Born
of Water and the Spirit
Screen
1
Let us pray together before beginning this lesson:
Our Father,
Your word has revealed great things until now, and we know that You still have many
important things to teach us.
May You reveal them during the next lessons that, through the power of the Holy Spirit
working within us, we put them into practice.
May these teachings help us better reflect Your image in our lives. In Jesus' name we
pray.
Amen.
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2 Kings 5:1
Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria,
was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given
victory to Syria.
He was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
Let us begin our lesson with this Old Testament story relating the experience
of Naaman the Syrian, a leprous man in search of healing.
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2 Kings 5:9,10
Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at
the door of the house of Elisha.
And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying,
«Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you
shall be clean.»
Having heard about Elisha the prophet, Naaman decided to visit him to be healed
of his leprosy.
Elisha did not deign to meet him. Nevertheless, he let him know the way to be healed:
washing himself seven times in the Jordan river.
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2 Kings 5:11,12
But Naaman became furious, and went away and said,
«Indeed, I said to myself, "He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the
name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy."
Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of
Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?»
So he turned and went away in a rage.
Not expecting such a method of healing, Naaman, furious, was getting ready to
leave without following the instructions of Elisha.
Screen 5
2 Kings 5:13,14
And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said,
«My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done
it? How much more then, when he says to you, "Wash and be clean"?»
So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man
of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
The waters of the Jordan had no miraculous properties.
What really healed Naaman was only his obedience to Elisha's instructions.
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1 Peter 2:21
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that
you should follow His steps.
1 John 2:6
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk
just as He walked.
Just as Naaman was asked to dip in the Jordan, God also asks us to show in a
concrete way that we take a stand for Him.
What does God ask us to do?
Let's turn our eyes towards our Savior Jesus Christ, our example in all things.
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Matthew 3:13-15
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be
baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying,
«I have need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?»
But Jesus answered and said to him,
«Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.»
Jesus was not a sinner, so He did not need to be baptized: this is why John the
Baptist opposed His baptism.
But Jesus wanted to leave us an example, so that we «fulfill all righteousness».
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John 3:22
Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and
there He remained with them and baptized.
Matthew 28:19,20
[Jesus said,]
«Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I
have commanded you.»
Jesus taught His disciples the importance of baptism.
Just before leaving for heaven, He commanded them to baptize each new convert.
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Romans 6:3,4
Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life.
What does baptism mean?
It is a gesture symbolizing our desire to die with Jesus, leaving behind us the «old
man», that is, our former life of sin, and thereafter walking in newness of life.
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Romans 6:5,6
For if we have been united together in the likeness of
His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this,
that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Baptism symbolizes the replacement of the old man by the new man.
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Colossians 2:12
(...) buried with [Christ] in baptism, in which you also
were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Romans 6:11
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to
sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let us remember: baptism symbolizes our death to sin (death of the «old man»)
with Jesus Christ, followed by our new birth in Jesus Christ.
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1 Peter 3:20,21
The longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah,
while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through
water.
There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism.
The apostle Peter uses the Flood account to make us understand the meaning of
baptism: in answer to God's call, Noah and his family «were saved through water».
Just as for Naaman the leper, water saved nobody: it is God who, through water, saved
those eight souls from death.
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1 Peter 3:21
There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely
baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience
toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Just as Noah answered God's call by a concrete deed, entering into the ark, we
must also answer God's call by a concrete deed: our baptism.
This is «the answer of a good conscience toward God», the public demonstration of our
faith in Jesus Christ.
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Ephesians 5:25,26
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the word.
Matthew 10:32
[Jesus said,]
«Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who
is in heaven.»
Baptism is, in a sense, the marriage of the believer with his Savior Jesus
Christ.
Such a union must be entered into publicly!
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Ephesians 4:5
[There is] one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Now, how must baptism be administered?
Some people say that it is necessary to immerse the candidate, to cover him completely
with water. Others claim that a simple sprinkling of water is sufficient to baptize.
The method of baptism may be considered as a minor point by some people, but let's make no
mistake about it: the Word of God attaches great importance to this point.
According to the Bible, there is only one real baptism, one way of baptizing: what is it?
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John 3:23
Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because
there was much water there.
The only kind of baptism taught by the Word of God is baptism by immersion: the
candidate must be plunged into water to be baptized.
