so last week i found this on pinterest and decided to do a post about each item. the first one can be found here. so this one was a bit harder, not because i'm apathetic, but because i needed to decide what topic i felt strong enough about to make a post on. due to recent events, i feel like capitol punishment or guns would be bad, although i do feel strongly about both of those. (if you want to know my thoughts on those, feel free to shot me an email and ask) i'm also trying to stay away from cliche topics, such as abortion and same sex marriage, because i feel they are over done. so i'm possibly going kind of out of the box with this one, but i'm going with rebaptism.
now before i start, let me say this is just my view on it. i know it's a big debate in the christian bubble, and just like everything else, it's a personal choice.
but in my opinion, a person only needs to be baptized once. (i do not count sprinkling as a baby as baptism) i grew up believing baptism was a one time declaration. never once did i think baptism was going to make my life perfect. (i did think it would make it easier some times) i was baptized at age 9, mostly because i wanted to make the declaration to everyone, but also partly because i was the baby of the family who wanted to be like my brothers who were baptized. i also know of some people who get baptized after reading the book of revelation. now these may not be the best reasons to get baptized, but i believe if they compelled you enough to do it, then there is no need to take it back or do it again.
being 9, i didn't totally know what i was doing, and some may argue that i should have waited a few years. but i didn't. and i don't think i need to redo it. whether i did it at 9 or 19, i still wouldn't totally comprehend the intensity of baptism. i think i did it at a time that was right for me. and every day is still a constant battle and always will be. if i got rebaptized today, nothing about that would change. i would still have this constant battle, and i would still need to stay consistent in my quiet time. (which i have been struggling with lately because of school and work)
every year, i go help at camp with the middle schoolers. and every year the topic of rebaptism comes up. when i have middle schoolers ask me what i think on it, i tell them i think baptism is a one time thing, and that you don't need to baptized more than once. Jesus was only baptized once, and the Bible doesn't talk about rebaptism. but i also tell them to not rely on just my opinion, but to also talk to their youth sponsors, their pastors, and their family.
what are your views on this topic? what is something you feel strongly about?
1 comment:
I agree with you 100% I was baptized as a baby and decided I would not do that to my daughter. She can do it when she wants. I want her to grow her own relationship with God and when the time is right for her, she can be baptized. And when she does make that decision I will be so much more proud because she did it on her own.
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