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Lesson 6: Baptism
Everyone knows that water cleanses. When our hands are dirty, we wash them. When our clothes get dirty, we wash them. When the windows are dirty, we rinse them off. In the summer, we even rinse off the sidewalks in front of stores to keep the dust down. What about spiritual uncleanness? Is water effective against it? Does a simple bath cleanse us from our unrighteousness? Can the water really penetrate our skin and clean that which is dirty on the inside, namely our hearts and minds?
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
When Mehmet had awoken the next morning after his wife had confronted him about his new faith, he reflected on his prayer the previous night. Impressed with the work and community of the early apostles, he had asked God to give him the Holy Spirit. But something was troubling him. He wondered if he was actually ready to receive such a gift.
He was also intrigued by a verse that he had read while studying. It was in the very last chapter of Matthew. After breakfast, he sat down at his desk and picked up his Bible. He opened it to the New Testament book of Matthew and turned the pages until he came to chapter 28. At the end of that chapter, he once again read Jesus’ final instructions to the disciples. (Read Matthew 28:18-20).
“What does this mean?” he asked himself. He read the verses again. Now he remembered why the verses had stood out. It had mentioned the Holy Spirit. But there were three other words that caught his attention: raise up students and baptize. As a teacher, he understood well the concept of raising up students. Just reading the words conjured up good feelings of the past. He saw the faces and remembered the names of those students he had tutored and stayed after school with, not to mention the ones who visited him after graduating. There were even a handful that he had invested so much time with that he considered them his own children.
Then he looked at the word baptize. What did it mean? He turned on his computer and searched the internet. Little did he know that the simple act of reading those three verses over and over would not only turn into a Bible study, it would change his life. In fact, it was a change the whole study group would experience because he had been chosen to share at one of the meetings.
On Tuesday evening, Mehmet got his notes together and walked downstairs to Fatma’s house. When everyone was seated and comfortable, they prayed. After saying amen, Mehmet cleared his throat and began to speak. (To be Continued)
Before Jesus started his ministry, there was a man named John the Baptist who stood on the banks of the Jordan River. His message was clear and to the point, repent, be baptized, and get ready for the appearing of our Lord. Over and over, people from near and far came to that river, waded into its cool waters, repented of their sins, and asked God to forgive them. It was only after confessing their sins, that John would then baptize them.
Q1. What two things were necessary for baptism? Read Acts 19:4.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Why was baptism necessary at that time? Is it still necessary today? How and why should a believer in Jesus Christ be baptized? What does it mean? Let’s start answering these questions according to the Holy Bible.
Q2. Who will be saved? Read Mark 16:15, 16.
A.______________________________________________________________________
After the resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples and told them to proclaim the good news. The message was simple; those who believed and were baptized would be saved.
Q3. What must the person believe? Read Acts 16:31.
A.______________________________________________________________________
We are to believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that what He said about His identity, purpose, and position are true. We believe that He fulfilled all the requirements of God’s law by living a perfect life, that He paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross and experiencing separation from God (the eternal penalty for breaking God’s law), that He conquered death by rising from the dead, and that He is alive in heaven right now.
In John chapter 3, we can read the account of Jesus’ conversation with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Jesus was making a very important point about salvation. Let’s read part of their conversation.
Q4. What must happen if we want to enter heaven? Read John 3:1-6.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q5. By what means are we born again?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Jesus told Nicodemus that a person must be born again before he can enter heaven. Moreover, He said that this new birth involves both water and spirit. We will explore the role of the Holy Spirit in our new birth in a later lesson. For now, let’s explore further the meaning of baptism, rebirth from water.
Q6. What are the two steps towards baptism? Read Matthew 3:1-6.
A.______________________________________________________________________
The first step towards baptism is repentance and the second is confession. We must come before God in humility and admit that our sins make us unclean and unable to be in His presence. In short, we ask for forgiveness.
Q7. Is baptism only for those who can’t trace their family or religious lineage back to Abraham? Read Luke 3:7, 8.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Some people think that because they are descended from Abraham through Isaac or Ishmael, that they don’t need to be baptized. But John clearly said that isn’t the case. We can’t rely on religious traditions, ancestral lineage, or our own works to get into heaven because none of them can eliminate even one sin that we commit. If we really want to be born again as a child of God, we must repent, confess our sins, and be baptized. In the book of Acts, Peter gave the same message to a crowd of people consisting of many different nationalities.
Q8. Who is God’s promise of salvation for? Read Acts 2:36-39.
