The Spider is a church member who asks questions. A preacher once compared people who disagree with him to a spider. This website uses the name.
Rebaptism means baptising a person again, when he or she was already baptised before.
The Trinity means God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christians are baptised “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Heresy means a teaching that goes against what the Church has always believed.
Blasphemy means speaking or acting against God, or treating God’s name as if it means nothing.
This page gives the Spider’s opinion. It does not name any preacher, church or person.
What happened?
At a baptism service, some adults were baptised again. They had already been baptised as babies. The preacher said that some people think, “I was already baptised. I don’t need it again.” He said that the people who came were “open to the Holy Spirit.”
The people who were baptised again did nothing wrong. They did what their pastor taught them. This page talks about the teaching, not the people.
This page asks: Is the Spider really “against baptism”? And can a person be baptised twice?
Six points
Babies, children and adults. Under the water, or water poured, or water sprinkled. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Baptising a person a second time.
The Bible says: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).
For about 1,700 years, the Church has said: do not baptise a person twice.
Baptising again says that God’s name, spoken over you, did nothing.
If you went away from God, come back. You do not need a new baptism.
What do the others believe?
Some Christians baptise only people who are old enough to believe. They think that baptising a baby is not a real baptism. So they do not think they are baptising anyone twice. They are sincere. They love God.
But the Spider asks: who makes a baptism real? God or the person? Baptism is done in God’s name. If a person must be old enough for it to count, then the person makes it real, not God.
Also: most Christians in history were baptised as babies. Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Wesley were all baptised as babies. If baby baptism is not real, then they were never baptised.
One baptism
… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all …
Ephesians 4:5–6 · World English Bible
In simple words: There is one God, and there is one baptism.
The Nicene Creed is a statement of faith from the year 381. Many churches say it every Sunday. It says: “We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.”
What did the Church say?
- About 256. A bishop in Africa called Cyprian baptised some people again. Stephen, the bishop of Rome, said no: do not start something new.
- 314. Church leaders met at Arles, in France. They said: if a person was baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, do not baptise him again.
- About 400. A great teacher called Augustine said: when a man baptises, it is really Christ who baptises.
- 1500s. Martin Luther, John Calvin, the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches all said: a person is baptised only once.
Not everyone agreed at first. But for about 1,700 years, the Church has said: a true baptism is never done again.
What does baptising again say about God?
… baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit …
Matthew 28:19 · World English Bible
In simple words: Jesus told his followers to baptise people in God’s name.
If we are faithless, he remains faithful; for he can’t deny himself.
2 Timothy 2:13 · World English Bible
In simple words: God keeps his promise, even when we do not.
Baptism is God’s work. It is done in God’s name. God keeps his promises. So if someone says, “Your first baptism did not count,” they are saying that God’s name did nothing. Martin Luther said that this is blasphemy. The Spider agrees.
Baptising again says that God’s name, spoken over you with water, did nothing.
Come home
… for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.
Luke 15:24 · World English Bible
In simple words: The father welcomed his son home. He was still his son.
Maybe you were baptised as a baby, and later you went away from God. You do not need a new baptism. Say sorry to God, and believe his promise. Peter said three times that he did not know Jesus. Jesus forgave him. Peter was not baptised again.
“My baptism was real. God meant it. I believe it now.”
What the Spider is not saying
- The Spider does not say that other Christians are not real Christians.
- The Spider does not blame people who were baptised again. They trusted their pastor. Teachers carry the bigger responsibility (James 3:1).
- In the past, some people who baptised again were killed. One man, Felix Manz, was drowned in Zurich in 1527. That was very wrong. We answer wrong teaching with words, not with punishment.
The Spider says: a baptism in God’s name is real, and it lasts for life. The other teaching says: a baptism can be thrown away and done again. Which one is against baptism? You decide.
Read it yourself
- Read Ephesians chapter 4, verses 1 to 6.
- Read Acts chapter 19, verses 1 to 7.
- If someone tells you to be baptised again, ask: “In whose name was I baptised the first time?”
Want more?
The quick version has the timeline of what the Church said. The full dossier has all the evidence.
Quick version → Full dossier →