Rebaptism - Is It Necessary And How Many Times Should I Be Baptized?

What Is Rebaptism?

There are many religious reasons for rebaptism. But there is only one biblical justification for it.

Water baptism is not a mark or “seal”. Yet, it symbolizes a most important spiritual stance in the Body of Christ.

Additionally, what does the Bible say about infant/baby baptism?

Click the link above to read more about it.

WHO IN THE BIBLE EXPERIENCED REBAPTISM?

So, is it ok to be baptized twice? Who was rebaptized in the Bible? John the Baptist came on the scene and baptized all the people.

He baptized all the people from the land of Judaea, Jerusalem, and the surrounding areas in the river of Jordan, (Mark 1:9).

According to the Scriptures, did John the Baptist rebaptize anyone? No!!

He baptized all, even Jesus and the publicans, except the Pharisees and the lawyers (Luke 7:29-30).

His was their first water baptism.

Jesus came after John. The latter was the forerunner of the former. And he rebaptized most of those people whom the latter had baptized.

This means that Jesus rebaptized all of those people!

WHY DID APOSTLE PAUL REBAPTIZE THESE BRETHREN?

He visited Ephesus and found twelve Christians who were baptized according to the Baptism of John.

Yet they had not received the Holy Ghost nor were they baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

This surprised Paul. Therefore, he asked them why and they explained their circumstances.

Subsequently, he rebaptized them in the name of Jesus, and soon after they all received the Holy Ghost.

See Acts 19:1-7.

Therefore, unless we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ we are not entitled to the Promise of the Holy Ghost!

This is the reason Apostle Paul asked those brethren, unto what then were you baptized? Because they were not partakers of the promise he had to rebaptize all of them to make them legally qualify to receive Him!

WHY SHOULD REBAPTISM HAPPEN?

If you were initially baptized in accordance with the instructions of the Doctrine of Christ, then you should only be baptized once.

However, rebaptism does not bring Christians closer to God. There are no biblical examples to support this point of view.

In answering your question, what are the reasons to get baptized again, I shall utilize biblical examples?

WHAT ARE SOME REASONS TO GET BAPTIZED AGAIN?

Your most fundamental and biblical reason to get baptized again is that your first baptism was not executed following Jesus and his Apostles’ teachings.
You changed faith. Now, you are no longer a Protestant but a Roman Catholic Christian.
You were baptized as a child.
Your baptizer did not invoke the name of the Lord Jesus Christ at your baptism!

SHOULD I GET BAPTIZED AGAIN AFTER BACKSLIDING?

Sometimes, when a Believer slips back into the “worldly lifestyle” or into his or her former lifestyle (backsliding), then many of them request rebaptism.

But this is tradition! It is not biblical! Some would say that this practice stems from religion and not Christ.

Nevertheless, rebaptism for this reason is a popular practice in many denominations today!

REASONS SOME CHRISTIANS EXPERIENCE RE-BAPTISM

Therefore, don’t be hasty to join religious organizations. Many of them dictate their members’ baptism or re-baptism.

Some don’t even baptize. They ignore the Bible’s teaching on this very important spiritual ritual.

Water baptism represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Seeing that he died once, then we should only experience true water baptism once.

In the first instance, if you obeyed his command concerning your water baptism you don’t need to baptize again.

JESUS’ INSTRUCTIONS TO BAPTISE IN WATER

The Scripture below is Christ’s instructions concerning water baptism. He instructed his eleven apostles, for Judas was dead.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Matthew 28:19

However, there are instances in the Scriptures when people experience repeat baptism (Acts 19:1-5).

That was the reason Jesus re-baptized all those John had baptized. John’s baptism was first.

He baptized “unto repentance“. But when Jesus came on the scene, he re-baptized everyone (including all his disciples) in the River Jordan.

Today, many “Christians” frequently change denominations. Most times these organizations require re-baptism.

HOW MANY TIMES CAN YOU BE BAPTIZED ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE?

You could get baptized as many times as you desire. But, is that practice biblical or necessary? In the Bible, you will observe that the key to how many times people got baptized was the teaching they got or believed first.

Observe, in the Bible, that the people who were correctly baptized, according to the Apostles’ Doctrine or the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, were only baptized once.

However, let’s examine this in-depth and discover if re-baptism is biblical. Let’s explore what Jesus and the early church taught and practiced.

Thus, how many times you experienced water baptism is a function of the first biblically correct teaching you heard and believed concerning Jesus Christ!

HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD REBAPTISM OCCUR?

Who was baptized twice in the Bible? How many times should rebaptism occur? These are some of the questions you need answers for as you ponder this topic.

Those that come to mind readily are the twelve Christians at Ephesus.

They had received baptism “Unto John’s baptism” by John. But Paul rebaptized them in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 19:1-7).

However, observe that all the people whom John the Baptist baptized—except Jesus Christ—were re-baptized by either Jesus or his disciples (Acts 19:1-5).

Additionally, all the people whom John baptized were later re-baptized according to the instructions of Jesus Christ.

IS IT OK TO BE BAPTIZED MORE THAN ONCE?

But none who Jesus or his apostles baptized, later experienced rebaptism by anyone. It wasn’t OK for them to be baptized more than once!

If you obeyed the instructions of Jesus Christ concerning your baptism then it’s Ok. You obeyed! You don’t need re-baptism.

He instructed:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Matthew 28:19-20

WHICH APOSTLE BAPTIZED SAYING THESE WORDS?

