First and foremost, I am not opposed to taking people who sincerely question the events surrounding their original immersion and baptizing them “again” for the remission of their sins. If anything we would be doing folks in that position a huge disservice if we didn’t and would essentially be telling them that we didn’t care whether they remained in their sins or not and whether they were going to heaven or not. That’s not really a reflection of the mind of Christ is it? So if you came to read this post assuming that’s what I had in mind you’re going to be terribly upset.
What I do want to address is what I’m afraid has escalated over the years into a spiritual epidemic among God’s people. Perhaps only other preachers and some elders know what I’m fixing to tell you but listen closely. There are a lot of people in the church, and I mean A LOT, that in their lives have felt the need to be rebaptized. In fact, I’m a little disturbed at the number of folks that have come to me or that I have heard of who have questioned their original immersion enough to feel the need to take that step. But don’t get me wrong. I’m not disturbed that someone who questions their original obedience feels the need to make their calling and election sure. Really that’s as noble as anyone’s desire to become a Christian and I applaud that decision. What disturbs me is the fact that this has become so common that I wonder what we as churches are doing wrong that our own people are making the most important decision of their lives so uninformed.
Maybe we are being a little too quick, sometimes, in pulling people into the baptistery. I know that may sound odd and contrary to what some believe. After all, what if Jesus comes back? What if death intervenes and opportunity is lost along with their souls? How could we live with our selves knowing that we slowed a person down in their desire to be baptized? My answer to that is that we need to have a clear understanding in our minds between the idea of true gospel obedience and the mere act of immersion. True gospel obedience always includes immersion, but just because a person is immersed doesn’t mean that they’ve truly obeyed the gospel. When a person truly obeys the gospel their journey to obedience begins long before they step into that water through the development of faith (by proper teaching) and the turning of sins according to true penitence (Acts 2:37-38a). And it is only after these keystone attributes of Christianity are developed that a person can be immersed and it constitutes true gospel obedience. When a person is immersed outside of these virtues in their lives they may have gotten wet but they have spiritually done nothing.
So, more often than you could imagine, folks find themselves in that position, questioning the validity of their original immersion, and wanting to be sure of their salvation. As I said before, there’s no problem there outside of the fact that they were allowed, and perhaps even encouraged, to make a decision like that so terribly uninformed and unprepared. So what can we do as New Testament Christians, not to discourage those who honestly feel the need to be immersed again because of uncertainty regarding their obedience at some point in the past, but what can we do to ensure that less and less people find themselves in a position that they feel that doubt? I want to offer just a few practical suggestions.
First, when in a highly emotional atmosphere make sure a person is thinking rationally about their decision. Obedience is an act of reason as much as it is an act of emotion. Notice I didn’t say it is an act of reason instead of emotion. I said it is as much an act of reason as it is emotion. In other words true gospel obedience requires both. We should never try to strip the emotion out of Christianity, but we should be concerned with balancing that emotion with reason. Whether it be at church camp, youth conferences, gospel meetings where the preacher has plucked the heart strings of those present, or a tear filled Bible study sitting at the kitchen table – the gospel will touch our hearts. And it would be easy, and has been common, for people in those spiritually charged atmospheres to react more because of the moment than they do because of their Maker. In those times maybe we need to take some time to sit and talk with them in that setting, not discouraging their obedience, but making sure that their head is in their actions as much as their hearts are.
Second, for all of our teaching on the necessity of baptism we need to spend an equal amount of time teaching on the purpose of baptism. Let me tell you something that I have personally heard from a number of people who have come to me in this situation. They’ve told me that they felt pressured to be baptized because they had “gotten to that age” and “if they didn’t they were going to be lost.” But outside of being told the fact that baptism was necessary to go to heaven, they were never sat down and taught what the Bible says baptism is and does. They were continually told what they needed to do, but were rarely told why they needed to do it. So they were baptized more out of fear or a sense of duty than they did out of faith or knowledge. And their common concern expressed to me is “I just didn’t know why I was doing it at the time.” Can we truly obey from the heart if we are acting out of ignorance (Romans 6:17)? When Paul came across those disciples in Ephesus that Apollos had baptized, spoke to them, and came to the realization that they had not understood the true purpose behind immersion since the cross it says that he taught them (Acts 19:4-5a) and when they came to a more complete understanding of baptism then “they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus” (vs. 5b). Do we need to emphasize the necessity of baptism? Absolutely, but people need to be as equally informed as to the purpose of that baptism lest they be acting out of ignorance.
