SHOULD I BE REBAPTIZED?

September18 

And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?”  Acts 19:3

I wasn’t raised Brethren—I am Brethren by choice. Obviously, there are enormous advantages to being raised Brethren, experiencing nurture in solid teaching—but the Lord can providentially make use of those church backgrounds that are “less-than-perfect” unto His glory!   

In terms of my church experience as a kid, my family was affiliated with a Campbellite Church (e.g., Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Non-instrumental Church of Christ). We were irregular in our attendance (of which I am thankful, given the church’s heretical inclinations), but I was baptized when I was around twelve, because of the strong Campbellite emphasis in this regard.  

After I was eventually saved in my 20’s, I drifted into Somerset GBC, where I was rebaptized by Trine Immersion. The problems with the Campbellite baptism were multiple, as enumerated below.  

1) Wrong intent: The Campbellites believe in baptismal remission. For them, baptism IS your salvation! This is why the Baptist Church threw out their founder, Alexander Campbell, for heresy.  

2) Wrong form: Campbellites exclusively practice a Baptist-style single immersion.  

3) Wrong authority: The Campbellite Church is not a Bible-believing church. It is a sectarian borderline-cultic society that teaches extreme legalism and Pelagianism (an ancient heresy that denies Original Sin and the Holy Spirit’s role in conversion).  

4) Wrong candidate: I was not saved when I was baptized by the Campbellites. Instead, I was a lost person who knew nothing of the Biblical Plan of Salvation or the grace of God in Jesus Christ—and was thus being baptized in order to be saved! 

Should YOU be rebaptized, like myself and the people in Acts 19:1-7? Well, if ANY one of the four points enumerated above apply, then the answer is “YES!” 

Terry L. Reese