The answer may very well be YES! In fact, no matter how many times you may have been ceremonially baptized, the crucial question is whether or not you followed all that the Bible requires in order to have a valid baptism.

It is true that many church organizations that nominally claim to be based on Biblical Christianity also include baptism in one form or another.

Several groups baptize newborn babies by pouring or sprinkling water on their foreheads—this is associated with rites of christening, which also includes naming a child. This practice emerged following the first century A.D. and was institutionalized by the Roman Catholic Church—a practice continuing to this time. According to the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible (Lockyer, 1986 Edition), “Those who believe in baptismal regeneration (Catholics especially) argue that baptism of infants is necessary. In traditional Roman Catholic teaching, unbaptized infants who die cannot enter heaven in this state, but are instead consigned to a state of limbo. If this fate is to be avoided, they must be baptized in order to remove the guilt of their sins and receive new life.”

Even though the pope recently stated that the concept of “limbo” was a human invention and not a Biblical doctrine, the practice of the Roman Catholic Church continues to include the baptism of infants.

Many Protestant churches also baptize little babies, or they encourage children to become baptized. In fact, there is social pressure within many groups for baptism in order to reflect a better score in Sunday school classes, youth leadership or other church related statistical factors.

Those who have undergone these types of baptismal practices have NOT been properly baptized according to the Word of God, as they did not fulfill the Biblical requirements, as explained below. However, one must also consider the validity of an adult baptism in a church that does not teach the truth of God. In this context, carefully study what Jesus stated:

“‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

The crucial point here is that many claim to represent and to believe in Jesus Christ, but they do not obey Him—they “practice lawlessness.” Simply stated, God does not accept individuals or church organizations, who compromise the truth and who shape their religious practices around human customs and traditions. Unfortunately, this describes the vast majority of those claiming to be Christian!

In Acts 5:29-32, we find this very clear declaration about who can receive God’s Holy Spirit:

“But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit [which] God has given to THOSE WHO OBEY HIM.’”

An absolutely crucial ingredient for anyone seeking baptism is to first repent of breaking God’s laws. This is the initial step in obedience to God. This is not something that a baby or an immature child is capable of doing! And unless one is convicted of sinning against God by disobedience to His laws, then even as an adult, true repentance has not occurred!

Note this definition of sin as found in 1 John 3:4: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and SIN IS LAWLESSNESS,” or, as the Authorized Version renders it, “sin is the TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW.”

Here is very clear instruction that Peter proclaimed under the inspiration of God on the day of Pentecost—this is what someone should experience when becoming truly converted to real Christianity:

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission [forgiveness] of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).

Consider as well that the Holy Spirit is given through the true ministers of God by the laying on of hands (Compare Acts 8:14-17 and Acts 19:6). As the account in Acts 8:18-24 shows, not just anyone is granted this authority, but only those whom God has called to serve Him in this position (Compare Hebrews 5:4).

One must be careful to avoid being deceived in this all-important matter. Remember that Jesus very directly warned in Matthew 24 that many will claim to be Christian and that the many will be deceived! Also, we have this caution found in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

These deceptive practices include false conversions! Some experience emotional attachments to the idea of Christianity, but the fruits of their lives do not reflect that God’s Spirit dwells in them. Galatians 5:22-23 reveals the fruit of the Spirit of God, while the preceding verses describe “the works of the flesh.” Truly converted individuals will seek to walk in obedience to God. They will begin to live in accordance with God’s laws by growing “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” (2 Peter 3:18).

Remember, Jesus Christ committed no sin! (Compare 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15). He never transgressed the law of God. Jesus taught that He did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill (Compare Matthew 5:17-18). He did just that—He kept the law of God by obeying God. That is why there was no sin found in Him. Note what He says of those who reject God’s law and about those who obey: “‘Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 5:19).

The baptism that Jesus Christ instituted and that His ministry has carried on is revealed in the Word of God. Regarding the question of whether a particular baptism is sufficient or valid, let’s also take note of what Paul did when he met with people who had only previously followed John the Baptist, as recorded in Acts 19:1-6:

“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said to them, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ So they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Then Paul said, ‘John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

Understand, then, that for baptism to be accepted by God, an individual must be called of God and come to believe in all that Jesus Christ did and will do—accepting Him as Savior. One must also repent of his or her sins—which are breaking the laws of God. All of this can lead to true conversion.

The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates in Canada and the United Kingdom have prepared a very comprehensive booklet titled “Baptism—A requirement For Salvation” (Available at: www.eternalgod.org, www.churchofgodacf.ca and www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk). This material thoroughly examines the questions and answers about both the need for baptism and the Biblically revealed steps that will assist those who desire to turn to God and who seek to receive eternal life in the coming Kingdom of God!

