Dear Parents of Following Your Faith Students,

We just completed week 7 (only three Sunday’s left) and our lesson last Sunday’s was about baptism. We discussed what baptism is and why it is part of the Christian journey. Here is the working definition we used for class:

Baptism - the act of obedience to God that symbolizes the cleansing that takes place when our sins are forgiven. It declares newness of life through eternal salvation. In baptism the old is dead and buried, and a new life in Christ has begun.

Our key scripture for our discussion was Matthew 3:13-17. This is the story of Jesus’ baptism and is a very
important moment in scripture. The baptism of Jesus marks the official beginning of His ministry on earth. This is also one of the few instances in scripture where we see all three members of the Trinity present. Jesus has always been our example, and in this passage He tells John the Baptist Jesus’ baptism was necessary to fulfill all righteousness. Baptism is a step of faith and obedience in the life of every believer.

Questions to invite discussion:

  1. In baptism, we symbolically go down into the water and come back up a new creature in Christ. What does the water in baptism represent?
  2. Do we have to be baptized in a Church? What about a pond, river, lake, swimming pool, etc.?
  3. If Jesus said He needed to be baptized, do you think we should follow His example?

Remember, next Sunday is Easter and there will not be a class this week. We will be back in business the  following Sunday, April 23.

Thanks for your dedication to the spiritual development of your Child,

Perry Lundquist
Dan Beck
Doug Ashley