GRANDE IDEIA
If we follow Jesus, we need to get baptized.
LEITURA
Rom. 6:2–10; Col. 2:10–13
PENSAMENTOS
Did you know that every religious tradition has cleansing rites to purify and prepare people to approach God? In ancient Judaism, ritual cleansing was a part of everyday religious life. Temple worship required priests to use a ceremonial basin, and washing ceremonies were performed in advance of significant festivals (Exod. 30:17–21).
When we first open the New Testament, we see in Matthew 3 a man named John urging people to turn to God and start living right (v. 2). People are baptized to declare their intention to live in a pure way. Jesus participates in the Jewish symbol of purification (vv. 13–17). Yet as He begins to travel and teach, He changes the idea of this rite. Jesus’s message was that He would personally purify us if we placed our faith in Him. Baptism became a symbol of faith in Jesus, who makes us pure, rather than a symbol of something we were going to try to do for ourselves.
If you have decided to put your faith in Jesus, it’s time to be baptized (Mark 16:16). Jesus taught that baptism is the first step in following Him.
And He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Mark 16:15
BAPTISM IS AN OUTWARD DEMONSTRATION OF AN INWARD DECISION
The word “baptize” comes from the koine Greek word “baptizo.” It describes the change that happens as something is immersed in something else, such as dyeing clothes in water or pickling vegetables in vinegar.
Jesus’s message was that He would personally change us if we place our faith in Him. Baptism communicates that you have fully immersed yourself in Jesus and that you are being changed from the inside out.
BAPTISM IS IDENTIFICATION WITH JESUS
When you are baptized, you enter into Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:2–10; Col. 2:10–13). As you enter the waters, you identify with His death as you die to your old life. As you are submerged in water, you identify with His burial and show that sin no longer has power over you. As you come up out of the water, you identify with His resurrection and the authority Jesus gives you to live a new life.
Baptism is a powerful moment you will always remember (1 Pet. 3:21).
BAPTISM IS A CHOICE
While some parents practice infant baptism, Jesus spoke about a different kind of baptism. Jesus’s style of baptism was for willing people who had made the personal decision to follow Him. As we are baptized, we come to take the first step in demon- strating to God, ourselves, and the world that we have chosen to stop living on our terms and live surrendered to God.
You can read more in the following stories: Philip baptizing new converts (Acts 8:12), Philip baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:35–38), Saul being baptized (Acts 9:17–18), and the bap- tism of the jailor (Acts 16:30–33), the Jewish synagogue ruler (Acts 18:8), and the believers in Ephesus (Acts 19:4–6).
DISCUSSÃO
- Explain in your own words how baptism is an identification with Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection.
- Discuss with each other the moment you were baptized. If you haven’t been baptized, discuss what is holding you back.
PERGUNTAS E RESPOSTAS
CAN I GET BAPTIZED AT HOME?
Baptism was intended as a public sign of what God has done in one’s life. Baptism does not save us. Baptism can take place in any body of water where one makes a public declaration of faith. This can be at home, in a lake, or at church in front of your friends and family.
IF I HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED ALREADY, SHOULD I GET BAPTIZED AGAIN?
Some people who have already been baptized and then walked away from faith in Jesus like to get rebaptized as a sign of their recommitment to Him. While it’s not necessary to get rebaptized, there’s no rule against it. The key is to remember that baptism does not save you but reflects what God is doing in your life.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPRINKLING AND IMMERSION BAPTISM?
Different Christian traditions practice different methods of being baptized, whether it’s sprinkling, pouring, or full submersion. The earliest record suggests total immersion was the preferred method for the early church but allowed for pouring, where total immersion was not possible. In 1311, a church council held in Ravenna declared immersion, pouring, and sprinkling as all equally valid. Since then, some traditions have held to that position while other traditions do not .