A.______________________________________________________________________
The promise of salvation is for all those who believe and are baptized in Jesus’ name. It doesn’t matter what country you come from, what religion you grew up in, what your last name is, or your ethnicity. You can have the surety of salvation by believing in and following Jesus Christ. Outside of confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness, is there something we must do before we are baptized? Let’s see how Jesus answered this question when speaking to His disciples.
Q9. What did Jesus tell the disciples to do? Read Matthew 28:18-20.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Jesus told the disciples to raise up a body of believers by teaching and baptizing them.
Q10. According to the text, what must we do to be a follower of Jesus?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Our responsibility, before we can go into the world to teach others, is to learn. We must understand what Jesus taught so that we can make an informed decision to follow Him. After we learn and accept Him as our Savior, we can be baptized into the family of believers and then go out to teach others. Every person who is baptized into the family is baptized the same way, by full submersion in a body of water.
Q11. Who led Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch? Read Acts 8:26-38.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q12. What book was the eunuch reading?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q13. After the eunuch learned that Jesus was the sacrifice for humanity’s sin, what did he want to do?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q14. Where was the eunuch baptized?
A.______________________________________________________________________
In this intriguing passage, we see the entire formula for baptism. Philip meets an Ethiopian man who wants to learn more about God’s plan of salvation. The man learns the truth, believes, and is baptized. The Bible says that Philip and the Ethiopian went into and came out of the water. In other words, baptism involves being in the water. You aren’t sprinkled or splashed with water, you are submerged.
Q15. So what happens when we are baptized? What does it mean spiritually? Read Galatians 3:26-29.
A.______________________________________________________________________
When we are baptized we put on Christ and become sons of God. We don’t look at other believers primarily as Turk, Greek, American, German, Kurd, or Syrian. That is secondary. First we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are children of God. What does it mean to put on Christ?
Let’s illustrate it by using a book. Putting on Christ is like adding a page to a book. The book, Jesus, envelops the single page, us. Just as each page becomes part of the book, each believer becomes part of something greater than himself, a redeemed mankind. Moreover, we all share the same experience.
While commenting on the truth that our sins are forgiven by the grace of God through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, Paul reminded the Roman believers that we all share in the same baptismal experience. He took a deep, spiritual look at what each step of baptism actually means. Let’s go to Romans chapter 6 to read it.
Q16. When we are baptized, we are baptized into Jesus’ ___________________. Read Romans 6:3.
Baptism by submersion is likened to death and resurrection. When we enter the water, we are going into the grave. When we come out of the water, we are arising from the dead into a new life. Read Romans 6:4, 5.
Q17. What happens so that we no longer live as a slave to sin? Read Romans 6:6, 7.
A.______________________________________________________________________
When we are baptized, our old, sinful, selfish lives no longer control us. We symbolically leave them buried in the water and come out of the water free from sin’s power and condemnation. In short, we are reborn into a life free from the bondage of sin. Read Romans 6:8-11.
In a letter to the Corinthians, Paul declared the magnificent truth that anyone who is in Christ is a new creature. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17.
So what does God want us to do with this new life? What is the focus of the baptized, reborn believer?
Q18. When we are baptized, who are we dedicating our lives to? Read Romans 6:12, 13.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q19. What does God start using us as?
A.______________________________________________________________________
When we are baptized, we are dedicating our lives to God. We become tools of righteousness in His hands to be used to bring salvation to others. We are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to God. Read Romans 6:17-22.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16) (Continued)
“Mehmet, that study was fantastic! We looked at verses all over the place, and yet it made so much sense,” Fatma exclaimed.
“Yeah, that was amazing. I always wondered what Jesus meant when he said that we need to be reborn,” Mert said.
“Well, as much as I would like to take credit for it, I can’t. I know that, at least in part, God answered my prayer. The study we just did was inspired by the Holy Spirit. But I can say this, reading all those verses and discovering how they support one another and are linked together was the most fulfilling thing I have ever done. Every verse I read was like a clue leading into another clue, eventually revealing a hidden treasure. I just wish I could have known this years ago! Let’s close our study with another prayer.”
Some people don’t like to think of themselves as slaves. But according to the Bible, we are all slaves. We are slaves to sin or God. There is no middle ground or neutral side. If you don’t choose to be on God’s side, you will by default be on Satan’s side. Baptism is a sign that you have chosen to be on God’s side in the Great Controversy, that you believe in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for your sins, that you have put to death the selfishness and sin that once controlled your life, that you have risen to a new life in Jesus Christ, and that you are no longer the person you used to be. You are a new creature with a new purpose!
