If you haven’t been baptized and you can affirm Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you should take the important step to be baptized.      

         Baptism is important because Jesus told us to do it.  Make disciples of all nations, he said in Mathew 28:19, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  Baptism is an ordinance Jesus instituted, and for this reason it is a sacrament – “an outward sign by which the Lord seals on our consciences the promises of his good will towards us”, in John Calvin’s words. 

         Sacraments are given to us by Jesus to strengthen our faith.  They are received by faith for the strengthening of faith.  The other sacrament Jesus instituted, the Lord’s Supper, we observe monthly.

         Baptism, on the other hands, is normally observed only once.  Sometimes people wish to be baptized every time they have a renewal of faith; but the problem with doing so is it implies that you can lose your salvation – as if to say “my first baptism was invalidated by my bad behavior.”  Repeated baptisms also water down (sorry, bad pun) the meaning of baptism. It’s like the person who ends every sentence of a text with an exclamation point. 

         Hello!  How are you!  I was thinking of you!  I’d love to get coffee sometime!  That would be awesome!  Especially if we go to Ching’s bakery, they have great muffins!  Let’s do it! 

Rather than getting re-baptized, a better thing to do would be to share your testimony.  That will encourage both you and the church.

         Some churches baptize infants.  I understand the rationale; it’s a testimony to God’s grace toward us even before we believe in God.  And there are examples of entire households (including children) being baptized in the New Testament.  But normally, in the New Testament baptism is a public statement of an individual’s personal faith.  It’s her or his identification with Jesus.  As such it’s a wonderful and powerful event in one’s life.  It speaks volumes about who you intend to be and who you intend to follow.  It’s a watershed moment in your faith, one you look back on a decisive moment.