| Author | Message | ||
| Tealeaves Registered user Username: Tealeaves Post Number: 131 Registered: 5-2004 |
My husband, as many know, left the SDA church. He grew up SDA, and was baptised into the SDA church in 3rd grade, I think. Anyway, he didn't ever hear of a relationship with Christ until college.(although he had always "been a good SDA") In college, he accepted CHrist as his personal saviour and began his journey out of the SDA church. He just recently cut the last tie, he asked that his membership be pulled. My question is, what do you think about rebaptism, since he didn't accept Christ into his heart until over 12 years later? I don't believe that baptism is a requirement for salvation, but I do believe that it is a public demonstration of faith in Christ. And at the time he was baptised, he didn't understand what faith in Christ meant. Now he does, do you think that rebaptism might be a worthwhile consideration? | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 590 Registered: 12-2003 |
I know some formers who have been rebaptized because their first baptism wasn't really a baptism into Christ. Others have not been rebaptized because even though they were baptized SDA, they were also making a statement about belonging to Jesus. It's really a personal decision which the Holy Spirit will help one make. How does your husband feel about it? My guess is that if he opts to be rebaptized, he will find it to be deeply meaningful. I tend to think that if one has not been baptized as a believer, that is something that ultlimately will be an important part of one's experience. Only the Holy Spirit, though, can convict a person of this act--sort-of like everything else! Colleen | ||
| Belvalew Registered user Username: Belvalew Post Number: 26 Registered: 7-2004 |
Dear Tealeaves, I would like to respond to your question with my experience. I, too, was baptized at an early age (I was 8) and I truly feel that I gave my heart to Jesus at that time. Then, again, in academy I was rebaptized as a result of a week-of-prayer call, and I felt that having aged another eight years I had had the opportunity to more clearly understand what it meant to belong to Jesus Christ. I was born and raised SDA, and I found Jesus in that context, but I lived with the dissonance of not believing that Jesus would kick us out of heaven for such inconsequential things as wearing a little lipstick and attending movies once in a while. In my 20's the dissonance became too much for me to take, but in my 30's, with the souls of two small children, I felt it was my duty to provide them with a religious background. I rejoined a local SDA church by profession of faith. The minister tried to talk me into being baptized once again and I told him that I didn't want to get into the habit of taking a bath in the church baptistry every few years. He didn't necessarily like leaving it at that, but I did. Of course, a few years after that I stumbled across the problem of IJ and Sister White's lies about inspiration. I walked away from SDA after that. I now attend the Presbyterian church with my husband and have found a real home there celebrating Jesus, and Jesus only. I still don't feel I need to join a denomination in order to be at home with Jesus and the congregation I worship with. I've had it with thinking I have to belong to this or that group in order to be saved. Your husband should search his heart and if he feels his understanding was incomplete at the time of his original baptism, and if he feels the Holy Spirit is urging him to make that outward display of his current stand with Christ, then I think he should do it. To me, baptism is like a wedding ceremony, and your heart should be in it or it is a sham. I gave my heart to Christ at 16. My feelings for him have not changed except to grow richer since then. I praise God that my understanding has grown and ripened since then. Good marriages don't necessarily need to be rewedded just because you have found your relationship has gotten better through the years. However, it is a beautiful thing when two people renew their vows as a statement about how they are glad they are to be with the one they love. | ||
| Ric_b Registered user Username: Ric_b Post Number: 20 Registered: 7-2004 |
Colleen-- As usual your post is filled with wisdom. People have very different experiences surrounding their baptism, and their reasons for it. Re-baptism is probably a very easy decision for someone who never felt that their heart was in it the first time, or did it to "please" others around them. But at the other extreme, I have long had concerns about thinking we need to be baptized again because we now have "more understanding". Don't we all hope to continue to grow in understanding? I wonder at times if this is a remnant (no pun intended) of the SDA mindset about baptism. BTW does each new baptism of the same person count towards a pastor's "numbers" in the SDA church. The SDA mindset seems to be: learn something new and important, better get re-baptized; been away from the church for awhile, better get re-baptized; struggled with sin, better get re-baptized (since maybe the last one didn't work!). It always made me wonder how much meaning SDAs really placed in the meaning of baptism when it was repeated so often and for such "small" reasons. The decision about re-baptism is an important and meaningful decision requiring much prayer and guidance from the Holy Spirit. I only wished to point out the factors of the SDA mindset because we can still be affected by these in many ways that we don't always realize. | ||
| Tealeaves Registered user Username: Tealeaves Post Number: 135 Registered: 5-2004 |
