🌊 Why can’t we be re-baptized if we fall away from the church?

(Hint: There is only one baptism.)

Paul says: “There is…one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Ephesians 4:5) ✨

🚫 All other baptisms are pretenders; they don’t count.

Once we’re baptized, the grace that baptism gives us is ours 🌈(even if we’re not actively using or benefiting from it).

🌱 Baptism grants us forgiveness and new life in Christ — a treasure that lasts forever.

Even if someone loses their faith and no longer experiences the benefits of baptism, it still remains.

❓Why? Because it doesn’t depend on us; it’s based on the work of Jesus Christ. 🙌

▶️Think of it this way: If someone gifted you a car 🚙 but you never drove it, that wouldn’t change the fact that the car is still yours.

Similarly, in baptism, we receive a lifelong treasure, including:
🕊️ Forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of Christ
🌄 A new identity — we are made new
🌅 Union with Christ’s death so that we can also share in His resurrection

This gift is always there; it doesn’t disappear even if:
❌I renounce the faith
🌑I declare myself an atheist
😠I feel anger toward God and leave the church for a time

Because this gift is permanent, we don’t need to re-baptize those who’ve fallen away and returned to the faith.

Instead, we remind them of what they already possess in Christ: forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. 🌿

Contributor Chris Brademeyer is Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Oakes, ND.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #baptism

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