Should Born-agains Be Baptized-agains?

In this regular feature, Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.  Here’s this week’s question: I have recently been born-again, looking to and trusting in Christ alone, His death, burial and resurrection for my eternal salvation.Formally I was baptized as an infant.Now I want to follow Christ in everything He demands. Would that include being baptized again?I am confused because some Protestant denominations recommend infant baptism.

Tom:

Dave what is interesting for me as a former Catholic, at one point in my life I thought it was only Catholics that taught infant baptism, but I was really kind of shocked to see that there were some Reformed Theologies that promoted infant baptism.

Dave:

Right, if you went to Europe for example in Scandinavia—well throughout Europe—what happened with the Reformation— Catholicism had been the official state religion.They didn’t call it that, but it was backed by the kings and—

Tom:

Right, it was the religion of the land.

Dave:

That’s right.So now what we had was Protestantism became a new state religion.

Tom:

And these Protestants were Catholics.

Dave:

They had been Catholics and a lot of Catholicism was carried over.So if you went to Europe today you would have either Lutheranism or Catholicism.That’s the state religion.So Denmark for example, or Norway, Sweden—

Tom:

Well what about Presbyterianism.How did that come?

Dave:

These were mostly Lutheran.Presbyterianism came into Scotland.But in Europe you would find mostly Lutherans.So if for example in Switzerland, you have cantons.They are like states.You’ve got a Catholic canton; you’ve got a Lutheran canton.Or they would call it a Protestant.Now the Free church, like the Evangelical Free Church, they came out of the Protestant church, that’s why they call it the Free church.A dear friend of mine in Denmark for example, he calls them four-wheel Christians.They come in a baby buggy to get baptized, then they come in a car to get confirmed, and then they come in another car to be married in the church and then they come in a hearse to be buried in the church and that’s about the only time any of them come to church, really Tom.

Tom:

Because it is a state religion.

Dave:

It’s a state religion.The pastors’ salaries are paid for by the state.Everybody has to pay taxes to support the salary of the state pastors which arouses considerable resentment.And this is why Christianity is hardly worth talking about for most people in Europe.But as far as baptism—

Tom:

And infant baptism in particular…

Dave:

—And infant baptism, right—as far as that is concerned, the Bible teaches believer’s baptism.In Acts 8 the Ethiopian eunuch for example, that was led to Christ by Phillip the evangelist—and they are driving along in his chariot and he says “here’s water, what doth hinder me to be baptized?”Phillip says if you believe with all your heart you may be baptized.Baptism is a sign of something that happened to us.It is our identification with Christ in the death, burial and resurrection.It is not efficacious.If you go into the water and you are not saved, you go into the water a dry sinner and you come out a wet sinner and that is all that has happened.In I Corinthians 1, Paul says Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.He couldn’t even remember—He says I don’t even remember if I baptized—well yes I baptized the whole household of Stephanas, maybe there were some others, but I am not sure.Now if baptism were essential for salvation he would have been very sure that he baptized these people.But in chapter 4 of I Corinthians Paul says that he is their father in the faith.He says you’ve got a lot of teachers, but not many fathers and I have begotten you through the gospel.But he didn’t baptize them, so if salvation requires baptism, then Paul failed to be their father.He failed to lead them to Christ.In I Corinthians 15 when he says this is the gospel that I present unto you baptism is not mentioned.“…How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures….”Romans:1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
See All... says “…the gospel is the power of God unto salvation…” and the gospel does not include a word about baptism.Now there are those who believe that you must be baptized to be saved as an adult.You know when you come to Christ as an adult forgetting that for the moment we are talking about infant baptism.Where do they get this from?Well they get it from the household of Cornelius, when Peter preached the gospel and his household was saved.I am reading from Acts:10:44While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
See All...:“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”That “heard” means to hear with understanding.45) “And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46) For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.Then answered Peter, 47) Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?”So they were saved before they were baptized, obviously here.They were indwelt by the Holy Spirit; they were empowered by the Holy Spirit.Now another place where they take this is Acts 16 where the Philippian jailer says “Sirs what must I do to be saved?”And Paul and Silas answered, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house.”It doesn’t mean that if you get saved your house is going to be saved.“And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, (notice this) and to all that were in his house.”Now if they preached the gospel to everybody that were in his house, then there were no infants in his house, because you don’t preach the gospel to infants.So this is another place where people say oh yes, but his whole house was baptized.They must have baptized infants.There were no infants present because the gospel was preached.

Tom:

Dave, one other aspect of this—what about the Reformed theologians who talk about infant baptism as a covenant act.

Dave:

Well, they would try to relate it to circumcision for example.Circumcision was for the Jews.It was a sign that God gave to Abraham and how you can say now baptism takes its place or baptism is related to it—there is no such indication in the Bible.It was a physical thing and it was a physical sign and it involved all Jewish people whether they believed in God or not.They were still circumcised and baptism is only for those who are saved through faith in Christ and you can’t preach the gospel to an infant.The tragedy Tom—and I have seen it in Europe—we’ve lived in Europe a couple of times and traveled widely there and I have seen it—a person that has been baptized as an infant and believes that this saves their soul, then they really never get saved.They are not confronted with the fact that they need to believe the gospel and somehow they feel that they have been brought into Christ through infant baptism and it’s a tragedy because it leads them astray.They go through life thinking that they are saved because they are baptized when in fact they are not.

Tom:

Right.So our recommendation to this individual who wrote to us would be that you were baptized as an infant and it’s not biblical baptism.If you want to follow what the Lord says, go and be baptized.

Dave:

Since he has now received Christ.Amen.

Tom:

Exactly.