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Tag: Sacrament

Baptism 2: Blessing and Power of Baptism

November 29, 2012 /

This is part of an ongoing series on the Cornerstone Confirmation Curriculum we are developing at First Trinity Lutheran Church. (Main Confirmation Page)

Baptism Web Header 580

We are washed clean and connected to Jesus in Baptism, not by our own working, but through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.

The Blessing of Baptism

Read Galatians 3:26-27

  • Underline: For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
  • Write: I am in Jesus.

Read 1 Peter 3:21-22

  • Underline:baptism … now saves you … through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
  • Margin:Jesus saves

Read Luke 23:39-43

  • Underline:And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
  • Margin: Baptism not required to be saved

Baptism carries with it an amazing blessing: we are made into God’s special kids. When we are baptized, we are brought into God’s family through the power of Jesus. While we are still sinners, we are able to be in a relationship with God because we have “clothed ourselves with Christ” by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our baptism. Baptism really does bring the forgiveness of sins to our lives, namely the washing away of the original sin that we inherited from our parents and their parents, all the way back to Adam and Eve. While it is a tremendous blessing, those who have not been baptized but believe in Jesus can still be saved (the thief on the cross was saved despite never being baptized). However, whenever humanly possible, we should be baptized to receive all the blessings that come with it.

The Power of Baptism

Read Ephesians 5:26

  • Underline: having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.
  • Margin: Baptism works because of Word

Read Galatians 5:24

  • Underline: those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh
  • Margin: I am not a slave to sin

Read Romans 8:37-39

  • Underline: For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
  • Margin: I am forever connected to Jesus

Baptism washes us clean not because of the water, but because of God’s Word spoken and connected to the water. God’s Word brings life, and in the case of Baptism, uses water as an additional vehicle for that life. Baptism gives us the power to overcome in our life, no longer being a slave to sin, but alive in Christ. Prior to the Spirit entering our lives, we were powerless to stop sin. Now, we are connected to God’s divine power, allowing us to choose righteous living instead of sinful through the power of God’s Spirit within us. Baptism also connects us to God in a way that can never be severed. No matter what bad things come our way, we cannot be cut off from God because we are connected to Him in Christ Jesus.

Class Documents

Baptism 1: The Nature of Baptism

November 15, 2012 /

This is part of an ongoing series on the Cornerstone Confirmation Curriculum we are developing at First Trinity Lutheran Church. (Main Confirmation Page)

Baptism Web Header 580

Baptism washes away our “original” sin and makes us a child of God. God loves everyone, but only those marked through Baptism are considered His children.

What is a Sacrament

A Sacrament is a sacred act of God in the lives of His people. Sacraments meet three criteria:

  1. It is instituted by God. This means that God told us to do it in His Word.
  2. There is a physical element (in the case of Baptism: water) and God’s Word spoken over it.
  3. The act brings forgiveness of sins to the receiver.

Is Baptism a Sacrament?

Read Matthew 28:18-20

  • Underline: baptizing
  • Write: “water” in the margin, then connect “baptizing” to it with a line.

Read Acts 2:38

  • Underline: Repent and be baptized … for the forgiveness of your sins
  • Margin: Baptism brings forgiveness

As He was preparing to leave earth for heaven, Jesus gave one final command to His disciples: to baptize others in the name of the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). It is considered a Sacrament because Jesus told us to do it, and He tells us that it brings the forgiveness of sins to God’s people. Baptism is a one-time event in the life of a Christian. In it, God washes away our original sin and puts His Holy Spirit in our heart. In Baptism, we become His kid. While we continue to sin on a daily basis, we only need to be baptized once. We remember our baptism on a regular basis, however, through the process of confessing our sins and asking God for His forgiveness.

Who Should Be Baptized?

Read Matthew 28:19

  • Circle: all nations
  • Margin: “Everyone”, then connect it to “all nations”

Read Luke 18:15-17

  • Underline: Let the children come to me
  • Margin: Baptize babies

Read Genesis 17:3-14

  • Draw a box around verses 9-14
  • Margin: See Colossians 2:11-14

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17

  • Underline: In him also you were also circumcised
  • Circle: buried with him in baptism
  • Margin: Write “Old Covenant” and underline it. Write “New Covenant” and circle it.

Jesus told the disciples to baptize all nations, which would include children. He also specifics invite children to come to Him, which they are unable to do without the Holy Spirit. Perhaps most convincingly, children were brought into a special “Covenant” relationship with God through circumcision in the Old Testament. This circumcision pointed to a greater “Covenant” relationship that was coming, and this relationship would be marked by Baptism, not circumcision.

While the Bible does not explicitly state that children should be baptized, it also does not prohibit it. We know that all people are sinful (including children) and in need of forgiveness, that children are included in the “all nations”, and that they were able to receive the benefits of circumcision without being able to act or speak on their own at 8 days old. Therefore, because God is the one acting in Baptism and not us, we are confident that He is working on the hearts of children who are baptized before they are able to confess Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Confirmation is the process of standing up to “Confirm” that the promises spoken on their behalf as children are in fact their own as well.

Class Documents

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Cornerstone Recap: Baptism 1

November 7, 2008 /

We’re now on to the Baptism.  Here is the summary of our time together yesterday evening:

  • What is a Sacrament?
    • Instituted by God
    • Pairs God’s Word with a visible, physical element
    • Brings forgiveness of sins
  • Is Baptism a Sacrament?
    • Matthew 28:18-20 |  Jesus instituted Baptism when he charged His disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  These words from God plus the water show Baptism meets two of the requirements above.
    • Acts 2:38 |  Baptism brings forgiveness of sins to people.  Looks like it’s a sacrament!
  • Who should be baptized?
    • Matthew 28:19 |  Jesus tells us that all nations should be baptized, which we take to mean all people of all ages, not just people old enough to make a decision to follow Jesus.
    • Luke 18:15-17 |  Jesus had a love for babies and little children, and invited them to come to Him.
    • Genesis 17:3-14 |  God made a covenant with His people.  He would be their God for all time.  To participate in the covenant, all the males had to be circumcised.  For babies, it was done on the 8th day.  This was how you enjoyed the benefits of the Old Covenant.
    • Colossians 2:11-14 |  Paul relates the circumcision of the Old Covenant with Baptism in the New.  Baptism is greater than circumcision because all people were to be baptized, not just the Israelites and not just men.  Just as babies participated in the first covenant through circumcision, so too babies participate in this New Covenant through Baptism.

Here’s the audio from Baptism 1:

[Audio http://www.firsttrinity.com/cornerstone/audio/B01%20-%20Audio.mp3]

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