Set forth below are excerpts from our booklet on baptism, which address the question of “re-baptism”:

“People who have been baptized as a baby or as a young child would need to be ‘re’-baptized, that is, properly baptized for the first time, when they are called by God to genuinely repent of their sins. The same would be true for adult persons who were baptized without realizing what they were really guilty of and what they needed to repent of. For instance, people who do not know the importance of keeping ALL of God’s Ten Commandments, including the commandment to keep God’s Sabbath holy, the commandment not to fight or kill in war, not to worship idols, and not to pray to ‘Mother Mary’ or other ‘heavenly saints,’ have not really repented of their sins. They lack understanding of what sin is and, therefore, do not cease from their sins. They continue to engage in the same wrong conduct, showing that they did not begin to live in “newness of life.”

“When someone is in doubt whether his or her prior ‘baptism’ was valid in God’s eyes and resulted in receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, he or she needs to look at the fruits after that ‘baptism.’ Since God’s commandments regarding idolatry and Sabbath-keeping are of such fundamental importance, the Holy Spirit would lead a person who is called by God to immediately recognize and accept this truth before or at the time of baptism, or very shortly thereafter. The person would immediately feel a compelling desire to keep the Sabbath and to cease from committing idolatry. If such an action did not take place at the time of ‘baptism,’ or at least within a reasonably short time thereafter, we can safely say that such a ‘baptism’ was not valid in God’s eyes and did not lead to the pouring out of God’s Spirit on the person. If the person begins to understand now the importance of keeping all of God’s commandments, is repentant of his or her prior conduct, believes in Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of his or her sins, and is willing to obey whatever God’s Spirit might reveal to him or her in the future, then that person should now consider being properly baptized.

“In order to determine whether a previous ‘baptism’ of an adult person was valid in God’s eyes, we should ask ourselves the following questions:

“(1) When I was baptized by immersion, did I understand what sin is? Did I repent of my sins? Did I ask, in faith, for forgiveness of my sins? Did I understand that forgiveness was bestowed on me because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who died for me, so that I could live for Him?

“(2) Did I understand, at the time of my baptism, what I was—not only what I did—and did I repent of my very evil and carnal nature that is hostile against the law of God? Did I actually bury my old self in the watery grave?

“(3) Did I make a commitment with God to let the Holy Spirit create in me a new heart, to make a new person out of me, to live in me, to guide me, to help me avoid sin, and to give me strength to strive against sin so that I would be able to acquire a new nature—the divine nature of God Himself? Did I actually come up from the watery grave ‘clean,’ a new person, knowing that from then on I would have to strive as never before to avoid sinning and to live righteously, and that I would have to continually work at keeping all of God’s commandments, including those that would be revealed to me in the future?

“If we cannot substantially answer all of the above questions with ‘yes,’ then our previous baptism would not be valid in the eyes of God and we would not have received God’s Holy Spirit at that time.”

Lead Writers: Dave Harris and Norbert Link

In the vast majority of Biblical passages, the terms “all” or “every” are all-inclusive and don’t allow for exceptions, but this is not always the case. The fact that Bible commentaries and interpreters have IGNORED this vital truth, has misled them to reach doctrinally incorrect conclusions. It is also very critical to read passages in context, and in consideration of other passages which might shed more light on a given subject. Failing to do so might lead to wrong concepts.

For example, we read in Daniel 7:27 that “ALL dominions shall serve and obey” Christ, when He establishes the Kingdom of God here on earth. This might give the impression that there won’t be any who will disobey and who will have to be dealt with, accordingly. However, this conclusion would be incorrect, as we read in Isaiah 60:12: “For the nation and kingdom which shall not serve you shall perish, And those nations shall be utterly ruined.” Compare, too, Zechariah 14:16-19, regarding nations who will at first refuse to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

We see, then, that even though we read that “ALL dominions” will serve and obey Christ, some will NOT do so, at first. In fact, some will stubbornly REFUSE to obey at all.

However, we read that God “is the Savior of ALL men, ESPECIALLY of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10). At the same time, we read in 2 Thessalonians 2:12 that “they ALL may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” These passages don’t contradict each other; nor are they all-inclusive. God is the potential Savior of all men who believe now, and who will come to believe later, even though they may not believe now. And those who don’t believe when Christ returns will be “condemned” or “dealt with” at that time, but this is not to say that they will be thrown into the lake of fire because they have committed the unpardonable sin–most of them will be resurrected in the Second Resurrection to be “judged” (Revelation 20:11-12). For more information, please read our free booklets, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?“, and “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”

Also, the concept that Christ is the Savior of ALL men does not rule out the fact that some will NOT be saved. Here, the word “ALL” is NOT used in an all-inclusive sense. Some WILL commit the unpardonable sin and be destroyed and burned up in the lake of fire (Hebrews 6:4-8; Revelation 20:13-15).