This is why the Bible says that John needed «much water» to baptize.
In fact, the verb «to baptize» comes from the Greek verb «baptizo» which means «to
immerse», «to plunge into», «to submerge», as any good dictionary will confirm.
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Matthew 3:16
Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately
from the water.
After His baptism, Jesus came up from the water. This verse clearly shows that
He was immersed, plunged into the waters of the Jordan.
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Acts 8:36-39
As they went down the road, they came to some water. And
the eunuch said,
«See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?»
Then Philip said, «If you believe with all your heart, you may.»
And he answered and said, «I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.»
So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into
the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the
Lord caught Philip away.
If sprinkling of water were enough, why did Philip and the eunuch go «down
into the water»?
Screen 19
Colossians 2:12
(...) buried with [Christ] in baptism, in which you also
were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Romans 6:4
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into
death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we
also should walk in newness of life.
Only one way of baptizing can be in harmony with the symbolism of burial:
baptism by immersion.
Screen 20
Matthew 28:19,20
[Jesus said,]
«Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I
have commanded you.»
Having said this, the next question is: are there preliminary qualifications
for baptism? The Bible answers: Yes.
Indeed, as we will see in the next verses, the candidate for baptism must have faith in
Jesus Christ and repent of his sins.
Since babies cannot fulfill these conditions, they cannot be acceptable candidates for
baptism.
Screen 21
Mark 1:5
And all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went
out to [John] and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said to them,
«Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins.»
As we can see, confession of sins and repentance must precede baptism.
Screen 22
Acts 8:36,37
The eunuch said, «See, here is water. What hinders me
from being baptized?»
Then Philip said, «If you believe with all your heart, you may.»
Acts 18:8
Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the
Lord with all his household.
And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.
Also, to be eligible for baptism, the Word of God declares that it is necessary
to believe in the Lord with all our heart.
Screen 23
Acts 8:12
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things
concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were
baptized.
The Bible mentions the baptism of «men and women», but never of babies or
young children.
In fact, infant baptism is a practice which began in the third century A.D., to increase
the number of «believers» in the Church.
Nevertheless, the Bible is clear: the only valid baptism is the baptism of a person fully
aware of his decision.
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Acts 2:41,47
Those who gladly received [Peter's] word were baptized.
(...)
And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -
whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free - and have all been made to drink into one
Spirit.
Through baptism, we enter into God's great family: the Church.
We also become laborers in His harvest, gladly working for Him.
Screen 25
1 Corinthians 12:20,27
But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
(...)
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
2 Corinthians 5:20
Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God
were pleading through us.
Through baptism we become a part of the body of Christ, the Church, working
according to the gifts and talents God has given us.
Being His ambassadors, we represent His kingdom on this earth. What an honor it is!
Screen 26
Luke 3:21,22
Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven
was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him.
Acts 2:38
Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.
Having taken a stand for God by our baptism, we can rely on the work of the
Holy Spirit who will help us to perform our function as ambassadors for Christ, purifying
our heart from all iniquity.
Screen 27
John 3:5
Jesus answered,
«Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot
enter the kingdom of God.»
Mark 16:16
[Jesus said,]
«He who believes and is baptized will be saved.»
As this lesson is drawing to a close, we must understand the importance of
baptism in the life of each Christian.
These words from Jesus show that baptism is not an option for whoever wants to follow Him,
but rather a necessity.
Then, what will our decision be?
Screen 28
John 13:15
[Jesus said,]
«For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.»
Jesus, having never sinned, did not need to be baptized. But He was
nevertheless baptized to give us an example to follow.
Now we must ask ourselves, individually:
«As for me, will Jesus have made this gesture for nothing? Will I follow His example by
accepting baptism too, or will I go on as if He had done nothing?»
Screen 29
Acts 22:16
And now why are you waiting?
Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
May the Holy Spirit open our hearts and guide us, as we make this important
decision concerning our baptism.
Screen 30
Let us pray:
Dear Lord,
As we seek Your Word to discover Your will for each one of us, very important choices are
continually facing us.
Today, You taught us that we must be baptized by immersion, to become a member of Your
great family, Your Church.
This decision is not easy, but through Your Son, You have given an example to guide us,
and You grant us the power of Your Holy Spirit, so that we may have the strength to take a
stand for You, and to publicly demonstrate it by our baptism.
Assist us, dear Savior, as we make this crucial decision. In Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: Picture collection «ClickArt 65,000» by Broderbund,
CD #4, NATOT191.JPG. Screen 2: Used by permission. Copyright © 1963,
1991 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. DOLWICK,
William. In: «My Bible Friends, volume 3» (DEGERING, Etta B.), p.11. Screen 3: In:
«Egermeier's Bible Story Book» (EGERMEIER, Elsie E.), The Warner Press, 1963, p.279.
Screen 4: Used by permission. Copyright ©1955, 1983 by Review and Herald®
Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. RUDEEN, Herbert. In: «The Bible Story,
volume 5» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.82. Screen 5: Used by permission.
Copyright ©1955, 1983 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights
Reserved. ANDERSON, Harry. In: «The Bible Story, volume 5» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.84.
Screen 6: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (May 1, 1988), Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, p.10. Screen 7: In: «The Bible in Pictures for Little
Eyes» (TAYLOR, Kenneth N.), Moody Press, Chicago, 1956, p.125. Screen 8: Used
by permission. Copyright © 1957, 1985 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA.
All Rights Reserved. D'ANDREA, C. In: «The Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.),
p.87. Screen 9: BLOCH, Carl. In: «The Living Bible Encyclopedia in Story
and Pictures, volume 4», New York, H.S. Stuttman Co. Inc., 1968, p.444-b. Screen
10: ANDERSON, Harry. In: «The Touch of Love (The Desire of Ages)» (WHITE, Ellen
G.), Family Heritage Books, 1995, p.26. Screen 11: In: «Revelation
Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #16 («Le Pays du Recommencement»), p.1.
Screen 12: Used by permission. Copyright © 1963, 1991 by Review and Herald®
Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. BERRAN, Robert. In: «My Bible Friends,
volume 4» (DEGERING, Etta B.), p.82. Screen 13: Used by permission.
Copyright © 1963, 1991 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights
Reserved. BERRAN, Robert. In: «My Bible Friends, volume 4» (DEGERING, Etta B.), p.70.
Screen 14: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York,
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.323. Screen 15: Photos from
the Web sites: «http://www.lcms.org/bhcm/wr/UNITY.HTML» and
«http://cis.bentley.edu/students/savlon_dani/israel/day2c.html» Screen 16: Photo
by FASNACHT, J.P. «The Jordan River». In: «Signes des Temps» magazine
(November-December 1999), Editions Vie et Santé, p.13. Screen 17: COLEMAN,
Ralph Pallen. In: «The Way, the Truth, and the Life», Philadelphia, The John C. Winston
Company, 1958, p.63. Screen 18: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (April 1,
1993), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.7. Screen 19: In: «The
Watchtower» magazine (July 1, 1986), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.24.
Screen 20: In: «The Volunteer Magazine», Third Quarter, 2000, p.12.
Screen 21: Used by permission. Copyright © 1956, 1984 by Review and Herald®
Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. LEE, Manning de V. In: «The Bible
Story, volume 7» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.106. Screen 22: Used by
permission. Copyright © 1957, 1985 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA.
All Rights Reserved. HEASLIP, William. In: «The Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur
S.), p.82. Screen 23: Photo from the Web site:
«http://www.rourke.org/Kenneth/Simon/Christening/christening2.htm» Screen 24: In:
«Canadian Adventist Messenger» magazine (Special issue - «Welcome to the Family»), SDA
Church in Canada, front cover. Screen 25: In: «Adventist Review»
(November 1996), p.9. Screen 26: Used by permission. Copyright © 1945,
1947, 1948, 1949, 1968, 1996 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All
Rights Reserved. LEE, Manning de V. In: «Uncle Arthur's Bible Book» (MAXWELL, Arthur
S.), p.331. Screen 27: Used by permission. Copyright © 1959, 1987 by
Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. CRAIR, Mel. In:
«Votre Bible et Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.114. Screen 28: MANISCALCO,
Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software,
JM116.BMP. Screen 29: In: «The Voice of Prophecy - Bible Correspondence
School» advertisement. Screen 30: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by
IMSI, CD #17, USA00029.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 8 is waiting for you!