Some Questions about Baptism

There are a lot of questions that come up around the topic of baptism. Here are just a few I’d like to address:

1. How do I know if I need to be rebaptized?

A lot of people will say, “I just know so much more now than I did back when I got baptized.” That should be true of every one of us. We ought to gain a better understanding of Scripture the more we study it. But that’s not a reason to be rebaptized.

It’s a different story if you were immersed for the wrong reasons. Maybe you didn’t mean it. Maybe you didn’t understand what you were doing. Maybe you had ulterior motives like your Grandma promised to give you $10 if you got baptized on Easter Sunday. It’s tough sometimes to know what to do in these cases, but it’s up to you. I like to say that if you have any doubt and you feel the Holy Spirit prompting you, then you need to follow up on it.

Paul writes in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

If you’re not at peace with it, why not just settle it today?

2. Do I have to be baptized?

I really don’t like this question very much. It’s kind of like if a couple came to my office, and the girl wants to get married, but the guy’s hesitant about it. He’s like, “Do we really have to get married?”

No, you don’t have to get married. You can leave. If you don’t love her or if this is a commitment you don’t want to make, then no, you don’t have to get married.

And maybe he says, “Well, it’s not that I don’t love her. And I do want to spend the rest of my life with her. It’s just that tuxedos are so uncomfortable, and I don’t like being in front of people. Plus, it’s gonna be expensive. And it’s gonna be really embarrassing to say these things to my girlfriend in front of other people. Do I really have to do this?”

Well, he’s missing the point of the commitment he’s about ready to make if putting on a tuxedo and talking in front of people is too much to ask.

  • Jesus was stripped and beaten beyond recognition for you. Are you too embarrassed?

  • Jesus carried a cross on his lacerated back and walked down the road while people were mocking him. Is it too far to walk down an aisle surrounded by people who actually love and support you?

  • A crown of thorns was pressed into his skull. Is being immersed too uncomfortable?

  • Nails were driven through his hands and feet. Jesus took on himself the punishment that you and I deserved so that our sins could be forgiven, and we could live in eternity with God in heaven.

So, if you ask me, “Do I have to?” you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t apologize for the inconvenience. This is a privilege based on what Jesus did for us.

3. What about the criminal on the cross? What about deathbed confessions? What if I’m on my way up to the baptistery, and I die?

Look, I am not God, and that is not my call. Jesus gladly welcomed into paradise the criminal on the cross next to him. And I could get into the fact that was under the Old Covenant, but to put it simply here: It’s not my place to judge whether or not someone gets into heaven.

James 4:12 says, “There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”

God said to do it, so, we should just do it.

4. When should I be baptized?

When you understand and believe who Jesus is, when you realize you’re a sinner, when you’re willing to confess Jesus’ name, and when you’re serious about being committed to him as the Lord of your life, then it’s time.

There is only one reason that could keep you from being immersed today, and that is you’re not ready to accept Jesus as the Lord of your life. That’s a valid reason. But what you’re doing is rolling the dice on where you’ll spend eternity.

But let me say this: If you wait to get your life in order on your own, then why would you ever need Jesus?

Satan won’t tell you there’s no hell. Satan won’t tell you there’s no heaven. But Satan will tell you there’s no hurry.

If you’re ready to be immersed, click here to start the discussion with one of our ministers.