you mean rejected God - stopped attending church and lived in sin , then "yes" re-baptism is a public confession of repentance , turn-around and change. Remember that at the start of this "believer's baptism" was the way into membership. So one was already born-again prior to Baptism from the very start. Why be baptized at all in the first place? Well the reason is that it was a public confession, a public witness.

So then a person who has left the church and later decides to return - needs that public witness of repentance and turning again to God.

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In fact in the Bible there is the case of re-baptism for an even lesser situation Acts 19:3-4, it is a case of already baptized believers being "re-baptized" as they came to a more full and complete understanding of the Messiah being Jesus of Nazareth.

This also happens today as someone goes from one level of appreciation of the work of Christ in the Gospel but then later gets a much more full understanding of it (often when joining another denomination) and chooses to be re-baptized in recognition of that as were the disciples in Acts 19.