There’s been something weighing on my heart for a little while now. And I want to bring you in on it… for thoughts, wisdom and all that good stuff.
I was baptized when I was 16 years old, immediately following my salvation at summer camp. I was told it was my next step and as a new Christian (and formerly sprinkled Catholic) I went along with this new idea of immersion. Knowing it was a public expression of my new found faith.
The evening of my baptism (during Midweek Services), was in front of a church of people I didn’t know very well. I had been attending Westside for less than a year, and had just begun attending the student ministry (shortly before camp). I didn’t have any friends in the audience (since youth group met in a separate room and well, I didn’t have very many Christian friends).
At the time of my baptism, I was still heavily in bondage to sin through my porn addiction and it wasn’t until a good year or so later, that I actually surrendered it. I said, “yes” when asked if I had accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior… because I had… but I was so consumed by shame and guilt about my sin… that my baptism wasn’t a very powerful experience.
In fact, I remember feeling much like a fraud, and wondering why the water didn’t start boiling when I stepped in.
With all that said, I have been considering getting RE-Baptized — as a public expression of my faith as it is now… of a life free of my past addiction… of a surrendered life… of my life as a new creation.
While ultimately, it is my decision… I am curious of your thoughts.
I don’t think any show of your commitment to Christ can be a bad thing. Go for it!
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I agree that to show your committment to Christ is never a bad thing, but aren’t we still essentially sinners even after we are saved? Isn’t grace also about a continual repentence before the Lord?
I’m pretty sure it’s just semantics though… :)
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I would do it. It’s what I plan to do… It seems like, for me anyway, I didn’t do it honestly the first time. I did it because it was expected of Christians, not because I was ready to completely surrender.
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I think it is bigger than that. I think the next to the last sentence says it all. It is your choice and you want to do it…go for it my friend. I had a friend who was baptized again last year for some of the reasons you listed and she wanted to make the public statement that this was a new time for her…a time where she truly did grasp how wide, how deep, and how long His Love is…She tells me it was her time to tell everyone…no matter what…
She was completely accepted by her Savior. And completely enamored with Him.
:)
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My thoughts… you were totally saved when you were baptized the first time – therefore it was legit. If you are basing it on how you felt at the time, then in my opinion you are basing it on the wrong thing. Feelings come and go. Sometimes I feel more saved, and sometimes less saved, but it doesn’t actually mean I am any more or less saved. Scripture talks several times about our continued growth after the salvation experience, that is how it is supposed to happen. So to expect yourself to be at some level of righteousness before getting baptized seems a little works based to me.
I think the question to ask yourself is, are you doing it for the powerful/emotional experience of it? or are you doing it out of obedience to Christ?
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Crystal Renaud Reply:
June 11th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
I just talked with Jim. He pretty much said what you said. And put the kibosh on my idea. LOL.
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Krissie Reply:
June 11th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I kind of thought that might happen.
Even given that, there is no reason why you can’t be excited about how far God has brought you, and find other ways to express and celebrate!
Love you girl!
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David Reply:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
This is pretty much what I was gonna say :)
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i’ve thought about getting baptized again too. still having my dad do it like before…but i was 6 when i was baptized. i dont think i was truly transformed until i was 22…or maybe 28. :)
BTW your captcha says “gumming” and that made me giggle.
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Crystal Renaud Reply:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
i love that whenever you comment on my blog, you tell me what the captcha says. the one right now says, “hugged archeologist.” random!
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I would say–do it. I accepted Christ as an 8 yr. old growing up in a Christian family. At my church, a lot of parents would tell their kids to get baptized after accepting Christ, but my parents didn’t make me. Instead, almost a year later, I felt God leading me to do it–and it is a really powerful memory for me. Knowing that I knew what God was asking, even as a 9 yr. old.
If you are feeling an “urge” to do it, maybe it is the Spirit leading and you will be blessed through the experience.
For what it’s worth, my dad was re-baptized in his 40s (even though he was once before at 17), as was my grandpa in his 70s.
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I say DO IT, Crystal! I’ve been baptized twice. Once as a small child, and again as an adult. I don’t think I’m “more saved” now… It was after I had completely surrendered my life to Christ for the first time. He had changed my heart, and it changed my life, and continues to. He had made me new again, re-born, and my 2nd baptism symbolized that. If Jim’s not down for it, I’ll baptize you! :)
captcha: Champion resulted
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Crystal,
Long time reader, first time commenter. I say go for it! It definitely won’t hurt. It can only make your testimony stronger! I’ve been baptized twice – the second time, mainly because my father (my Pastor) kept quoting Rev 2:5 and telling me to do my “first works over”
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Maybe it is the Calvinist in me, but I don’t think that the act of you deciding to get dunked again is going to make you any more saved. And don’t you think that in the same way that you are so much closer to God today than you were the first time…you’ll be that much closer to Him in another 10 years? Will it be necessary to re-dunk at that point?
Just something to think about from a woman you’ve never met. : )
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I would agree with Jim and Krissie. You will never arrive completely.
More offline.
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