give your views on baptism?

Question

If a child is baptized into a church is it necessary he is baptized again to become a 'born-again' christian

Answer 1

After a person is baptized it is not necessary to be baptized again to become born again. Born again means renewal or regeneration. Once a person is baptized he is a new creation.

The New Testament itself, while it does not explicitly say when (or whether) believers should have their children baptized, is not silent on the subject.
Luke 18, 15-16 tells us that "they were bringing even infants" to Jesus; and he himself related this to the kingdom of God: "Let the children come to me ... for to such belongs the kingdom of God."
When non-Catholics speak of "bringing someone to Jesus," they mean leading him to faith. The fact is, the Bible gives us no way of bringing anyone to Jesus apart from baptism.
Thus Peter declard, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children" (Acts 2,38-39).
The apostolic Church baptized whole "households" (Acts 16,33; 1 Corinthians 1,16) a term encompassing children and infants.
Baptism is the Christian equivalent of circumcision, or "the circumcision of Christ": "In him were you also circumcised... the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (Colossians 2,11-12). Thus, like circumcision, baptism can be given to children as well as adults. The difference is that circumcision was powerless to save (Galatians 5,6; 6,15), but "baptism now saves you" (1 Peter 3,21).
The first explicit evidence of children of believing households being baptized comes from the early Church--where infant baptism was unifromly upheld and regarded as apostolic.
Origen
"Every soul that is born into flesh is soiled by the filth of wickedness and sin....In the Church, baptism is given for the remission of sins, and, according to the usage of the Church, baptism is given even to infants. If there were nothing in infants which required the remission of sins and nothing in them pertinent to forgiveness, the grace of baptism would seem superflous" (Homilies on Levitivus 8:3[A.D. 248]).
The Church received from the apostles the tradition of giving baptism even to infants. The apostles, to whom were commited the secrets of the divine, knew there are in everyone innate stains of [original sin], which must be washed away through water and the spirit" (Commentaries on Romans 5:9 [A.D. 248]).

Peace and every blessing

Answer 2

We sure have a Baptist view of things going on in your responses! There is far too much evidence to go into here that supports infant (paedo) baptism rather than credo, or "believer's" baptism. But a child is not baptized into a church, he or she is baptized in a covenant between God and his people in the same way that circumcision was for God's people in the Old Testament. Nothing changed in this rite except in the administration of it. Those are my views on baptism, and these are not at all radical, new views of the sacrament. If you'd like to do some more research on the subject, you can find some good information at http://www.reformed.org/sacramentology/index.html.

Baptism need only happen once, as this is God's covenant, not man's. It is what Christians do for themselves and their households as God's people. Those that take this rite seriously will bring their children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Does baptism guarantee salvation? Of course not, but the household is sanctified when an entire family is "marked" for God's kingdom. So my opinion, no, when a child is baptized the mark stays with that person, no need to get another mark. One is enough.

Answer 3

The Bible is very clear about baptism. There are two points we all need to understand. (1) Baptism is to take place after a person has received Jesus Christ as Savior, trusting in Him alone for salvation. (2) Baptism is to be by immersion. The word baptize literally means to "immerse / submerge in water." Baptism by immersion is the only method of baptism that adequately illustrates what baptism symbolizes - believers dying, being buried with Christ, and being raised to newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).

With those two key points in mind, what about those who were baptized unbiblically? For the sake of clarification, let's divide this into two categories as well. First, in the instance of someone who was baptized before he/she became a Christian. Common examples of this are those who were baptized as infants, or those who were baptized later in life, but did not truly know Jesus as Savior when they were baptized. In these instances, yes, such a person definitely needs to be rebaptized. Again, the Bible states that baptism is post-salvation. The symbolism of baptism is lost if a person has not truly experienced salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

Second, in the instance of those who were baptized after faith in Christ, but in a method other than immersion. This issue is a little more difficult. It would seem to come down to the fact that such a person did not truly receive baptism. If the method was sprinkling or pouring - it does not fit the definition of baptism. Again, the word baptize means "to submerge in water." However, the Bible nowhere specifically addresses those who have been baptized unbiblically. This issue, then, is a matter of a believer's personal relationship with God. A believer who has been baptized unbiblical should ask the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5). If the believer's conscience is unsure, it would be best to go ahead and be rebaptized, Biblically, to put the conscience at ease (Romans 14:23).

Answer 4

The Catholic Church baptizes infants because Christ wills it. He must will it because He said, ``Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me.'' (Matt. 19:14). According to the Apostle Paul, one cannot truly come to Christ except through Baptism. (Rom. 6:3-4). Christ must will it because the Apostles baptized ``all the people'' (Luke 3:21 ) and whole households (Acts 16:15, 1 Cor. 1:16). Certainly ``all the people'' and whole ``households'' included infants. Christ must will it because He stated categorically that Baptism is a necessary prerequisite for salvation (John 3:5), and He certainly desires the salvation of infants. He must will it because the primitive Christian Church, which had fresh firsthand knowledge of His Will, baptized infants. In the ancient catacombs of Rome the inscriptions on the tombs of infants make mention of their having been baptized. One such inscription reads: ``Here rests Archillia, a newly-baptized; she was one year and five months old; died February 23rd.''

May God bless you

Answer 5

What does being baptized mean to a Child?
NOTHING.

Jesus was an adult when he was baptized:

"... Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water..." Matthew 3:16

Others were baptized after they believed:

"And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, BELIEVED on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing Believed, and were baptized." Acts 18:8

Answer 6

If you read the New Testament everyone who is baptized is done so in the following order. First they Believe, then they are baptized. Infant baptism isn't Scriptural because an infant cannot make a conscience decision for Salvation.

Answer 7

Baptism itself is not what saves you it is saying to the world you are a christian its a public profession of faith. That being said I think a child should not be baptized until after he accepts and believes in Christ for himself and understands what that means

Answer 8

Christ was not baptized as a child, but as a full adult, at a time when he could make a fully informed commitment to his Father, of which the baptism represents. A child cannot make that type of commitment.

Answer 9

There is no biblical basis for a child being baptized. Do not say it is necessary. That is a Roman Catholic doctrine. The catechism is not scripture. Everything must line up with the bible or must be thrown out.

Answer 10

The early Jews never baptised infants.
It requires a mature mind to make the decision to devote your life to God. Not opting out of the ratrace but always putting God first.
Jesus made this clear.
(John 17:15) “I request you, not to take them out of the world, but to watch over them because of the wicked one.

Anyone who isolates himself away from society would not be obeying this scripture.
It is possible to be in society, living alongside other people, but to NOT be involved in their practices, such as Nationalism, saluting flags, Etc.,