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SBC Churches & Rededication Baptism

Discussion in '2004 Archive' started by Kevin1957, Feb 29, 2004.

  1. Kevin1957

    Kevin1957 New Member

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    During a church wide meeting today, my pastor stated that SBC teachings allowed rebaptism for someone who was rededicating their life and he would have no problem baptizing them. Has anyone on this board heard of this teaching? I need some guidance and scriptual support for one baptism, because this issue is creating dissention in the church.
     
  2. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
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    There was a study done in the Dallas Association some years ago and it was found that some pastors had baptized certain people up to five times.

    I find no scriptural support for this uingodly practice. I have never seen any exception to the idea of the numbers game in this kind of practice.

    If they never published those numbers what do you think would happen.

    I have never seen this issue in any SBC publication either.

    The only time I have ever rebaptized someone is when they told me they were baptized as an infant or a kid and was not a believer at the time then at the present time received Christ.

    Baptism does not disciple people. People do. We are commanded to be baptized as a believer but not dunked repeatedly.

    It has been my experience having been an SBC pastor that theology varies a lot among those pastors. Got to get good numbers to move onto the next church. Image is everything with some. In fact I was told as a young pastor that it is important that you keep up a good image. Even the people are trained to expect that. Whatever happened to trusting the pastor to do his job well?
     
  3. pinoybaptist

    pinoybaptist Active Member
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    Baptism is picturing the gospel and the subject is declaring publicly his faith in the finished work of Christ as he is buried with Christ in baptism and risen with Christ a new creature.

    It also must be administered by the correct authority - a pastor or an elder duly appointed by the church to perform the ordinance.

    When I was in another order of Baptists, the reasons for rebaptism were:

    1. The person requesting the rebaptism knows that at that time he was baptized he was "not saved" yet therefore he was the wrong subject;

    2. The pastor suggested the rebaptism because he was not familiar with the pastor who administered the baptism to the subject as well as to the denomination or order that the subject came from;

    3. The subject joining the church was from another denomination of "Christians" such as Full Gospels, Pentecostals, Assembly of God, etc.

    I was converted in 1973 in a Bible Baptist church, baptized a month after, but in January of 1999, when I united with the Primitive Baptist Church I was rebaptized since baptisim also signified being one with the church's belief, doctrines and practices.

    Anyways, since we're in the subject of baptism, will anyone tell me what "John's Baptism" is and how it differs from a believer's baptism ?
     
  4. Bro. James Reed

    Bro. James Reed New Member

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    Don't want to get jumped on, but we as Primitive Baptists don't use the term re-baptism. As we do not consider other groups, even other Baptists, to be the true church, we do not recognize those baptisms as being valid. Therefore, we practice baptism, but not re-baptism.

    The one exception to this would be someone who was once a member of the PB church and had since fallen out but come back. Some churches and/or elders might ask the person to be "re-baptized" because someone who would turn away from the church may have not been sincere in their first request for baptism. Mind you, this is a very rare occurance and has only happened in our church once over the years(at the request of the subject). She had left and gone to a Holy-roller group of some sort.

    Other than that, restoration, involving a public apology by the excluded member to the offended church is the way we take back members.

    I think what I have described is different than the topic of this thread. I have never heard of someone just being rebaptized several times for the heck of it. I think it takes away from the true meaning of baptism. Also, I don't see mention of anyone being rebaptized in the scriptures.

    As far as I'm concerned, and most PB's and other Baptists as well probably, there is no such thing as rebaptism because if the first one didn't take, it's because the church was not valid, the elder was not valid, or the candidate was not valid. In any of these cases, the first "baptism" was not vaild so a "second" baptism would be just that and not a re-baptism.
     
  5. pinoybaptist

    pinoybaptist Active Member
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    I stand corrected, Bro. Reed.
     
  6. TaterTot

    TaterTot Guest

    I am SBC to the core, and I have never heard of rebaptizing for a recommitment to Christ. The only way my husband will "rebaptize" is if the person has never been "dunked", or if salvation occured after initial baptism.
     
  7. 2Timothy4:1-5

    2Timothy4:1-5 New Member

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    Kenneth is confused. In an earlier posting on this thread, pinoybaptist said, in regards to "rebaptism..."

    First off, why is Christian in quotation marks? Don't you think that they are every much Christian as you?