Third, we need to use discretion in making sure a person understands what they are doing, why they are doing it, and what it is supposed to accomplish within them before they are baptized. If they do not then we need to be courageous enough to delay them until they do. I know this flies in the face of what some believe and have practiced. The practice of some is that if they have the desire then we ought to baptize them. What I would offer in response is this. In Matthew 28:19 the King James Version says this: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…” The same passage in the American Standard Version says this: “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” It’s always been interesting to me that different translators could take the same statement in the Greek and translate it into those two different sets of words in the English. Are they in opposition to each other? No, in fact I think they compliment each other. How do we make disciples? Teach them. What happens when we teach people? We make disciples. Both of which are prerequisites to Bible baptism. What this means is that maybe we as teachers are in a position not just of instruction but of guidance. We teach the facts, but we also help people understand how to put them into practice. And to be effective in that sometimes we have to use discretion in making sure people know what they are doing and why they are doing it before they do it. And if they don’t, we need to be concerned for them enough to make sure they do even if it means delaying their action until it represents true obedience.
Am I saying this is a perfect science? No. Am I saying that a person needs to know everything about Christianity before they become Christians? No. Am I saying that there isn’t room to grow in knowledge once a person becomes a Christian? No. Am I saying that we should shame the person who feels the need to be rebaptized? No. If you’ve gotten any of those ideas out of anything I’ve written thus far then I have not accomplished my purpose. I’m not even saying that I’ve got this all figured out myself. What I’m saying is that there is a fundamental amount of knowledge a person must possess in order for baptism to constitute true gospel obedience. And based on the number of people who have felt the need to be “rebaptized” over the years that maybe there has been a deficiency among us in making sure that fundamental knowledge is present. My purpose is not to point fingers. I’ve made mistakes in this area as much as the next. We need to work together to make sure that when a person is baptized that they have become a disciple. When we do that then we have addressed the issue of rebaptism and we’ll be that much more equipped to avoid having to do it as much in the future.
-Andy
QUESTION: What additional suggestions do you have that would help us equip people in a better way before they are baptized to make sure that they don’t question that obedience later in life?
Last night I was in this position. Little lady bug came to my class that normally would be in an older class, her teacher was absent. Well I was teaching about Nadab and Abihu, I tied it in with how today we do not have to offer sacrifices, and we now have baptism in Christ’s blood for forgiveness of sins. She was interested, she is 11. Her question was, how do you know when you are ready. Of course I asked if she knows that we must be baptized in order to enter heaven, she said yes. Then I asked if she believed Jesus was the son of God, she said yes. Then I told her about repentance, how she must make the decision not to do things that she knew were wrong, she shook her head. Then I told her, the time is right, when you are ready to give up your life for Christ, to become his servant, to seek his will. She shook her head as she heard this. Such a sweet child.
I think back and think, maybe that was to deep for her. I know when I was younger I was one of the ones that were baptized at a young age, 9. Then I questioned later on if it were a true baptism, was I to young? When I became 19, I was baptized again, just to make sure. I often think back, my dad was clear what I was doing that I live for God, but did I really understand what that meant, did I understand the fullness of that at 19? I still think my baptism may of been true at age 9, but I would of always had that doubt if I hadn’t been baptized again, at 19.
Good post, something we should all think about. May we all have such sincere hearts as those young children seeking God’s favor.
Perhaps a potential convert should read and think seriously about Ephesians 4:5. What are all the possible implications of the phrase “one baptism”?