Q20. Do you want to keep learning in preparation for baptism and a new life?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Call to commitment through prayer.
For further study read:
Acts 22:16; 19:1-5.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
When Mehmet had awoken the next morning after his wife had confronted him about his new faith, he reflected on his prayer the previous night. Impressed with the work and community of the early apostles, he had asked God to give him the Holy Spirit. But something was troubling him. He wondered if he was actually ready to receive such a gift.
He was also intrigued by a verse that he had read while studying. It was in the very last chapter of Matthew. After breakfast, he sat down at his desk and picked up his Bible. He opened it to the New Testament book of Matthew and turned the pages until he came to chapter 28. At the end of that chapter, he once again read Jesus’ final instructions to the disciples. (Read Matthew 28:18-20).
“What does this mean?” he asked himself. He read the verses again. Now he remembered why the verses had stood out. It had mentioned the Holy Spirit. But there were three other words that caught his attention: raise up students and baptize. As a teacher, he understood well the concept of raising up students. Just reading the words conjured up good feelings of the past. He saw the faces and remembered the names of those students he had tutored and stayed after school with, not to mention the ones who visited him after graduating. There were even a handful that he had invested so much time with that he considered them his own children.
Then he looked at the word baptize. What did it mean? He turned on his computer and searched the internet. Little did he know that the simple act of reading those three verses over and over would not only turn into a Bible study, it would change his life. In fact, it was a change the whole study group would experience because he had been chosen to share at one of the meetings.
On Tuesday evening, Mehmet got his notes together and walked downstairs to Fatma’s house. When everyone was seated and comfortable, they prayed. After saying amen, Mehmet cleared his throat and began to speak. (To be Continued)
Before Jesus started his ministry, there was a man named John the Baptist who stood on the banks of the Jordan River. His message was clear and to the point, repent, be baptized, and get ready for the appearing of our Lord. Over and over, people from near and far came to that river, waded into its cool waters, repented of their sins, and asked God to forgive them. It was only after confessing their sins, that John would then baptize them.
Q1. What two things were necessary for baptism? Read Acts 19:4.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Why was baptism necessary at that time? Is it still necessary today? How and why should a believer in Jesus Christ be baptized? What does it mean? Let’s start answering these questions according to the Holy Bible.
Q2. Who will be saved? Read Mark 16:15, 16.
A.______________________________________________________________________
After the resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples and told them to proclaim the good news. The message was simple; those who believed and were baptized would be saved.
Q3. What must the person believe? Read Acts 16:31.
A.______________________________________________________________________
We are to believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that what He said about His identity, purpose, and position are true. We believe that He fulfilled all the requirements of God’s law by living a perfect life, that He paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross and experiencing separation from God (the eternal penalty for breaking God’s law), that He conquered death by rising from the dead, and that He is alive in heaven right now.
In John chapter 3, we can read the account of Jesus’ conversation with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Jesus was making a very important point about salvation. Let’s read part of their conversation.
Q4. What must happen if we want to enter heaven? Read John 3:1-6.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q5. By what means are we born again?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Jesus told Nicodemus that a person must be born again before he can enter heaven. Moreover, He said that this new birth involves both water and spirit. We will explore the role of the Holy Spirit in our new birth in a later lesson. For now, let’s explore further the meaning of baptism, rebirth from water.
Q6. What are the two steps towards baptism? Read Matthew 3:1-6.
A.______________________________________________________________________
The first step towards baptism is repentance and the second is confession. We must come before God in humility and admit that our sins make us unclean and unable to be in His presence. In short, we ask for forgiveness.
Q7. Is baptism only for those who can’t trace their family or religious lineage back to Abraham? Read Luke 3:7, 8.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Some people think that because they are descended from Abraham through Isaac or Ishmael, that they don’t need to be baptized. But John clearly said that isn’t the case. We can’t rely on religious traditions, ancestral lineage, or our own works to get into heaven because none of them can eliminate even one sin that we commit. If we really want to be born again as a child of God, we must repent, confess our sins, and be baptized. In the book of Acts, Peter gave the same message to a crowd of people consisting of many different nationalities.
Q8. Who is God’s promise of salvation for? Read Acts 2:36-39.
A.______________________________________________________________________
The promise of salvation is for all those who believe and are baptized in Jesus’ name. It doesn’t matter what country you come from, what religion you grew up in, what your last name is, or your ethnicity. You can have the surety of salvation by believing in and following Jesus Christ. Outside of confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness, is there something we must do before we are baptized? Let’s see how Jesus answered this question when speaking to His disciples.
