Do I Need to Be Baptized Again if My Beliefs Have Changed?
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Do I Need to Be Baptized Again if My Beliefs Have Changed?
God expects us to come to baptism with true, heart-felt sorrow for our sins—our offenses against His holy, righteous law. He requires us to repent of that sin and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). If we do this, He will grant forgiveness and the gift of His Holy Spirit.
If you were baptized in this manner and stayed true to your commitment to God, you should see good fruit in your life. Your biblical understanding should have increased since baptism. Your relationship with God through prayer and the study of His Word should have grown stronger. And you should have made good progress in overcoming your sins and carnal human nature.
If your baptism has produced such good fruit of God's Spirit, it is evident He has been working in your life. In such a case, even if your beliefs have changed, rebaptism may not be necessary. However, there is no absolute, one-size-fits-all answer to the question.
For instance, at the time of your baptism, you may have been keeping the seventh-day Sabbath as God commands. Then, after baptism, you may have come to realize more perfectly that the annual Sabbaths of God should also be observed. If the fruits of God’s Spirit are evident in your life, even with less-than-perfect understanding, your baptism may be valid.
To be assured this is indeed the case, it is a good idea to seek counsel from a minister of God. He can guide you in an examination of the fruits borne in your life since baptism. With his help, and with the convicting power of God’s Holy Spirit, you can come to a settled answer in your mind. Contact one our ministers listed here for counsel in your walk.