One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

Q

Your short comment on baptism gives me thought on the verse that speaks of “one baptism” and since I’ve had more than one water baptism, it bothered me on how to respond.
I now believe that my one baptism occurred when I first believed, and the Holy Spirit came into my heart, never to leave. Water should follow.

A

The phrase “one baptism” does not refer to the number of times a person is baptized. It refers to the meaning of our baptism. It comes from Ephes 4:5 and was given in the context of unity in the body of Christ. No matter where we come from or what our background is, the baptism we experienced carries the same meaning as every other Christian’s baptism.

A baptism is the public confirmation of a private decision to accept the Lord’s death on our behalf as payment in full for all our sins. The “baptism” many of us experienced as infants is really a christening or dedication and should not be thought of as a baptism because infants are not able to make such a decision.