Occasionally people ask my opinion on various personal or church issues. I recently received the following question which I have reprinted below, followed by my response.

QUESTION

 Bob,  

I am a college student attending the University of Louisville, and I have been reading your blog posts for a while now. About a year ago, I got baptized by immersion for the remission of my sin and to walk in the newness of life.   I was especially convicted after reading a post you made about baptism.  Also at that time, I started reading the Bible for myself and was very convicted by verses like Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38.

Unfortunately, I didn’t actually read the Gospel before my baptism. I mainly focused on how to receive the gift versus what I should believe in. I never took the time to actually read about Jesus’ death and resurrection. I knew He died on the cross, but never really gave much thought to a physical resurrection.  Now that I better understand that His resurrection is the basis of Christian faith, I’ve begun to question what I believed prior to getting baptized, and I feel like I should get baptized again.

I am very troubled because I feel like I cannot be assured of my salvation. I keep thinking I should get re-baptized, but then I wonder if that’s just repetitive. The question of my salvation just keeps nagging at me.

Please let me know your thoughts. I would appreciate any wisdom you can offer very much, thank you!

MY ANSWER

I’m really glad you responded to the Lord’s call on your life!  You’re also to be congratulated on continuing to grow in your understanding of who Jesus is.  Your question is not easy to answer because there are two sides to this issue. On the one hand, if we are re-baptized every time we understand the gospel better or every time we sin, we would need to be re-baptized every week. Interestingly, most of the New Testament instruction about baptism was written to people who were already Christians explaining what happened to them when they got baptized. We will never fully understand God’s grace, but when we put our trust in Christ and follow His command to be baptized, He takes care of the purpose.

Titus 3:5 compares baptism to a birth, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Once we’ve been born into God’s family, there is no need to go through the ordinance of baptism again. In Acts 8, Simon the Sorcerer believed in Christ and was baptized. But not long afterward, he sinned by attempting to purchase the healing gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter didn’t tell him to be baptized again but to repent of his sin and pray that God would forgive him. (Acts 8:9-24).

On the other hand, there are times when re-baptism seems appropriate. If a person was baptized for absolutely the wrong motive (“I just did it to get my parents off my back”), or if they had no understanding of the basics of the gospel, I believe they should be baptized again for the right motive and with the right understanding. Although baptism is not a ritual that in itself saves us, it is our expression of faith in response to the gospel and God’s offer of grace.

In Acts 18, we read about Apollos, a follower of Christ who learned his baptism was incomplete. Acts 18:25 reads, “He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.” (John’s baptism was a demonstration of repentance but was not a baptism “…for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:38.) The Bible says, “When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:26). The Bible doesn’t say whether Apollos was baptized again, but I assume he was.

Whether you get re-baptized or not is between you and the Lord. But consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For what I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Notice, the bodily resurrection of Jesus is at the very heart of the gospel. It was of “first importance.”

Since you now understand that the basics of the gospel includes Jesus’ resurrection, and since baptism is described as uniting with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-5), I think it would be prudent to be baptized again to demonstrate your allegiance to the risen Christ and also to ease your conscience in the matter.

Regardless, it is important you remember your salvation is based on Jesus’ perfect work for you on the cross and not your perfect understanding of all the Scripture…including baptism. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Hope this helps!
– Bob

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