    Anyway, when I first got saved, it was "through" an non-denominational charismatic church. I was baptised by immersion, as that's what they believed. When I finally "saw the light" of truth and gave up on charasmatic teaching and became Baptist, I didn't feel like I needed to be rebaptised, since the Baptist belief about baptism was pretty much the same as that of the church I was attending when I was baptised to begin with. Some baptist churches I have attended over the years have wanted me to get baptised again, whereas some did not.

    I guess what I don't understand is why one denomination doesn't/won't recognize a baptism from another denomination. Do some branches of "Baptist" think they are better than everyone else? I feel like my baptism is just as valid as if it was done under an SBC or IFB roof.

    Anyway, just my two cents on the matter.

    Kenneth
     
  8. Plain Old Bill

    Plain Old Bill New Member

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    You can take baths,showers,go underwater diving many times.
    But you can only be Baptized ONCE. It is called believers baptisn. That means after you are really truly actually saved,born again,repent of your sins and take Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, then you can be Baptized.Every thing before that is just getting wet in a church forum.That means you are getting wet in the attempt to fool yourself and everybody else present at the ceremony.
     
  9. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    This past Sunday, a member of our church wanted to be re-baptised as a re-dedicated. Our pastor obliged.
    Dont think I would re-baptised someone myself. Just IMHO
     
  10. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    POB said:

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Jeffrey H

    Jeffrey H New Member

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    Baptism is a one time event for believers. There is no biblical warrant to re-baptize for a so-called rededication. Rededications are not salvation, but we baptists have kinda' turned them into a "sacrament".

    If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you have been baptized by immersion, then your baptism is valid. No re-baptism or another baptism is needed.

    In my baptist church, re-baptism is not required for those coming from other churches that were baptized by immersion, regardless of denomination. The church of Jesus Christ is much bigger than any baptist congregation.
     
  12. Jeffrey H

    Jeffrey H New Member

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    That's a shame. This makes a mockery of baptism and it becomes a meaningless event.
     
  13. freeatlast

    freeatlast New Member

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    I think that all this shows the tremendous confusion over what baptism really is all about, as well as confusion about how one is saved and becomes a part of the body of Christ no matter what denomination is involved. Baptism was never intended to incorporate the person into a particular denomination. Any church that uses it that way mocks Baptism as give by our Lord.

    To be honest when any church or denomination does not accept the Baptism that has been done in another church or denomination they actually blaspheme the Lord of the baptism who does accept them. If the person was not saved the they need to be baptized, but never baptized for the purpose of changing denominations.

    I personally have been in Baptist churches where the Pastor requires a new member to be baptized if the person was from another Denomination. That is extremely sad and very shallow in understanding of salvation and Baptism. We are ALL one body. Denominations do not separate that nor does baptism make us Baptists or anything else.

    Most Baptists scream at the teaching that baptism is needed for salvation and they should, but many then turn around and mock baptism by re baptizing a person. By the way just because someone takes the "Re" off the baptism they still are re-Baptizing the person and mocking the spirit of baptism and the Lord.

    One more thing while I am on this. There is absolutely no scriptural reference to suggest that only a Pastor can baptize. While I do preach from time to time as the Lord allows I am not ordained. If I lead someone to the Lord and was out someplace where there was no church I would find no problem in baptizing them. The same should be for all, man or woman who are saved.

    We all have the authority of Christ once we are saved. Our personal relationship with Christ is our authority, not a man made ordination which is not scriptural to began with. In the great commission we are told to go and preach to all nations Baptizing them. The pastor who stands and calls on his church to go and spread the gospel because of that passage and then denies another believer to baptize because they have not been ordained is mocking the command and taking authority not given him since we are saved and all have the power to baptize. Since the Baptism is a ritual proclaiming the inward change in an outward act who does the Baptism has no negative merit as long as they are saved. We sometimes call it a believers Baptism. That means both the person being baptized and the one doing the Baptism need to be saved. No other qualifications are needed. It can be received and done by men or women or children as long as they are saved.
     
  14. LarryN

    LarryN New Member

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    Some of the worst mockery of Baptism that I've witnessed has been in some of the IFB Churches which like to "trumpet" the large number of Baptisms they perform. Some of you will know the types that I'm talking about.

    One young boy who rode in on the church bus ministry is said to have been Baptized 45 (!) times in one year. He said he went forward for Baptism just about every week, because then he got to go home in a worker's car, and they'd stop off at McDonald's for a Happy Meal. If this is true (and honestly from other situations I'm aware of I think it unfortunately might be)- it shows that sometimes "numbers" are much more important that Biblical truth or honesty.
     
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