Does My Baptism Still Count? A Covenant Answer

🕊 Article 15 – Why We Don’t Re-Baptize: Covenant, Memory, and Assurance

The Waters That Remember

Part IV – Discipleship, Discipline, and the Church

> “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

—Ephesians 4:5

---

There is a quiet fear in many hearts:

“What if it didn’t count?”

The Christian who strayed. The child baptized but now grown, wrestling with doubts. The parent watching their teen question everything. The adult converted young, unsure if their sincerity was enough.

In all these voices, a single cry echoes:

“Should I be baptized again?”

But the gospel answers with unwavering tenderness: No, beloved. Return—not to the water, but to the promise behind it.

1. One Baptism, Once for All

The Reformed confessions—and more importantly, Scripture—declare with clarity: baptism is not ours to redo.

It is not a badge earned through zeal or maturity.

It is not a symbol of our achievement.

It is God’s act. God’s mark. God’s covenant sign.

To be baptized—whether at the font in infancy or in youth with trembling hands—is to be named in Christ and enrolled in the visible church. It is not a ritual of arrival, but a signpost of adoption.

It cannot be undone. It must not be repeated.

> “There is one baptism, just as there is one Lord and one faith.”

(Ephesians 4:5)

We do not treat circumcision as something to be repeated when a child grows in understanding. Nor do we bury a believer twice.

Baptism is not a mirror of our strength—it is the seal of God’s Word.

2. What If I Don’t Remember?

Many baptized as infants or young children carry a sincere ache: “I want something I can remember.”

That desire is understandable—but memory is not the foundation of our faith.

God’s memory is.

His covenant does not rest on your recollection, but on His remembrance.

> “If we are faithless, He remains faithful—He cannot deny Himself.”

(2 Timothy 2:13)

The seal of baptism is not weakened by forgetfulness. It is not threatened by the fog of childhood or the shadows of rebellion.

Like a father holding a weathered birth certificate, the Lord does not misplace His promises. He calls the baptized to remember what He has never forgotten.

You don’t need another baptism. You need to be reminded of the one you already have.

3. Re-Baptism Undermines the Gospel

It may seem harmless—a simple gesture to mark a fresh start. But re-baptism carries serious theological weight.

It whispers a false gospel:

“That first promise wasn’t enough.”

“That sign didn’t stick.”

“You need to make it real this time.”

But this isn’t the way of grace.

Re-baptism makes assurance rest on you. On your memory. Your repentance. Your growth. Your feelings.

But true assurance is found in God’s unchanging Word, tied to a real, historical act.

You were baptized. Into Christ.

Not hypothetically. Not symbolically. Actually.

To re-baptize is to imply that the gospel’s first word wasn’t sufficient—when in truth, it is always God who speaks first, and always He who sustains the covenant.

4. Assurance Flows from the Word and Water Together

God never intended baptism to stand alone.

It is paired with the preaching of the Word, the nurture of the church, and the Spirit’s sanctifying work.

Those struggling with doubt or returning from a season of sin don’t need new water. They need renewed confidence.

They need to see the Word interpret the water, not let feelings define the faith.

> “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”

(Romans 6:3)

The cross was not repeated.

Nor should your baptism be.

Instead, draw near again to the gospel. Remember your baptism. Reclaim its meaning.

The sign still stands.

5. Pastors Should Shepherd, Not Re-Baptize

What then should the church do when a wounded sheep comes seeking to “start over”?

We should receive them.

Reassure them.

Call them back to grace.

But we should not re-baptize them.

To do so would not only deny the sufficiency of the first baptism—it would confuse the entire congregation.

What would we be teaching our children, our prodigals, our weary members—if we allowed them to treat God’s sign like a spiritual redo button?

Instead, pastors and elders should lead with clarity:

Your baptism counted—not because you remembered it, but because God did.

---

✨ Covenant Memory Still Stands

You may not remember the day the waters touched your forehead.

But heaven does.

You may look at your life and see seasons of drought, failure, or even rebellion.

But your baptism was not a testimony to your perfect record—it was a mark of grace.

The same God who called you in mercy calls you still.

Return. Remember.

Not to be re-marked, but to rejoice in the mark you never lost.

> “What God seals once, He does not revoke—He renews.”

---

💬 Final Words of Comfort

To the doubting:

You are not alone. The sign of your baptism still speaks—cling to Christ.

To the struggling parent:

Do not despair if your child falters. The covenant does not forget them.

To the church:

Guard the sign. Teach the saints to see their baptism not as a forgotten moment, but as a daily call to Christ.

---

This concludes Part IV – Discipleship, Discipline, and the Church.

In the next section, we turn toward the life of the visible church—her unity, her mission, and her future.

Let the waters still speak.

Let the promise still hold.

Let the church still remember.