Second baptism
I was born and raised WELS, but the question I have is regarding my nephew and godson who was baptized ELCA 20 years ago. He has been very involved in his campus ministry in college and has recently decided to be baptized again. As a WELS member, I understand that we believe in one baptism and faith in Jesus for salvation. What reasoning would this campus ministry be giving to this young adult to be baptized again, and is there spiritual damage they are causing by doing this? My nephew felt that his infant baptism was his parents choosing a faith for him as a child, and this baptism is his choosing the faith he would have for the remainder of his years. I'm just concerned that he is making this more about him and not what it is truly about, the power of the Holy Spirit in his life.
Since I do not know the campus ministry in question, I can only guess that it denies infant baptism.
Even though there is no specific command in the Bible to baptize infants, the Bible provides three compelling reasons for baptizing infants. 1) Children are part of “all nations” (Matthew 28:19), the object of the church’s “baptizing” and “teaching.” “Nations” are made up of people of all ages, including infants. If baptism were to be withheld from infants, this section of Scripture would have been the place for that instruction. 2) Because children are sinful by nature, they have a great need for the forgiveness of sins (Psalm 51:5; John 3:5-6). 3) We baptize children and infants because they can believe (Matthew 18:6; Luke 18:15-17; 2 Timothy 3:15). They can believe because God is the one who creates faith in people through the gospel (Hebrews 12:2; Romans 10:17). Faith is not a human decision. God is the one who creates faith, and he can do that in young and old alike. People of all ages are on the receiving end of the Holy Spirit’s converting power (Acts 2:39).
The spiritual harm of another baptism—as in the circumstances you described—is that the person’s action can amount to a rejection of what the Bible says about the power of God in infant baptism and a denial of who is responsible for the creation of Christian faith.
It would be good for you to explain to your nephew that he was not baptized into a Christian denomination. He was baptized into the Christian Church.
Your nephew can be thankful that, when he was an infant, his parents took the initiative and baptized him. Imagine the parents of a sick child saying to themselves, “Let’s wait until our child is older and see if he or she wants to go to the doctor and receive medical help.” What poor parenting that would be. Parents who love their children and know what they need do what is best for them. That is true whether we are talking about attending to the physical needs of their children or their spiritual needs.
Churches that deny baptism is a means of grace often turn baptism into a profession a faith on the part of the individual. If your nephew was confirmed in his Lutheran church, it was then that he made a public profession of faith.