Question: I was baptized when I was a child. I have backslid since then, I want to live a Christian life. To be born again, must one go through a baptism ceremony again?

Antonio

Answer: Dear Antonio,

It is not necessary to be baptized in order to be saved. Baptism is a commandment, something that those who have been saved by God are commanded to do as an outward sign of a commitment that they have already made. The act of baptism does not confer any special status – the new birth is conferred by God, and is as a result of a personal relationship between a sinner and our heavenly Father. Believers’ baptism simply confirms what has, in the majority of cases, already happened.

There is no necessity of being re-baptized, and one should not do so under pressure to appease family, friends, pastor or minister. But if one seeks to be re-baptized, for a variety of reasons, understanding what baptism is and what it does not do, there is no biblical reason why it should not be performed.

Re-baptism is not something Christians should do every time they fall back into sinful ways – for it is not necessary. Hebrews gives us the principle that Christ died for us once and for all, and that there is no reason why we need to offer sacrifices daily or annually, as the Jews did under the old covenant.

Let me know if you need further help with this question.

May God bless you.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht