Why two baptisms are one too many.
Confessional Reformed/Presbyterian churches don’t rebaptize a Christian who comes from another church to join theirs. The Westminster Confession of Faith (28:7) says “the sacrament of baptism is but once to be administered to any person.” For example, if a person was baptized in a Roman Catholic, Methodist, Brethren, or Baptist church, he or she would not have to be baptized again to join a Reformed/Presbyterian church.
Why not?
Well, there are quite a few historical and biblical answers to the question. I don’t have the space here to discuss how the Reformers spoke against the Anabaptists who began rebaptizing Christians during and after the Reformation. You can read Luther’s 1528 treatise, “Concerning Rebaptism” for more information on this. The (short) historical answer to the above question (Why not?) is simply this: because we’re not Anabaptists!
At the heart of the biblical answer is the fact that baptism is primarily God’s
View original post 386 more words
The Misadventures of Captain Headknowledge 