post reply
| 1 | » Requests for Re-Baptism |
| Recently, I preached on Baptism at a retirement home service supplied by speakers from my Nazarene congregation. I offered the sacrament after the sermon, in the event that someone there had never before been baptized. All there either were already or did not wish to be, but I was approached by a woman afterwards who asked about my thoughts on rebaptism. My position is that God does a work at the waters (such as the "laver of regeneration" in Wesley's New Testament Notes on Titus), and it is His grace, not our act, that is effective. Though I have difficulty in affirming infant Baptism, I believe in the seriousness of the act and that it is to remain as the Nicene Creed says, "one baptism." All of this is to bring up the unusual pastoral situation of people asking for the sacrament of Baptism to be "re-administered." My answer is to stress the work that Christ has already done in the person's life. As a way of acknowledging the desire some people have to rededicate their lives to Christ, during the service I led everyone in a moment of re-affirming Baptism vows (many are from liturgical traditions) along with a moment of reflection as I poured water out in the name of the Trinity. There are ways of creatively remembering our Baptism and growing into it without rebaptizing. |
