If it is a spiritual thing for Christians who belong to 'reformed' churches to be baptised again as adult believers, the obvious conclusion is that they become much better Christians as a result of having passed through the "waters of baptism." This is a great and practical and observable test of their 'obedience' to God, as they see it and as the pretext for being re-baptised. Those who have done this must assess their spiritual experience and live by this. Are they more spiritual Christians now as a result of being re-baptised as adult believers than before? Are they more obedient to Christ now than they were before? Are they better church members now than they were before? Are they easier to live for now than before? Are they less self-centred now than before? Is Christ seen more in their lives now than before? Are they dying more to sin and living more to Christ and to righteousness than before?
Let a man examine himself - and women too.
"the obvious conclusion is that they become much better Christians as a result of having passed through the "waters of baptism."
ReplyDeleteBut this question and those that follow are in reality, straw men and meaning less. Do such believers actually claim any such thing as being "more spiritual? To whom is such a claim "obvious".
The anabaptists practiced believer's baptism because they knew that it was an act of obedience to the many commands in the Gospel - "believe and be baptised". As we know this was grounded on the invalidity of infant baptism for which there is no Scriptural warrant, and so they believed and practiced its opposite, namely believer's baptism.
It has nothing at all to do with subsequent issues of "spirituality"