Did all of the apostles of Jesus disobey him? None of them followed the baptismal formula captured by Matthew 28:19-20.

Check your Bible, for not one apostle baptized anyone saying, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost“, (Matthew 28:19).

Why?

They all baptized saying, in the name of the Lord, that is saying, Jesus Christ.

If they didn’t follow those instructions, did they disobey Jesus?

And you want to know something, He was happy with them and how they baptized the people of the First Century Church.

Because he approved all their missionary work with miracles and healings.

Today, many Christians are getting baptized a second time not because the Bible instructs them to but because of their religious affiliations.

WHEN SHOULD REBAPTISM TAKE PLACE?

Can you be baptized twice?

The short answer is yes! There are no reasons to get baptized again. There is only one reason for rebaptism: your first baptism was done incorrectly.

This means that you were not baptized while invoking the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The baptizer never said, “I baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ”; instead, he submerged you in the water while making a vague reference to a name but never mentioned it (Matthew 28:19).

This is very popular.

If your baptizer didn’t invoke the name of Jesus as you were being baptized, you should be re-baptized.

LOOK OUT FOR THIS DECEPTION!

The baptizer may have invoked, over you, just as he is about to dip you into the water, “I now baptize you [enter your name here], “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).

But repeating this phrase is not saying the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is not a name.

He, by saying, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” was merely repeating the Scriptures and highlighting the only three roles of the Lord God (Matthew 28:19).

Note what happened. He never called on any name for he only hinted at it. That’s the deception of the Devil.

This is how he uses ignorance of the Word of God to deceive the whole world.

IS REBAPTISM A SIN?

Getting baptized a second time is not a sin.

As a matter of fact, we cannot obey the Lord Jesus Christ and sin simultaneously. It’s one or the other!

This is how the Deceiver uses religion to sidetrack people from experiencing salvation!

“Given once for all, Baptism cannot be repeated. The baptisms of those to be received into the Catholic Church from other Christian communities are held to be valid if administered using the Trinitarian formula. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: 1256.”,Catechism of the Catholic Church: 1256

The above statement is not a doctrine of baptism from the Bible, Jesus Christ, or His Church, but one from the RCC.

Avoid these teachings because they are devilish and Satan-inspired.

Do not follow such dogmas as they are not only sinful but they will prevent you from entering the Kingdom of God (John 3:5).

Because, if you never experienced the real baptism of the Bible and follow the teaching immediately above you are doomed with Satan and his host!

The result, spending eternity with Satan.

WHAT IS BAPTISM ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE?

On the other hand, at your baptism, if the “Babes-in-Christ” preachers have deceived you, by using the baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19 verbatim, (the Trinitarian formula), then you are a perfect candidate for getting baptized a second time.

Mainly, because by following the Trinitarian formula you wouldn’t have followed the Lord’s instructions concerning baptism.

He instructs us to accept baptism in “the name“, doing anything else is disobedience (Matthew 28:19).

Today, your re-baptism awaits you calling on “the name”: Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19).

There is only one water baptism. It’s the one that the Church practiced after the resurrection of Christ.

There is: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).

Below, you will find a short list of questions on rebaptism. Many readers of this blog desire answers for them and I shall endeavor to update it as more inquiries come in.

FAQS – REBAPTISM

Can You Get Baptized More Than Once?

Yes. However, there is only one biblical reason to get baptized more than once. This means that all the previous baptisms a person experienced were not done according to the teachings of the Church.
For example, all the people whom John the Baptist baptized Jesus rebaptized them. John’s baptism was limited and transient.
But his is the ultimate one and everlasting!

How Many Times Can You Get Baptized?

As many times as it takes until it’s done correctly or biblically!

Can You Be Baptized Multiple Times?

Yes, but only if all your previous baptisms did not adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ and his Twelve Apostles on this subject.

Can You Be Baptized More Than Once?

Yes! But you shouldn’t if your first baptism conformed to the teachings of Jesus and His twelve leaders!

Can You Be Baptised More Than Once?

Since the only difference between this question and the previous one is a variation in the spelling of one word, the same answer above is appropriate for this inquiry too. Yes!

CONCLUSION

Rebaptism is necessary if your previous baptism or baptisms were not executed in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ, His apostles, and the Church.

I encourage you to utilize the baptism of Jesus Christ as your guide to determine if rebaptism is biblical.

In the Bible, Jesus was baptized how many times? Only once! Why?

WHAT NEXT?

If you have not obeyed Jesus’ command to baptize, then you are an ideal candidate for re-baptism in the name, Jesus Christ.

I know that you may also be asking yourself, is rebaptism a sin?

The answer is, no! But now that you know, according to the Bible, when and why rebaptism occurs, what are you going to do about it?

HAVE YOU PUT ON CHRIST?

Consequently, one of the reasons to experience water baptism is to “put on Christ”.

And this putting on of him, spiritually, does one thing. It shouts into the spiritual realm that you belong to Him.

Is your water baptism shouting into the spiritual realm that you belong to Jesus Christ? Jesus explains to his disciples how to baptize and why.

If you have not taken on the name of Jesus via baptism, get baptized today by calling on his saving name.

Because you haven’t put on Christ unless you have put on his name by water baptism.

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”Galatians 3:27

In closing, has this Bible Study answered any of your questions concerning getting baptized a second time? Yes, then please share it with others.

Blessings!