I went back into sin after my baptism. Does that mean my baptism was invalid?
Question:
Hello,
I just had a question. I was baptized at about 19 years old. I knew what I was doing, which was to live a different life, to be baptized and turn from my old self. I thought that when I came up from the water, I would be a new perfect person, and never sin again. But I was wrong, I ended up falling back to my old sinful ways, I didn't feel that I would be able to change overnight like that.
Now I feel bad, I repent every day of all the sins I fall into every day. I don't know if I need to be baptized again or not. I feel horrible about things I have done after baptism. I pray for forgiveness all the time, and it still seems that God is still with me.
I just wonder if my baptism was valid, or do I have to do it again. I really do love God and praying with Him and seeking Him. It's just that one thing that haunts me is my baptism.
Answer:
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (I John 1:8-10).
Becoming a Christian does not mean we are immune from sin. Sin is an ever-present battle. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world" (I Peter 5:8-9). This doesn't mean that a Christian constantly sins or even sins daily, but the possibility of sin is always lurking out there. When you are new to the faith, sin tends to happen more often because you are inexperienced in fighting it. Hopefully, as you get older it becomes less frequent, but it never goes away. "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12).
If there is one thing that stands out, it is that you thought you would be immune to sin, so you let your guard down. It is why Satan snagged you so readily. If you are continuing to repeat the same sins daily, then it is about time that you talk with an older trusted Christian about those sins and figure out what you are doing wrong. "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).
The presence of sin doesn't mean your baptism was invalid. Every Christian struggles with sin. You just have some work to do to get back on track.
