© 10 Colin Melbourne
How many times should I be baptised?
Q: I belong to a church that believes that if you have been baptised and you have not changed, then you must be baptised again. The Bishop himself was baptised seven times because he did not change after the first six times.
As a result of their belief, I was baptised twice. The first time was before I joined this church, but because I heard the message of keep baptising until you’ve changed, I got baptised again with them.
Now every-time I make a mistake, or get a bad attitude, I question the baptisms. Do you think being baptised again is necessary? I am starting to question some of the beliefs of this church. Marsha
A: It would have been helpful if you’d included the full name and affiliation of your “church”.
It is a cult, or an apostate group; it’s certainly teaching error.
Many cults push the false doctrine of “baptismal regeneration” as your “church” does.
Even if you are baptised in water a million times it will never change you.
The Bible teaches that salvation must come before water baptism, and when you are really saved, you will be really changed.
Biblical baptism symbolises the inward spiritual change that has already occurred.
Study this series of articles on water baptism for the details and references.
Get out and find a Bible-believing fellowship. They are seriously wrong on baptism, and you can be sure they will be wrong on other basic doctrines too.
Christening and Babies
It must also be understood that infant baptism, baptising babies, and “christening” are demonic religious inventions, that deny the Bible teaching where voluntary salvation must come first. Babies are much too young to believe the Gospel, let alone understand it. If you think you were “baptised as a baby”, read the Bible, and discover you were not baptised the Bible way. So you need to get saved, and then get baptised God’s way.
Child Baptism
Q: In the Bible it says that whole families were baptized. Where does it say that the children were excluded? Joni
A: You are in error Joni. Permit me to correct you.
The word “families” does not occur anywhere in the New Testament of the Holy Bible, the KJV in English.
“Family” is used just once; Eph. 3:15 where it refers to God’s spiritual family: Believers, the saved, Blood-washed children of God.
The word “household” does occur in the Holy Bible, and it refers to people residing together, a family and their servants.
Your tenuous assumption that children were baptised is incorrect.
We can be certain that infants and young children were not included, when the household was baptised in water, because doing so would contradict the teachings of; Christ, the Apostles, and scripture.
You raise the question because you’ve been taught to “Christen” babies and you wish to justify the unbiblical practice.
We get this from cults, Anglicans, and Episcopalians, arguing for their false-doctrines of infant baptism in water, and baptismal regeneration (the false-teaching that water-baptism saves a person).
They distort scripture, vainly trying to justify their apostasy, pointing to verses mentioning a household was baptised, such as Acts 16:15, 16:31-33, 18:8, and 1 Co. 1:16 KJV;
And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
Nowhere in the Holy Bible do we find infant baptism, nor any valid scriptural justification for water-baptism of unbelievers.
Babies, infants and young children are too young to comprehend the Gospel, so cannot repent or believe. That is why nobody in the bible baptised kids: To do so contradicts sound doctrine.
Believer’s Water Baptism
The scriptures teach water baptism is only for believers in Christ who have heard the Gospel message, understood it, and of their own volition received Him as LORD and Saviour. Notice the 3,000 Jews Peter preached Christ to on the day of Pentecost had each “gladly received his word” Acts 2:41 KJV;
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
They had all believed on Christ. Nobody was forced to be baptised by a parent.
No Apostle would baptise an unbeliever because they knew that’s contrary to Christ’s teaching.
The Apostles’ pre-condition for water-baptism is indicated when Philip witnessed to the Ethiopian eunuch reading Scriptures in his chariot, Ac. 8:35-38 KJV;
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
Notice Philip first preached the good news of Jesus, instructing him how to be saved from his sins. The Ethiopian immediately believed unto salvation, and was so eager to prove it, he indicated a nearby body of water, and asked Philip what was stopping him from being baptized.
Philip replied,
If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.
To which the man responded with the good confession,
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Philip then baptised him in the water, and the eunuch went on his way rejoicing.
So we see that hearing and believing the gospel of Christ, individual repentance, and genuine wholehearted faith in Christ as Lord, are the Bible conditions for water baptism.
Cults and apostates who claim to “baptise” infants and young children, do not even baptise the bible way, they compromise by dabbing, pouring, or sprinkling with water instead of full body immersion. They replace bible water-baptism with their invention. Anglicans name this ceremony “christening”. It is completely unbiblical, beyond useless, and very harmful to the child’s spiritual development.
Baptism of Children
Leading children to Christ is delightful, but over-eager parents need to be wary of peer-pressure making false-converts.
It’s a very dangerous thing to force a child to believe on Christ.
Why so?
Because, children are so amenable and co-operative, they are liable to go along with the adult without properly understanding what they are doing, and without genuine heart-faith. They do not have saving faith, and subsequently cannot walk with Christ in any meaningful way. Parents may force them to attend church services, bible study, and pray rote prayers, but the child remains unsaved, a sinner, despite being told it is saved, a Christian.
They grow up confused, and fall into many snares. Ministers children are particularly prone to embarrass their parents, because they have been pressured to follow Christ before they were ready to repent and believe the Gospel.
Christian parents: Beware of this pitfall.
Raise your children the Bible way, and let each one chose to repent and believe when it is ready.
Baptism in the Bible: You should only use a KJV Bible you can trust. Avoid those with footnotes, misleading headings, and commentary. I love the unadulterated Standard Text KJV made by Cambridge. I ask the Lord to Teach me by the Holy Spirit: He leads into all Truth.
© 10 Colin Melbourne