Being re Baptized

[menageriekeeper]

Mishelly, I was also a child when I was baptized. I was only 7. Like you there is very little time that I can remember when I was not saved. I can vividly remember accepting Christ and being baptized.

For a long time, I too thought I didn't have a testimony because I had "always" been saved. It's not true though. I have and have had for a long time a testimony. In my teen years, my testimony was about how Christ held me in His grace through the abuse of those years, though the temptation to give give up and just run away from it, through the temptation to do what several of my friends were doing and drown my problems with liquor and drugs. Through my twenties my testimony was about how God taught me to be independent though I had little self confidence left after the years of abuse. How He had sent my Lifemate and kept us both from the temptation to divorce when one fell into sin and the other did little to stop it. In my thirties my testimony was about how God had blessed and taken care of us through the rough years of our twenties, through the birth of our three children and how even though there was still a spiritual disparity between my husband and I, two of our children found their way to the Lord themselves.

Now I'm in my forties and I get to pick and choose from all the various aspects of my walk with the Lord when I give my testimony. My favorite is that the Lord provisions have always been there, even when I couldn't see where it was coming from. After living the life I have, I can only look forward with excitement to see what will come next.

Never, ever think that you don't have a testimony. All of us have a testimony that fits us exactly the way the Lord intends for it too. Our testimonies are for His glory, not our own!

My thoughts now on whether you should be rebaptized follow along with what everyone else has said. If you were truely saved at 13, a second baptism will simply be to get you wet. I really don't believe it matters to God that you were only 13 as long as you were sincere. Only my opinion.

 

[genesis12]

I was baptized as a child because my friend decided to do that. It was after a revival in our town. I, too, have a vivid memory of that. Coming up out of the water I couldn't figure out why there were no angels and no flashing lights and no new energy. Oh, well.... many moons later I was born again. So I baptized myself in our swimming pool. So there! :tongue3:

It will be a glorious day when I can baptize my grandchildren, because they have believed. Their baptism won't be necessary for salvation; it will be a public confession of their faith in Christ and a celebration of God's amazing grace. Yea! :love2:

If for some reason they aren't able to be baptized, that's OK. St. Peter will not hold up a "do not enter" sign at the Golden Gate. :saint: :wavey:

 

[Snitzelhoff]

I have been twice baptized. The first time, I was baptized in a Church of Christ. I was ten years old at that point. As my understanding of salvation and the purpose of baptism changed, I became convicted of my own need for re-baptism, and in January, was baptized at a Baptist church. I will agree with those who would advise you that re-baptism is a personal matter to be decided based on your understanding of the ordinance at the time and your state of salvation at the time of the first baptism.

Michael

 

[Mishelly]

I was baptized as a child because my friend decided to do that. It was after a revival in our town. I, too, have a vivid memory of that. Coming up out of the water I couldn't figure out why there were no angels and no flashing lights and no new energy. Oh, well.... many moons later I was born again. So I baptized myself in our swimming pool. So there! :tongue3:

I did the same thing with in this past year :laugh: I kept bobbing up and down in the water in hopes of seeing a great white light and having the A HA! moment :smilewinkgrin:

OK, now, I do believe I was saved at a young age. I know I was not born saved, I am not that naive. I was blessed with parents who were since the day I was born so I feel like I have been all my life. Do not get me me wrong, they corrected me when I needed and by no means spoiled me, just good parents.

I am beginning to understand more why I feel the need, not to be saved again as that is not possible; but to publicly proclaim my faith is not what I want as we should all be doing that in our daily lives in how we live. As I said earlier, when I was 13 I knew the love of Christ but did not appreciate or maybe truly understand His sacrifice on the cross, because what young child could really understand that kind of love.

If I were born to pagan parents then I would like to think my as an adult I would have grown and found the truth of God. In my situation as I grew and studied other religions and idea's I found that I had the right one all along. The entire time during my studies my knowledge and faith grew more so.

So to me, being baptized is not only showing that you have accepted the Love of Christ into your life but also showing Him your gratitude in His sacrifice.

I am coming to the realization that one does not need to be re-baptized but I still feel the need to acknowledge my growth and further understanding of His love.

Does any of this make sense?

By the way, I always thought I was odd because I had a happy childhood and had parents who loved one another. Sad to say that is rare is todays world-at least it is with the people I have come across. So why did I loose my way and go to alcohol when I had no real reason to in some eyes? Is it true everyone has a rebellous period? This is acutally another thread, my getting lost in thought.

Thank you everyone for your feedback, it is truly helping me! More Bible Study for this Chicky :smilewinkgrin:

 

[lgpruitt]

I was 8 the first time I was baptized. I was too young to truly comprehend what it meant. Plus, I've also changed my ways of thinking and believing. So, at the age of 32 or 33 I was rebaptized. I called it a believer's baptism.(as many do) I was brought up Church of Christ and was baptized as such. As I grew older and I learned more...I felt as though God was calling me to rededicate my life to him and also to be rebaptized. Both of my kids got to be there....it was great. It's a very personal decision, but if you are being called to do this.....do it!:applause:

 

[Mishelly]

As you all know I thought I needed to be re Baptized but then I realized this morning that is what the Lord’s Supper is about.

1 Corinthians 11:23-34

Thank you all for your help and understanding :flower:

 

[Spoudazo]

My mom thought she was saved as a kid, but she didn't realize she was a sinner when she "got saved" (or so she thought). She got saved a 8 days ago. She is now 50 years old and has been in church her whole life.

Before I was saved, several people in my church got saved and I started getting confused. I thought maybe I need to get re-baptized, and asked few people about it. About 7 months later the Lord showed me I needed to be saved and he saved me on July 4, 1999.

Here is a sermon I recently preached,
http://www.parkwoodbaptistchurch.us/Audio.htm#Ferguson