Still, we read that “ALL Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). As stated, this might give the impression that every last Israelite will inherit salvation. But this is not true, as there will be some who will reject salvation. For instance, Christ warned the Pharisees that they were walking on very thin ice, heading towards committing the unpardonable sin (compare Mark 3:28-30 and Matthew 9:34).

Paul continues in Romans 11:32 that God, in His dealings with Israel, “has committed them ALL to disobedience, that He might have mercy on ALL.” In both cases, the word “all” is not used to teach all-inclusiveness, without any exceptions. Not every last Israelite will repent, and not every Israelite–even at the time of Paul–was disobedient. The early Church of God consisted at first exclusively of Israelites who had become obedient to the faith.

We also read in Romans 14:11 that “EVERY tongue shall confess” to God. But again, this does not include every last person, as some will not confess to God, but instead, they will be destroyed in the lake of fire–they will die the second death–in utter rebellion to God.

There are additional examples where the words “all” or “every” are not to be understood in an all-inclusive sense.

In Luke 8:45, a woman touched Christ, in order to be healed, and when Christ asked who had touched Him, it says that “ALL denied it.” Then Peter and other disciples said to Him, “The multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?'” We then read that the woman came forward and confessed (verse 47). Therefore, when “ALL” denied that they touched Him, this apparently excluded the woman and most certainly His disciples, who admitted that they and others had “touched” Jesus, without understanding the relevance of His question.

In Matthew 23:3, Christ told the Jews to “obey ALL” (Authorized Version) what the scribes and Pharisees commanded them to do. In Ephesians 5:24, Paul says that women are to be submissive to their husbands in EVERYTHING. And Peter says in 1 Peter 2:13 that we are to submit ourselves to EVERY ordinance of man. However, these passages are not all-inclusive and allow–yes, DEMAND–an exception. This exception is found in Acts 5:27-32, where Peter makes it clear that we must obey God rather than man, and that we must DISOBEY man if we would otherwise disobey God.

We also read that the gospel of the Kingdom of God will be preached in all the world as a witness, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). This does not mean that every last person on earth will hear the gospel just prior to Christ’s return. There will be those alive at the beginning of the Millennium who never heard Christ’s gospel message (compare Isaiah 66:19). This is why Matthew 24:14 must be read together with Scriptures such as Mark 13:10 and Luke 24:47, stating that the gospel will be preached “among” all nations.

We read in Revelation 1:7 that “every eye” will see Christ when He returns–“even they who pierced Him.” But we know from other Scriptures that only those who are alive at the time of Christ’s return will see Him–in addition to those few (part of the firstfruits) who were alive at the time of Christ’s First Coming, originally consenting to His death, but who then came to repentance and died in the faith, and who will therefore be in the First Resurrection. The overwhelming majority of mankind will NOT see Him at the time of His return; yet, it says that “EVERY EYE” will see Him. What is meant in Revelation 1:7 is that all who are ALIVE at the time of His return will see Him–because we all are responsible for Christ’s death through our sins.

In Luke 17:26-29, Christ says that “all” were destroyed at the time of Noah, except for Noah; and that “all” were destroyed in Sodom, except for Lot. But other Scriptures tell us that Noah’s FAMILY was also spared, and so were Lot’s DAUGHTERS.

In Luke 6:30, Christ tells us that we are to give to EVERYONE who asks of us and wants to borrow from us. Again, this is not an all-inclusive command, as Paul says, for example, that we must work to make a living, and if we are unwilling to work, we should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). So, Christ was not telling us that we must give to just EVERYONE who wants to eat, even though he is unwilling to work.

In Philippians 2:20-21, Paul says about Timothy that he has no one “like-minded,” who sincerely cares for others, continuing that “ALL seek their own.” But surely, Paul did not mean all the other saints who were with him, because he writes in Philippians 4:21-22: “The brethren who are with me greet you. ALL the saints greet you.”

Finally, we read in 1 Timothy 4:1-5 that “EVERY creature of God” is good for food. Some use this passage to claim that we are therefore no longer obligated to refrain from eating UNCLEAN meat. However, we also read in Genesis 9:3 that “EVERY moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you ALL things, even as the green herbs.” It goes without saying that we must not eat POISONOUS green herbs–even though “all things” were given to us for food–and we therefore must not eat meat which was not created for food (Compare again 1 Timothy 4:4, stating that those who believe and know the truth of God’s Word, as revealed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, understand WHICH animals God has created FOR FOOD). We see, therefore, that these passages are not all-inclusive, but must be understood in context. For more information, please read our free booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound...”

In conclusion, we ALWAYS need to carefully review the context in light of ALL Scriptures relevant to a certain topic, in order to reach a correct understanding.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link