Should You Be Re-Baptized?

At Arrowhead Church, we love baptizing people who have trusted in Christ. We rejoice with them and are honored to help them take that next step with Jesus. If someone who’s recently been saved asks about being baptized, we are always excited to have that conversation! Other times, however, the people who ask about baptism have already been baptized at some point in the past. Should these folks be baptized again? Maybe…and maybe not.

Understanding what the Bible teaches about baptism will help us answer this question. We believe that baptism is the first and most basic step of obedience for believers. It’s really, really important, but not because it saves you. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and there isn’t anything we can do to earn or achieve salvation, including baptism. Getting “dunked” doesn’t make you a Christian. Why, then, is it so important? We see two reasons in the New Testament:

First, Jesus commanded it. In the passage known as The Great Commission, Jesus said, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (v. 19). So, if we want to be obedient to Christ, one of the first things we’ll do is get baptized. While baptism isn’t necessary for salvation, it is necessary for obedience.

Second, baptism is how we publicly identify with Jesus. Jesus had His disciples baptize those who came to Him. (Jn. 4:1-2), and we read in Acts that the early church continued this practice. In Acts 2, those who believed in Jesus through Peter’s preaching were baptized. In Acts 8, Philip preached and many were baptized because they believed; that same chapter records how Philip baptized the Ethiopian official after he heard and believed the gospel.

Romans 6:3-4 is another passage that speaks to the relationship between our salvation and our baptism. Paul says that baptism pictures our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. This is one of the reasons that we believe baptism should be by immersion; going under the water and coming back up gives us a visual symbol of death & resurrection, both Christ’s and our own.

Because of these passages, we believe that baptism is only appropriate for those who have trusted in Jesus for salvation. Much like a wedding ceremony is a public confirmation of the love and commitment that’s already developed between a couple, baptism is a public confirmation of what’s already taken place in someone’s life.

So, if that’s what baptism is about, then let’s return to the question - should someone get baptized more than once? It really depends on the circumstances and motivation. There are two situations in which I think baptism may be a good next step.

Some people get baptized and then realize later on that they weren’t truly saved at the time of their baptism. In this situation, baptism would be appropriate because the first baptism wasn’t really valid. If baptism is only intended for those who have placed their faith in Jesus, those who are “baptized” without having placed their faith in Him are really just going through the motions. If they’ve now been saved, they now should be baptized (not “re-baptized” because the first one doesn’t really count).

Others were baptized at a church of a different denomination or tradition that does not not practice baptism by immersion; perhaps the water was sprinkled or poured over their heads. Even if they were a believer when such a baptism was administered, we would encourage them to be baptized by immersion since we believe that is the biblical model.

Beyond these two situations, though, we would not encourage someone to be “re-baptized.” Many people who go through a season of personal revival and (rightly) feel led to express their devotion in some way. I’ve known several people who were contemplating a second baptism because of such an experience. Is another baptism appropriate in such situations? I don’t think so. Scripture never presents baptism as a repeatable action; it’s more of a one-time, definitive declaration. If you’ve publicly expressed your faith and devotion to Jesus through baptism once, there’s no need to do it again.

That doesn’t mean you should just do nothing. If you want to express your love for the Lord, focus on doing those things that Christ commands - things like loving God & others, making disciples, repenting regularly, and serving your church family. Such habits of discipleship will honor God more than getting baptized again and will bear more lasting fruit for the kingdom.

Click here to read Arrowhead’s Baptism Guide or sign up to be baptized.