What Does It Mean to Rededicate Your Life to Christ?

You’ve probably witnessed someone saying it in conversation or heard it mentioned during a church service. A person making the decision to rededicate their life to Jesus, even though you know that they already accepted Jesus into their heart and were baptized by water.

However, this could cause some people to be confused about what rededicating your life to Christ is, compared to accepting Him into your heart. Some might think it is getting baptized all over again, as though the person wasn’t truly saved and must accept Jesus again to be right in the eyes of God. Yet this is not what it means to rededicate our lives to Jesus.

Thankfully, responsible church congregations are not blindsided when people come forward saying they want to be in right relationship with God again. We can help those individuals take important steps to rebuild their relationship with the Lord. There are also steps we can personally take each day to reconfirm Jesus in our hearts for all to see.

So, let’s dive into what it means to rededicate our lives, why people may feel the need to make this decision to improve their Christian walk, and the changes that will come if God prompts you to unite with Him again.

What Does It Mean to Rededicate Your Life?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes rededication as “to dedicate (someone or something) again or anew: such as: to commit (oneself, one’s life, etc.) anew to a cause, enterprise, or activity.”

In short, to rededicate is to reconfirm or commit your life again to something you devoted your life to before. But maybe you have wandered away from it due to outside influences or even your own personal journey.

When someone who doesn’t know Christ wishes to invite Him into their heart and change their life, this is considered being saved through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and being united with God in a relationship. This reunion is necessary because we are all born into sin because of Adam and Eve disobeying God in the Garden of Eden. We are reunited with God when we accept that Jesus came to earth, died, and was resurrected, taking the punishment for our sin on Himself.

Once you have accepted Jesus into your heart and believe He has sacrificed for you, you become a new person of faith, living a life that is pleasing to God and helping those around you draw closer to Him also (Romans 12:1-2).

Related article: Are Christians Really "Once Saved, Always Saved"?

What May Lead Someone to a Rededication?

According to Compelling Truth, there are two common situations where a person might consider rededicating their lives. One is if the person accepted Jesus as a child but never really developed their faith as they became an adult and still may be living a life not mirroring their faith in God. The second situation is if a person accepted Jesus into their heart and may have even been active in their church but never understood deeply what it means for Jesus’s salvation for them.

These are common scenarios, especially if a person has changed denominations or faiths (such as Catholic to Methodist). In such a case, a person may have changed their understanding of what receiving salvation through Jesus means.

For many, the desire to rededicate one’s life to Christ can come from an event, such as a loved one’s death, the arrival of a child, or even a spiritual awakening to how one is leading their life in accordance with the teachings of the Bible. God could also speak to them of this need to rededicate their life through spiritual nudges, a discussion with someone strong in their faith, or by hearing a sermon or someone’s testimony.

Whatever way God speaks to you about rededicating your life to Him, you can be sure that desire will grow stronger the more you ponder it.

How Do You Go about Rededicating Your Life?

The best first step to take in rededicating your life is always to pray, asking God if this is a prompting from Him for rededication. Confirm that you come into agreement with Him that you have drifted from your path in Christ.

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Once you believe God has confirmed your inner inkling of rededication, you should then reach out to your church and discuss the next steps to take. One approach, which is probably for many congregations, is to confess that you have let sin come between you and Jesus and you want to return to Him with your whole heart.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

Next, the congregation may lead you in a rededication prayer, confirming that you have drifted from God but want to be reunited with Him to chart a new path ahead.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

From there, it is in your hands to take this new commitment seriously. How do you need to change the way you live? You may find that you are more interested in reading the Bible and seeing it come alive in your life and decisions, or you may feel a strong urge to become more involved in church as a way to live out your renewed faith. You could be the person who wants to set a godly example of living for their kids, or find peace and forgiveness that long seemed out of reach before.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

Remind Yourself

Rededicating your life to Christ isn’t something to be taken light, but a decision to really look at how you are living out your Christian witness and determining whether it is exemplifying God or yourself. It can be confusing to talk about rededication and make us wonder if someone wasn’t really saved in the first place.

But once you have accepted Jesus into your heart and been baptized to reflect this commitment to God, it is a part of you from now until you meet God in heaven. Rededicating your life is reminding yourself that you are a child of God and Jesus willingly died on the cross for you because you are worth it to Him.

So, whether you are thinking you need to rededicate your life, have started taking the steps of rededication, or are seeing amazing changes in your life since rededication, know that God is there every step of the way, reminding you that you are never alone.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Boonyachoat

Blair Parke is a freelance writer for BibleStudyTools.com and freelance book editor who wrote her first book, "Empty Hands Made Full," in 2021 about her journey through infertility with her husband. She previously worked for eight years with Xulon Press as an editor. A graduate of Stetson University with a bachelor's in communications, Blair previously worked as a writer/editor for several local magazines in the Central Florida area, including Celebration Independent and Lake Magazine and currently writes for the Southwest Orlando Bulletin. She's usually found with a book in her hand or enjoying quality time with her husband Jeremy and dog Molly. You can order her book at Christian Author Bookstore - Xulon Press Publishing and visit her website at Parkeplaceediting.