My husband said he hadn't ever given it any thought when I brought it up some time ago. I don't really have a burden either way, and I just figure God will let him know if that is something He wants him to do. I just wondered what other's thoughts were on it, or if anyone else had personal experience with it. Thanks for sharing, guys. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 487 Registered: 3-2004 |
I was rebaptized because the other two times I was baptized were for the wrong reasons. I wanted to be baptized so I would know that I had accepted God as my personal savior. Diana | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 864 Registered: 11-2002 |
The sda chnurch emphasises rebaptism quite strongly. I heard of a sda lady who has been baptised sda now four times. Seems like a revolving door-the person would get religious and come back to the sda fold and be bapitized, then get wayword and fall away from the sda and then come back and do the routine all over again. I sometimes wonder how many of the baptisms that are reported in the Review are really sda's getting rebapitized. I think most people who read those numbers in the Review assume they are truly new converts into the sda denomination. When I was 17 I wanted to get bapitzed. I asked the sda minister to bapitize me on Profession of Christian Faith. He refused saying it was against his policy but if I didn't want to be sda then after he did the bapitism I could write a letter to the church and ask that my name be removed. I did that. I never heard from them tho to vereify if they removed my name or not. When I joined the Seventh-day Baptist church I joined on Profession of Christian Faith and gave an oral statement before the congreation of why I was joining their church. The church had to disband and I began attending the local Lutheran church. It was like pulling teeth with a tweezers to get the Lutheran pastor to baptise me once he found out I'd already undergone Christian baptism. He believes very strongly in one baptism. I met him in the church office and told him I'd been baptised at age 17 as sda. He just kept telling me that sda's are regular Christians only they worship on Saturdays instead of Sunday and they don't eat pork. I had to teach him the unBibical doctrines of the sda church as he had no clue of the IJ, that sda's believe in the last days that Sunday-keepers will persucate and tortue the sda's, and other doctrines of the sda. Finilly he agreed to baptize me and I'm glad I made that public statement at age 50. He poured the water over my forhead with a seashell. When my mom confronted me about becomming a Lutheran she asked (yelled) me if I'd been bapitized at the Lutheran church. I said, "yes".She asked (yelled) "Did the preacher sprinke you?" I honestly said "no". Then she said she did not know the Lutherans bapitized by immersion. I told her, "They don't". The conversation deteriorated from this point on. She said, "You told me you weren't sprikled and you weren't baptised by immersion. What other way is there?" I told her "pouring". It was not a pretty scene. I got to hear about how satan instituted all forms of baptism except God's way which is immerssion. Most Christian churches accept bapyisms by all other Christian denominations. The only ones that don't accept Christian baptisms from other churches that I am aware of are the sda, the jw and the lds. I call these "the initial churches". The minister at the Lutheran church told me even if a non-Christian preforms the baptism to God it is valid because the person being baptised is the one whose heart God is looking at, not the one preforming the ritual of bapitism. Back to your husband-it can be a very meangingful experience for the individual. I am thankful I did it. Bibically it is not required. Belvalew, I sure do like the Prespertarian church. I think the only difference between the Lutheran and the Prespertarian is that the Prespertarian don't do the corperate prayers. You do say the creeds and the Our Father, don't you? My advice-pray about it and follow the Lord's leading. | ||
| Belvalew Registered user Username: Belvalew Post Number: 27 Registered: 7-2004 |
At the Presbyterian church I attend we say the Lord's Prayer every time we are together. I'm not aware of a time when we repeated the creed. I remember doing that at one of the SDA churches I attended, althought it was not done each week. I think that was one of the more gospel SDA churches, but they still had their problems with EGW. I have prayed about the situation of actually "joining" the Presbyterian church, and have talked it over with my women's group, and they agree with me. They have told me that the only group I need to belong to (other than them) is the Christians. I know I belong to Jesus and he has promised that I will never be snatched out of his hand (John 10:25-30). That is all I really need. The only hangover thing I have from being SDA is the sneaky doubt once in a while of wondering if I am worthy of Jesus. I talked with a dear friend this morning about just that and she told me, "No, of course not, but Jesus is worthy and has clothed you in His righteousness." I love it when people do that -- you know, get your focus in the right direction! | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 505 Registered: 3-2004 |
Remember, we are God's children because of Jesus. Love you, Diana | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 596 Registered: 12-2003 |
Belvalew, Praise God for that reminder for all of us! Colleen | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 116 Registered: 6-2004 |
I got rebaptizied after leaving the SDA. Even though it was in a Church of Christ (another extreme clan which I quit not long after) I felt it was enough. I never felt led to do it again. I believe it's really a personal decision between you and God and where your heart is. I wouldn't do it just because some church tells you to, do it if you feel led to. |
