How many Baptisms

I was baptized in 1975 in the RLDS church, and in 1985 in the Baptist church.

Christ said to suffer the little children, and forbid them not. I think most rebaptisms are unnecessary. A child takes by faith the preaching and teaching he hears once or twice a week, and is turned from the message by one or more of the following:

1) The humanistic education he received for 7+ hours a day for 5 days a week,
2) The example and influence of lukewarm parents and church members,
3) The example and influence of worldly peers.

Then on a future date he comes to his senses and returns to the ways in which he was instructed as a child. He feels, quite erroneously, that he was never saved the first time because of something he "never understood," (as if faith was contingent upon one's natural cognitive abilities) and thinks his first baptism was invalid.

I think the number of baptisms an individual experiences is less evidence of the baptism of "too many children" than it is evidence of a weak and sickly body of believers.

 

Baptised once, as an adult

 

RLDS = Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. It is the fragment of Mormons that rejected Brigham Young as the president in favor of Joseph Smith, Jr. After the murder of Joseph Smith in the Carthage jail, those loyal to Young followed him to Utah, and those loyal to Smith returned to Missouri.

 

Reformer, I think your experience is all too typical of many Baptists in the past 40-50 years. I cannot tell you how many people I know who made public professions of faith as children and were immersed, only to come under conviction years later.

This includes three deacons in my church.

I fear that we can trace a lot of these experiences to the easy believism which took root among evangelicals in the 1960s and 70s. Instead of urging people to cry out to God for mercy, we gave it a name--The Sinner's Prayer--and corrupted it into "say these magic words and you'll be saved."

Nothing sends chlls up my spine more than hearing someone's sole hope of heaven articulated as "well, I said the prayer."

 

I was baptized (sprinkled) at 36 at a Methodist church, then when building the cabinets for our new Baptist church the subject came up while talking to the Pastor and he told me he wanted me to be the first to be baptized (submerged) in the new bapistry. So I did to please him, but felt it was unecessary.

 

Just once, at age 27 in a baptist church.

 

I was baptized once, at the age of 11, in a Baptist church. It was almost a year after I was saved.

 

Three for three! :thumbs:

Baptised in the Spirit into the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13);

Baptized into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3-4);

'Dunked in the tank.' (Ac. 8:38; 10:47)

The first two are fully important, and are integral 'occurrences' of the more than 50 'non-experiential' things that occur at the point of our salvation; the third one of 'Christian water baptism' is only for one who has already believed; is for "show"; has absolutely nothing to do with our receiving salvation, in any manner; and can even be distracting, in some instances. (Mt. 28:18-20; Ac. 8:16, 36, 38; 10:48;16:33; I Cor. 1:14-17; I Pet. 3:21)

From what I can see, the rest of the baptisms mentioned in Scripture do not 'specifically' apply to me/us as Christians, including the Baptism of repentance by John of Israel upon confession of sins (Mt. 3:6; Ac. 19:4), the two baptisms of Jesus (Mt. 3:13-15; Lk. 7:29), baptism for the dead (I Cor. 15:29), baptism of Israel "unto Moses" in the "cloud" and in the Red Sea (I Cor. 10:2), and the baptism of fire (Lk. 3:16-17), which is future and for the unsaved at the judgment. I believe it is seriously misreading and understanding Scripture to attempt to make this Scripture have something to do with Spiritual empowerment, for "unquenchable fire" is a reference to eternal judgment, punishment and/or and condemnation, however one would like to phrase this (Mk. 9:43-48).

As is my usual practice, I did not vote in the pool, 'er I mean poll, because of the unclear wording.

Ed

 

The truth is I was biblcally baptised only once because true baptism follows salvation.

However, I was placed under water one other time as well when I was 5.
My pastor asked me many extensive questions and I answered them all biblically and even gave him scripture. I was what I wanted to do because it was what Christ asked of us. There are children'people whe are/were saved at such time in life (as children) but I was not one of them.

However by the grace of God when He saved me at 17, it was not so much because I wanted to do... but because it was what I needed.

 

One time, after I was saved.

 

Just once, and that is enough. A second baptism is redundant. Ephesians 4:5.

 

I was "baptized" as a oneness pentecostal "so that" my sins would be remitted.

I was baptized in accordance with biblical instruction at the age of 41 after I placed my faith in Christ alone, because my sins were remitted.

Praise God.

 

I was saved after I was baptized and had to be baptized again.

 

I guess I really count the first Baptism because I was a Catholic and I was really Sprinkled not fully immersed.

 

Correction on my last post. I guess I cannot count the first one because I was sprinkled. Sorry.

 

According to Webster, your sprinkling was indeed a baptism. :thumbs:

 

What Church does Webster pastor? :laugh:

I am the 3 times picker...

Once when I was 6, second time around 18 then I felt compelled to be baptized again at 35...

 

The church of English Words. :laugh:

LeBuick, you got it all covered. I don't think anyone can doubt your salvation. :laugh: