The Story of Baptism
See How God Washes Your Sins Away
PART 1 — THE KICKOFF
“What’s the story with baptism?”
If you grew up playing video games, it was common to play for a while, get frustrated that you weren’t making the progress you wanted, and hit the reset button. Just start over! And like the ignition switch on your car, the refresh button on your browser, or the power button on any other tech gadget, rebooting is a decisive action that gives us a clean start.
In real life, those game-changing “reboot” moments are rare, but even more important. Think how a life resets when you say, “I do,” or have your first child. Or maybe you’ve had an eye-opening experience or realization that changed the way you see things and reset how you make decisions. And as we’ll see, our most important reset comes in an act of rebirth, as we bury our old self and rise to new life.
What's a moment you'll always remember as a time your life changed or hit the reset button?
ICE BREAKER QUESTION
PART 2 — LET’S GET INTO IT
Let’s get into it and see how God washes your sins away. Simply put, Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). But when we talk about “baptism,” let’s define the term. In the Greek, the word means to wash, plunge, or to immerse. How does Jesus wash away our sins? When we’re plunged or immersed in the waters of baptism (Acts 2:38, 8:12, 22:16)!
John 3:16 might be the most famous Bible passage, but do you know who Jesus was talking to in that conversation? A Jewish ruler once came to visit Jesus in the cover of darkness, professing his belief that Jesus was “a teacher come from God” (John 3:2). And without beating around the bush, Christ said, “… Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). To say that NIcodemus was confused would be an understatement. But what do you think of when you hear that phrase, “Born again?” Most people today probably think about someone being pretty religious or maybe having a lot of Bible knowledge. So, why would he say that to Nicodemus, of all people? He was very religious. He knew the Scriptures. So, being “born again” has to mean something else, right?
Fortunately, we don’t have to guess, as Jesus went on to explain “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). To be born again has something to do with the water and something to do with the Spirit. They’re not two separate births. Peter urged, “Repent and be baptized … for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Before we get too deep, it might be helpful to check in. What’s your experience with baptism, whether your own or someone else's? What's your take on its purpose and meaning?
REACH OUT QUESTION
From our previous conversation, we saw that repentance is us “dying” to our old life. What’s next? Burial! We don’t bury people who are alive — hopefully not! — but we bury those who have died. In the same way, you can’t be born again unless you die first! But more about that in a minute.
Baptism is both an ending and a new beginning, as we die and are born again.
THE BIG IDEA
PART 3 — INTO THE BOOK
Let’s turn to Romans 6, which starts with the heart of the gospel — Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. But there’s a twist: it explains how we become participants of this story through faith. It teaches the meaning of baptism, through which Christ’s story can become our story. Read Romans 6:1-14 together to understand how we die to sin and come into union with Christ.
After reading, take some time to discuss it.
How does the story of Christ become our story in baptism?
TALK ABOUT THE READING
PART 4 — GOING DEEPER
Ready to go deeper? When Nicodemus came to Jesus late at night, asking some deep questions, Jesus addressed his confusion by piling on more hard truths! He stumped him by saying we must be “born again,” that is, “born of water and the Spirit,” (John 3:4-5). Nicodemus was completely lost. But Jesus expected Nicodemus to know the meaning behind being “born of water and the Spirit.” Let’s look to the Scriptures to see the backstory Nicodemus missed about being born again in baptism!
Think about Noah's story in Genesis 6-7: the flood waters brought both judgment and renewal, saving Noah’s family. God created a fresh start while washing away the old world (Gen. 7:23). He used something so powerful and destructive — the water — to carry them through the danger to a brand new beginning (Gen. 8:18-19). Peter speaks of Noah’s story and then adds, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).
Think about the Israelites escaping Egypt by crossing through the Red Sea on dry land in Exodus 14. God parted the waters to separate the people from the enslaving forces of their past, drowning the pursuing Egyptian army while leading the Israelites to freedom (Ex. 14:21-22). Passing through these waters marked a clear break from their old life of bondage in Egypt into a new chapter of freedom under God's guidance (Ex. 14:30-31). Paul says that was a kind of baptism (1 Cor. 10:1-2). And we see a similar scene when the people passed through the Jordan River to leave the wilderness behind as they entered the promised land of Canaan (Josh. 3-5).
Speaking of the Jordan River, think about the story of Naaman the leper in 2 Kings 5: it wasn’t because the water itself was special, but because dipping in it seven times was the specific, seemingly simple, act of obedience God commanded through the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 5:10). Despite Naaman’s initial pride and expectation of something more dramatic, eventually he humbled himself to listen to God’s instructions and was healed (2 Kings 5:14). So the Lord’s methods for salvation might not be what we anticipate.
So the waters can represent salvation, but they can also be cleansing, like with Naaman. After God led Israel out of Egypt, he gave them priests to serve before him in his temple. But priests needed to wash in water to enter the Lord’s presence and serve him (Num. 19:7). And today, Christians serve as God’s priests (1 Peter 2:9), after we wash away our sins in baptism (Acts 22:16). In the water, we’re cleansed by Jesus’ death (Rom. 6:3).
These are just a few examples Nicodemus might have missed. As we read earlier, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
Do you see how God changes our identity in the waters of baptism?
THE BIG QUESTION
PART 5 — WRAPUP
THE CHALLENGE
We’ve talked a lot in this conversation about the powerful salvation God provides with water. So, throughout the week anytime you use water to clean something, think about how God brings a spiritual transformation in baptism beyond anything we could clean with water alone. As you start the next conversation, take a moment to talk about what you noticed.
NEXT TIME
To follow Jesus, we’re called to put to death our old sinful lives and to let God wash them away in the burial of baptism. In our next conversation, we’ll consider the third step in Jesus’ example — resurrection to a new life! The Spirit has a great work to do in our lives as we bear good fruit and walk in faith, hope, and love. We’ll see how Christ teaches us a new way to live and leaves us his example to follow, since “a disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40).
CLOSING BLESSING
May the Lord bless us with open our hearts to receive his invitation to have our sins washed away!