Baptism - a question for genuine Christians

coldfish

This is a follow on from the post recently about someone feeling their baptism is null and void.

I was baptised in 1983 when I was 13, so before the change of wording.

Regardless of the exact wording, I've seriously been wondering about my baptism status?

After leaving the JW 18 months back, about 6 months ago I became a Christian, by Christian I mean that I have accepted the importance of Jesus and he is my Lord and Savior. I feel closer to God than I ever have, and I'm actively involved with church. I never had that closeness or understanding of who Jesus is when I was baptised at 13.

So of course I've rededicated my life to God in prayer and I'm striving at leading a good Christian life. But I've been wondering if I should get baptised again, this time fully understanding what I'm getting myself into.

Looking at it from a JW perspective, if someone had been baptised in the Anglican Church for example and then became a JW, they would be expected to get re-baptised by the JW.

Thanks in advance for your thought and suggestions

Debbie

Fe2O3Girl

Debbie, I am only a fake Christian , but I would say, if YOU feel the need to be baptised again, then go for it.

You might think, that even when you were baptised aged 13 in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you did not really know then what that truly means to you now. Or you may feel that your feelings were sincere then, and that covers it.

Follow your heart. I don't believe there is a "right" answer to this.

JustTickledPink

Baptism is an outwardly display. I don't think it has anything to do with what is in your heart. If you feel the need to be dunked under the water, do it, but does it hold any magical potion that is going to make you more of a Christian than you already are? I don't think so. It's just water.

Congratulations though on finding some peace.

AK - Jeff

I must agree with Fe203Girl here. Base that on what your conscience tells you in this matter.

I, being baptized as a young adult, believe and have always believed that my baptism was valid. I would most likely not submit to another - for in my mind that would invalidate all the past 32 years of personal Christianity [even though I served within the witness organization]. I really did dedicate my life to God in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at that time. My dedication to God was a primary in causing me to leave the organization in fact, becoming aware that the organization was misdirected.

If you consider that the Father for one reason or another would think your baptism to be invalid - then get re-baptized. IF not - there is no reason to is there?

May the Father bless your decison

Jeff

Dutchy Elle

Hi coldfish,

My wife and I are both re-baptized, because we belief that our dedication to Jehovah in the past (1954 en 1957) had also to do with the organisation's view/our view at JW-baptism itself. My wife was 20 and I was 12 years old at the time. We didn't know what it meant to be a real follower of Christ and to be baptized into His death and with him (Romans 6). We only thought that the WT-organisation was the true religion and that we had to follow their rules and teachings (which came from Jehovah himself by means of the "true and faithfull slave", acoording to their own words), and also their teaching of baptism. It was also a baptism into a sort of denomination, while the real baptism of the bible has nothing in common with that. In the bible there is only one baptism, and that is into death and then to rise together with Christ to live a new life in his body, the biblical christian congregation, not a denomination. We are only Christ's, we are not from Paul, Peter, Appolos, etc., or Pentacostle, Evangelical, Reformed, Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.

So we didn't like to be a member of any denomination anymore, although we need and have christians around us. Many denominations baptize people ALSO into their religion; Christ (I think) has only one congregation, his body, and he is the head of that body. I only like to be a member of that body, and I like to have fellowship with other christians, and I have that. What they are doing with their baptism is up to their selves, even if they have a church-denomination-membership baptism (in my opinion). I liked to be free. We both were baptized by a non-denominational christian brother.

Your brother in Christ,

Dutchy Elle

Undecided

I was baptized twice in the JWs. Once at 7 years and later at 25. Never again by anyone, but follow whatever your feelings tell you, it's your life.

Ken P.

ozziepost

Welcome aboard, dutchy friend!

You've started your presence on JWD with some interesting points.

Maybe you'd like to comment on this:

You said:

My wife and I are both re-baptized, because we belief that our dedication to Jehovah in the past (1954 en 1957) had also to do with the organisation's view/our view at JW-baptism itself.

Then you said this:

So we didn't like to be a member of any denomination anymore, although we need and have christians around us.

What i was wondering is this: where did you get "re-baptised"? why? who by?

Personally, I agree with your sentiments and feel no need to get baptised again into an organisation. Didn't you?

Cheers, Ozzie

Dutchy Elle

Hi Ozzie,

I was once in New South Wales 6 years ago together with my wife. We were 5 weeks in Hornsby and Sydney. My brother- and sister-in-law live there. What a beautifull country you live in!

We were re-baptized by a non-denominational preacher, member of an, in a way, a house-church because they were very small. They called themselves "a church of Christ", they don't have headquarters somewhere, they are independant (every local church). In NSW they are called "undenominational Church of Christ" in the white papers (telephone-book). They believe when you are baptized, you are only baptized into Christ, not into some name-church, denomination. Their name is Church of Christ because the believe they are only christians, (not THE ONLY christians) not more, not less, and because in the NT there are congregations called "churches of Christ", they call themselves also this way.

Why we were re-baptized had to do with our view and knowledge on the Witness-believe/understanding of the meaning of baptism. They believe in a two-class baptism,

the first one a dedication to Jehovah (by means of prayer) AND to obey the organisation, baptized by a person appointed by the organisation (Jehovah's organisation, Gods mouthpiece);

the second one is the same form of baptism as the first one, but into death only for the so-called anointed-ones.

I don't see in the bible a two-fold baptism, one for the children of God (the anointed ones), and one for the grand-children of God (the so called "great crowd" of the "other sheep", the children of Christ, the everlasting father of Isa. 9:5). I don't see a two-class congregation in the bible. I see believers from two backgrounds, out of the Jews and out of the Gentiles who become one single christian congregation, the body of Christ.

I hope I answerd your questions with this,

Greetings from the Netherlands,

Dutchy Elle

Carmel

Bathing daily will enhance hygene but it will do nothing about the inner self! So do it "as oft as yee will". Seriously, baptism is one of the most misunderstood symbols in the scripture. Surely if it was literally necessary for salvation as the early church leaders hypothesized, why did they leave out the commandment to be baptized by "water and by fire". If you follow one literally, then you would logically have to follow the other..

Dare I say, it is hypocritical to pick and chose?

Think of it. Dunked one minute and toasted the next!

Do as you will, fish, but remember to change your moniker to "hotfish" when it's over.

carmel

Dawn

I see believers from two backgrounds, out of the Jews and out of the Gentiles who become one single christian congregation, the body of Christ.

I agree.

Coldfish - I would agree with the others who have posted here in that it depends on how you feel about your first baptism. I was baptised as a JW when I was 13. A few years back I began attending a non-denominational church, and after a while I decided that I wanted to get baptised again. When I was baptised at 13 I didn't really understand what the biblical baptism was - I was getting baptised as a JW so that I could Aux. Pioneer. So in my 30's I was re-baptised by a friend of mine who is a minister, I wasn't baptised into any church denomination, just a biblical baptism as a symbolic step to show that I had now understood who Christ was and wanted to be a part of the body of christ.

I made the decision after I researched baptism in the bible and after I prayed about it. I hesitated for a while because I just wasn't sure, thought about it for a number of months - then one day it just felt right. So I called up my friend and got baptised.

If you now feel the need to be re-baptised then by all means do so - but only do it if it is what you feel is the right thing in your heart. Don't let someone push you into it or you'll end up in the same uncertain state down the road.

Baptism - a question for genuine Christians

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