Q9. What did Jesus tell the disciples to do? Read Matthew 28:18-20.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Jesus told the disciples to raise up a body of believers by teaching and baptizing them.
Q10. According to the text, what must we do to be a follower of Jesus?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Our responsibility, before we can go into the world to teach others, is to learn. We must understand what Jesus taught so that we can make an informed decision to follow Him. After we learn and accept Him as our Savior, we can be baptized into the family of believers and then go out to teach others. Every person who is baptized into the family is baptized the same way, by full submersion in a body of water.
Q11. Who led Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch? Read Acts 8:26-38.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q12. What book was the eunuch reading?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q13. After the eunuch learned that Jesus was the sacrifice for humanity’s sin, what did he want to do?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q14. Where was the eunuch baptized?
A.______________________________________________________________________
In this intriguing passage, we see the entire formula for baptism. Philip meets an Ethiopian man who wants to learn more about God’s plan of salvation. The man learns the truth, believes, and is baptized. The Bible says that Philip and the Ethiopian went into and came out of the water. In other words, baptism involves being in the water. You aren’t sprinkled or splashed with water, you are submerged.
Q15. So what happens when we are baptized? What does it mean spiritually? Read Galatians 3:26-29.
A.______________________________________________________________________
When we are baptized we put on Christ and become sons of God. We don’t look at other believers primarily as Turk, Greek, American, German, Kurd, or Syrian. That is secondary. First we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are children of God. What does it mean to put on Christ?
Let’s illustrate it by using a book. Putting on Christ is like adding a page to a book. The book, Jesus, envelops the single page, us. Just as each page becomes part of the book, each believer becomes part of something greater than himself, a redeemed mankind. Moreover, we all share the same experience.
While commenting on the truth that our sins are forgiven by the grace of God through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, Paul reminded the Roman believers that we all share in the same baptismal experience. He took a deep, spiritual look at what each step of baptism actually means. Let’s go to Romans chapter 6 to read it.
Q16. When we are baptized, we are baptized into Jesus’ ___________________. Read Romans 6:3.
Baptism by submersion is likened to death and resurrection. When we enter the water, we are going into the grave. When we come out of the water, we are arising from the dead into a new life. Read Romans 6:4, 5.
Q17. What happens so that we no longer live as a slave to sin? Read Romans 6:6, 7.
A.______________________________________________________________________
When we are baptized, our old, sinful, selfish lives no longer control us. We symbolically leave them buried in the water and come out of the water free from sin’s power and condemnation. In short, we are reborn into a life free from the bondage of sin. Read Romans 6:8-11.
In a letter to the Corinthians, Paul declared the magnificent truth that anyone who is in Christ is a new creature. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17.
So what does God want us to do with this new life? What is the focus of the baptized, reborn believer?
Q18. When we are baptized, who are we dedicating our lives to? Read Romans 6:12, 13.
A.______________________________________________________________________
Q19. What does God start using us as?
A.______________________________________________________________________
When we are baptized, we are dedicating our lives to God. We become tools of righteousness in His hands to be used to bring salvation to others. We are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to God. Read Romans 6:17-22.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16) (Continued)
“Mehmet, that study was fantastic! We looked at verses all over the place, and yet it made so much sense,” Fatma exclaimed.
“Yeah, that was amazing. I always wondered what Jesus meant when he said that we need to be reborn,” Mert said.
“Well, as much as I would like to take credit for it, I can’t. I know that, at least in part, God answered my prayer. The study we just did was inspired by the Holy Spirit. But I can say this, reading all those verses and discovering how they support one another and are linked together was the most fulfilling thing I have ever done. Every verse I read was like a clue leading into another clue, eventually revealing a hidden treasure. I just wish I could have known this years ago! Let’s close our study with another prayer.”
Some people don’t like to think of themselves as slaves. But according to the Bible, we are all slaves. We are slaves to sin or God. There is no middle ground or neutral side. If you don’t choose to be on God’s side, you will by default be on Satan’s side. Baptism is a sign that you have chosen to be on God’s side in the Great Controversy, that you believe in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for your sins, that you have put to death the selfishness and sin that once controlled your life, that you have risen to a new life in Jesus Christ, and that you are no longer the person you used to be. You are a new creature with a new purpose!
Q20. Do you want to keep learning in preparation for baptism and a new life?
A.______________________________________________________________________
Call to commitment through prayer.
For further study read:
Acts 22:16; 19:1-5.