Do we need two baptisms?

[ajchurney]

There is One Lord, One faith, One baptism.....the "one" baptism is that of the Spirit because it is this baptism that is the reality of the symbolic water baptism. This in no way diminishes the importance of water baptism because it is a command of the Lord Christ, and practiced by the apostles, and supported by the NT. Similarly, the marriage is the joining of two persons into one mystical union, "the two become one flesh", but this does not negate the import of the ceremony and vows. Symbolic acts are always joined to a spiritual reality in Christianity. Otherwise, they are mere religious acts. Baptizing an infant as an act of dedication on the parent's part is not a bad thing, and has a traditional Jewish counterpart which Jesus' parents also did. This, however, is not personally meaningful for the baby. It would be wise if baby christening was sufficiently different from water baptism so as not to confuse the issue, I should think. 

[AGTG]

On 2/10/2014 at 10:42 AM, Brian_Michael said:

I was wondering if someone needed two baptisms.  Scripture does not state nor does it have an example of someone needing/receiving two baptisms, however, when infant baptisms occur, are we then filled with the Holy Spirit at that point?  Or, are we not filled with the Holy Spirit until later in life when we come to the ‘age of accountability’ and choose to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and let him into our hearts?

 

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by AGTG

[Guest P_W]

Hello, all!  Peace to you!

 

I have been saved for longer than I can remember, and I am washed in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ.  His Blood covers my home and my family.  Amen

 

I am not a scholar, or Bible expert by any means, but I would still like to share and weigh in on this discussion.  If you please? ...

 

The practice of my family and my church is to dedicate the new baby, toddler or child in a formal church service, and like what was mentioned in this thread, it is more of the parents re-dedicating their lives to Christ and vow to raise the child to love and fear the Lord.  That is what was done for me after birth, and also what we did when our children were born.

 

A ceremonial "cradle cross" was given to our children, along with a certificate, a poem and prayer naming each child.  It is a very sacred event, although a little different from many of the child baptisms and dedication ceremonies I have seen, but I believe they are all equal in meaning and significance.

 

I am hesitant to say that these ceremonies, including infant baptism, don't really mean anything, because we don't know that.  I believe that a child can be sealed in the Lord and the Holy Spirit can come dwell in them from that moment on.

 

The time my parents dedicated me might have been the time I was saved.  I cannot really remember when I was saved.  I just grew  up knowing Jesus in a very personal way.  With age, I understood what it meant to make Him the Lord of my life and surrender all to Him, and I was baptized at nine years old.  My mother said I bugged her constantly about wanting to be baptized.

 

My children were young, too, when they were baptized, and my youngest son was only about 7.  He bugged me like I did my poor mother.  Sitting in church one Sunday morning during a baptism ceremony he whispered to me in that loud child voice and said, "Why won't you let me get baptized?"  He was dunked in a matter of weeks after that.  LOL

 

I believe we should hold these ceremonies in higher honor than some of the opinions I have read in this thread; whether or not we agree with how it was done.  

 

Jeremiah spoke about being called from his mother's womb.  Many of the prophets were called before birth.  Sampson was dedicated as a baby and instructions were given to his parents on how he was to be raised.  Part of that was that a razor should never touch his head.  But, my point is to say who knows when The Holy Spirit will enter into a person?

 

My faith is in my Lord Jesus Christ and my trust is in His shed blood and my God.  Still, I believe these dedication ceremonies, or baptisms, are not without merit.  God honors our dedication to Him in whatever manner we choose.  If you are dunked, sprinkled, emersed forwards, backwards or upside down, it is a witness to Christ, our death, burial to sin, and being raised again, born anew in Christ Jesus.

 

I agree very much with Willa that anyone who calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved, Acts: 2:21  ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

 

- and if it happens that they are not baptized at any time in their life, the Word says 

Romans 10:9

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;     

 

I have some friends who were "sprinkled" as babies, or small children and some are fine with it, they made their confession of faith when they got a little older and took communion at that time, but a couple of my friends questioned the infant baptism.  A very close friend asked me if Jesus was immersed or sprinkled. (Sometimes you do see it both ways in the movies.)  I said we should look it up in the Bible, although I already knew the answer.  I thought it would hit home more if he read it straight from God's Word.  So he began to read:

 

Matthew 3:16-17

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

 

He read this verse aloud a couple of times and repeated again, "When He came up out of the water..."  Then he looked up at me and said, "Well, if He came up out of the water, then He surely went down under."  A week or so later, which happened to be Easter Sunday, my friend was baptized in a creek, and it did happen to be flowing, although I have not heard this before about the flowing water.

 

My other friend who was baptized as an infant was baptized again, and again, and again.  Please do not ask me why, because I have no idea why he had the need to do that.  I can only say he must have been being convicted by the Holy Spirit and/or believed that baptism saves.  He must have thought the more times he went down under the water, the more "saved" he would be.  It's too bad he couldn't just rest in the knowledge of his salvation in Jesus Christ and be at peace with himself.  Maybe he was still sinning in a major way and I did not know?  Either way, I told him I did not think it was necessary to be baptized so many times, but I guess it was his choice.

 

I would only like to add that I sensed some scolding going on in this thread and I want to really encourage everyone to remember we're not all on the same level, or walk.  I think if there is the need to criticize anyone it can be done easily in a private message.  Even with all the Scripture postings, there still seems to be mainly opinions shared and this thread shouldn't turn into a sermon.  IMHO  Just another opinion there.  LOL

 

Shalom, Prair

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest P_W]

AgTg, welcome to Worthy.  I just wanted to share with you, and all, that my first word in tongues was Yahweh.  Peace to you.

 

Now on baptism, I looked up a verse or two.  Sounds to me that there is water baptism and then there is a first, or second baptism, that will come to us when God wills, and that is fire, His Holy Spirit.  I do not think water baptism is a matter concerning when God's Holy Spirit infills.

 

 

Matthew 3:11

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

 

 

Luke 3:16

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

 

~~~~~~~~~

On tongues -

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1 Corinthians 14:3-5

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. 4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying.