WHEN WE’RE DEVOTED TO FOLLOWING JESUS, WE WILL LIVE IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD.

SCRIPTURE | Matthew 3:13-17; John 1:29-34

CENTRAL TRUTH

By taking part in baptism, Jesus transformed its meaning! Baptism was His outward declaration of obedience to the Father—of already being clean and already belonging to God. To redeem us, Jesus identified with us. He began His ministry with this act of obedience—an act He later commanded for all believers, displaying the same outward declaration of being clean and belonging to God.

KEY QUESTION

JESUS WAS SINLESS, SO WHY DID HE INSIST ON BEING BAPTIZED?

KEEP IN MIND

Students may question if baptism is important or if they can skip out on it. We can help students understand important truths about baptism. First, baptism doesn’t save us from sin or make us clean. When we confess Jesus as Lord (confessing and turning from sin) and believe He was raised from death, we are saved (Rom. 10:9). But Jesus commanded us to follow His example in baptism (Matt. 28:18-20). Jesus, who had not sinned, was baptized to show us the way of obedience. Baptism is a declaration of our salvation: Our old self is buried and we’re new creations, able to walk in a totally new way because of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 6:3-5). Students may resist baptism because they’re fearful of being in front of others or because they don’t feel it’s necessary. But Jesus commanded it, so we’re called to obey. We must help students wrestle with how they can inwardly commit their heart yet outwardly refuse to obey the Lord in this matter—in any matter.

APPLICATION

HOW COULD YOUR LIFESTYLE CONFUSE PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR BELIEF IN JESUS? WHY DOES YOUR OBEDIENCE TO GOD MATTER?

THE WIN

FOR THE STUDENT: If the way students live confuses people, then they must determine where they’re disobeying God’s Word. Our students’ obedience displays the power of the gospel to a lost world and gives people hope that God can save and change them too.

FOR THE LEADER: We must live in a way that plainly shows we follow Jesus above anyone or anything else. If the way we live causes confusion for our students, we must examine where we’re being disobedient. Your life reveals who or what you’re devoted to; may the sum of it point to Jesus only.