Questions From Readers

● Because of information presented in the July 1, 1956, Watchtower on baptism, a number of persons have asked about the advisability of being baptized again. They say that their understanding of the matter is better now than when they were immersed. Also, some were told years ago that their immersion in water by one of Christendom’s religious systems was sufficient to symbolize their dedication if they understood at the time that they were dedicating themselves to do Jehovah’s will, but now this article (page 406, paragraph 14) says that baptisms in Christendom’s religious systems today are not valid and that these individuals should be baptized again by Jehovah’s theocratic organization. They ask if they should now be baptized again, and if so, what date for their time of dedication should be shown on their Publisher’s Record card? Should it be this latest baptism date, even though the person has been in the truth and actively witnessing for ten or twenty years or more?

On the question of persons who were once baptized by Jehovah’s witnesses and who get to feeling the need of being baptized again in view of the article referred to above, the thought is raised, Did those who heard the baptism talk when they were immersed understand it? Did they understand that water immersion symbolized a dedication they were to have made already in their hearts, a vow or decision already made before God to do his will? Were not the questions specific that were propounded to them at the time of their baptism? Did not the talk and these questions point up with clarity and force the requirements? If the baptism talk stated the case plainly and the questions put to the candidates were plainly and unmistakably worded, why should the one who then said Yes to the questions now say he did not know or understand what he was doing?

All of us have doubtless grown in an appreciation of dedication since we symbolized it by water immersion. Certainly we did not appreciate it fully when we made it, or as fully as we do now. But this does not mean we should be rebaptized. This Watchtower article has not said anything more than or different from what previous articles on the subject have said, except the point of one’s having been baptized in Christendom’s religious denominations not being viewed as sufficient today, since A.D. 1918, when Jehovah God accompanied by his Messenger of the Covenant came to the temple and cast off Christendom.

So it is up to these uncertain persons to ascertain when they knowingly dedicated themselves to God, which dedication they can now distinctly remember with a satisfied conscience, and if it has been since they were baptized years ago, then they should be baptized again in symbol of their real dedication and that date should be the one used on their Publisher’s Record card.

Once a person has been baptized with understanding in token of his dedication there is no need or propriety for him to be rebaptized, even if for a time he falls away or becomes inactive, any more than a member of Christ’s body needs to be re-anointed. His baptism once performed stands forever as a testimony of his dedication to Jehovah and as an irremovable sign of his obligations toward God.

As to the baptism or total immersion of persons while members of Christendom’s religious organization and before becoming associated with Jehovah’s witnesses: In 1918, because of their conduct, the religious denominations of Christendom were definitely cast off by the judgment of Jehovah through His Messenger at His temple. Prior to that many connected with such denominations conscientiously studied their Bibles and came to discern that they must surrender or dedicate or “consecrate” themselves to God through Christ to be God’s and to do his will henceforth, trusting in His help by His holy spirit. They correctly saw that water baptism by complete submersion was the proper thing to have done to represent this surrender of themselves to God through Christ. So they had the clergyman or the authorized official in the religious denomination immerse them, doing so in the formula “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost [or, Spirit],” and they trusted in the operation of God’s spirit as described in the Scriptures, which they had read and were familiar with.

Let it be noted that such individuals made a real dedication of themselves to God through Christ and prayed for His holy spirit and they felt themselves bound by it ever after. They did not make this dedication through the clergyman or other official who baptized them. This is corroborated by the fact that after they came to know the truths as presented by Jehovah’s witnesses they saw their obligation, not to rededicate themselves to God, but to “come out of her” or come out of antitypical Babylon, and so they severed their connections with the religious denominations and became witnesses of Jehovah and continued on doing His will with better knowledge and clearer understanding. They were not rebaptized, but persisted in fulfilling their previous dedication and Jehovah manifested his acceptance of them by using them in his service and by displaying through them the operation of his spirit, while at the same time they brought forth the fruitage of His spirit. This indicates that the essential thing to validate a dedication is, not what the baptizer (be he a clergyman or otherwise) understands or thinks, but what the immersed one thinks, understands and does. The dedication was correct and the water symbol was correct and God indicated his acceptance, putting his spirit upon the immersed one. Why, then, should there be a rebaptism after one has left antitypical Babylon in fulfillment of his dedication and has become one of Jehovah’s witnesses?

Note specifically what the afore-mentioned paragraph 14, page 406, of The Watchtower says: “Often the question is asked whether one baptized previously in a ceremony performed by some other religious group should again be baptized when coming to an accurate knowledge of the truth and making a dedication to Jehovah.” Note those last six words: “And making a dedication to Jehovah.” That is, making a dedication after receiving the truths presented by Jehovah’s witnesses and after leaving antitypical Babylon. This means that such person had not symbolized a dedication of himself to God when baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost [or, Spirit]” by an official of the religious denomination but had merely become a member of that denomination. Hence that person saw the need of making a dedication and symbolizing it after associating with Jehovah’s witnesses. Such a person properly gets rebaptized. In agreement with this, the twelve men who were rebaptized in Acts 19:1-7 had been baptized in the name of the Father but not in the name of Jesus nor in the name of the holy spirit, about which they had not heard, so that their previous total immersion was not in the name of all the factors involved, which was why they could not receive the holy spirit before Paul had them rebaptized.

Hence now when the call to come out of Babylon is being clearly sounded out, if anyone has heard of this call and yet remains in a religious part of antitypical Babylon and gets immersed in such a religious part, his immersion would not count. His decision could not have been a dedication to do God’s will, because, to quote paragraph 14, “the individual would have separated himself from such God-dishonoring Babylonish systems even before letting them baptize him.” Such an individual could only make an acceptable dedication after he ‘came out of Babylon’ and this dedication he would have to symbolize by a rebaptism in water, being totally submerged. The rebaptism date of such one is the date that should be shown on his Publisher’s Record card in the congregation with which he associates. The date of dedication is never shown, but is understood to have preceded the moment of baptism.

If a person attends a baptism feature but does not sit among the baptismal candidates and does not vocally answer the questions but afterward decides to be baptized in symbol of dedication and so joins in the procession of candidates and actually gets baptized on the same basis as they do, that person obligates himself to Jehovah God through Christ. His symbolized dedication must stand as an everlasting engagement on his part and he must consider himself bound by it in God’s sight. God read his heart and saw what he did and therefore holds him to his public profession of dedication. However, in future, it would be better for a person like this to do the following before submitting to baptism: go to the baptism speaker whose speech this person has heard and then have him ask this person the two questions privately for affirmative answers.