Do you remember when we studied about Adam? He was our great- great- great grandfather. Because he separated from God, his whole nature changed from being holy to being sinful. Because of Adam, we are all now born sinful and selfish and we can’t change ourselves into being good. Only God can take care of this problem for us if we allow Him. Only those who accept God’s gift of salvation and are “baptized into Christ” will be God’s special children.
The word, “baptize” is mentioned 97 times in the Bible. That shows us how important this is to God. In this lesson, we will learn what it means to be baptized.

Note: When we are baptized, we are showing that we are no longer in control of our lives but have given all control of our life to God. It means that we are now” dead to self” and “alive with Christ”. Think about the act of baptism. First, we are lowered into the water just like someone who has died is being lowered into the ground. Then, we are raised into a new life with Christ just as the dead are raised when Jesus comes back for us. Not only is it like a funeral service for our old life, but it also is now a special celebration of our new life in Christ.

Note: Jesus was sinless and holy. He did not have to ask forgiveness for any sin that He committed, but He did it to set a positive example for us. He took the steps that we need to take in order to show a special symbol of our love and obedience to God. We want to be baptized in the same way that Jesus was.

Note: Yes, the Father was very pleased when Jesus was baptized and He will also be very pleased at your baptism.

Note: Before we are baptized we need to know what it means to be baptized. We need special Bible studies to be “disciple” or taught how to be live as true Christians.

Note: When you are baptized, you are joining God’s Seventh-day Adventist Church. Not only are you showing that you have given your life to Christ, but also that you are now a member of the church.

Conclusion: In this life we need to die! The only choice we have is how. Either we die to ourselves and become alive again in Christ through baptism or we die as a sinner in Adam. By dying in our place at Calvary, Jesus made a public statement of His love for us. We need to make a public statement of our love for God through baptism.

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for dying for me. Now I want to live for you. I want to be baptized and have a special friendship with you that will last forever.