{"id":31173,"date":"2012-01-03T09:44:00","date_gmt":"2012-01-03T15:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=31173"},"modified":"2021-01-25T09:48:32","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T15:48:32","slug":"should-a-person-be-baptized-again-if-he-was-baptized-for-the-wrong-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-a-person-be-baptized-again-if-he-was-baptized-for-the-wrong-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"Should a person be baptized again if he was baptized for the wrong purpose?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

Good day sir.<\/p>\n

Well done on your website. I just finished reading the “Baptism: Necessary for Salvation<\/a>” posting. and quickly browsed your other links.<\/p>\n

I was encouraged by your website and the fact that you used scripture to back up what you were stating when it came to salvation. I also appreciated when you touched upon other beliefs proving they are not correct because the Bible doesn’t say so. It’s just a shame that rarely people turn to the Book, especially when it comes down to salvation. It reminds me of the scripture in II Timothy 4:3.<\/p>\n

Before going onto your web site, I was trying to reach out to some “believers.” I believe they were from “the once saved, always saved” denomination. Their pastor, being a lot older than me and a gentleman with a title and degree, tried telling me it’s by faith and faith only. So I questioned his thoughts on the whole book of James — Faith + Works. So then he flipped to Galatians 3:24 and read up to Galatians 3:26, saying “see believing” is what they all said. I encouraged them to read the next verse. After doing so they tried to defend their belief. It turned out to be a huge headache.<\/p>\n

I do have a question though. Let’s say someone was to get baptized. However, prior to baptism in their own state of mind, they believe they were already saved and baptism is just “an outward sign for an inward grace.” Now obviously there is no scripture to back that up. Would that person still be accepted by God? Or would they need to get baptized again but this time for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the Holy Spirit? My apologies. I don’t mean to put you in God’s position with this question, but I was just wondering if you could use scripture to back up your answer.<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

When teaching a person, it is important to cover what is the purpose of baptism. In that discussion, the fact that baptism is for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) and that it washes away sins (Acts 22:16) will come up. Is it possible for someone to hide the fact that they disagree with those teaching him? The answer is clearly yes, but since people cannot know the hearts of others (I Corinthians 2:11), that is a matter which God must judge.<\/p>\n

If a person later in life comes to realize that he was baptized for the wrong reasons, then he ought to be baptized for the right reasons. An example of this is Acts 19 where Paul came across men who were baptized in John’s baptism but not Christ’s. See What authority is there for re-baptism?<\/a>\u00a0for more details.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: Good day sir. Well done on your website. I just finished reading the “Baptism: Necessary for Salvation” posting. and quickly browsed your other links. I was encouraged by your website and the fact that you used scripture to back up what you were stating when it came to salvation. I also appreciated when you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[248],"class_list":["post-31173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-baptized-again"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":93426,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-faith-cause-salvation\/","url_meta":{"origin":31173,"position":0},"title":"Does faith cause salvation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear Mr. Hamilton, Thank you for sharing the article \"What Saves a Person.\" I've read it carefully and wanted to follow up with a sincere question. I noticed the article lists many things Scripture associates with salvation - God, Christ, grace, faith, repentance, baptism, obedience, etc. - and then\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8987,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-have-to-know-that-baptism-is-for-the-remission-of-sins-in-order-to-be-forgiven\/","url_meta":{"origin":31173,"position":1},"title":"Do you have to know that baptism is for the remission of sins in order to be forgiven?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 12, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The question I pose is, \"Does one have to have the knowledge that baptism is for the remission of sins, for such to occur?\" I understand that if one is taught by one who knows the truth, this would not even be a question. However, I can not logically\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31442,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-a-person-from-a-baptist-background-need-to-be-baptized-again-if-he-believes-he-has-done-everything-god-asks-of-him-correctly\/","url_meta":{"origin":31173,"position":2},"title":"Does a person from a Baptist background need to be baptized again if he believes he has done everything God asks of him correctly?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question about baptism. My husband and I are setting up to teach a man who has been visiting the church where we attend for going on two years now. His background is Baptist and when I asked him was he baptized for the remission of sins\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87864,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-resist-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":31173,"position":3},"title":"Why Resist Baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Marvin Rickett Nearly all denominations resist the Bible's doctrine of baptism in one manner or another. Some resist it by saying it is not essential to salvation. One can be saved without ever being baptized. Others resist it by teaching that one is saved before one is baptized. He\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10976,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-saves-us-from-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":31173,"position":4},"title":"What Saves Us from Sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 28, July 11, 2008 We are not saved by one thing to the exclusion of all others, for there are many factors that work out our salvation. Rather than focus on just one passage that speaks of our being saved, we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/saved.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":95205,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-cornelius-and-his-household-saved-before-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":31173,"position":5},"title":"Were Cornelius and his household saved before baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I've been studying the Holy Spirit and have been reading some of the articles on your website. I'm a little confused. The article says that it's obvious that the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:38 is salvation. 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