Digging Deeper: DBA 11

[Joanna Sanchez-Pacheco]

This lesson truly taught me how important and impactful baptism is, this is a moment that is not only supposed to change our lives it is supposed to be a total sacrifice of our worldly selves. I always knew baptism was an amazing thing that every Christian should go through, however, I always thought of it as a symbol. In my mind, baptism was just a public display of our faith. But now, after studying it in depth, I have a better understanding of the true meaning behind getting baptized. It is not just a public declaration of belief in God, it is also a private change of heart where we are no longer physical people of the world, we become a part of God’s spiritual family. Also, just by stating that we believe in God is not a good enough reason, we must also trust in Him and give our lives to His will. When we get baptized we are actively giving our body, mind, and soul to God, leaving behind the person we once were and becoming a child of God. This is also not just something one can simply sign up for, it requires a clean heart and a willingness to change, so first one must repent and accept that they cannot continue on their own. Once they have done that they can begin the process of living for eternal life in Christ. The Catholic Church has nearly the same teachings except we get baptized as children, which is something I love. I never have to question who I belong to because I have been a part of God’s family since I was a baby. And whenever I am having doubts or forgetting that I can renew my baptismal vows, which is an amazing experience.

[Hunter Powell]

The lesson taught me what it truly means to be baptized. It helped me understand both physically and mentally and it helped me understand that baptism isn’t just about spiritually being reborn but also mentally being reborn. When I use to think of baptism I just thought of something we did as a symbol and it is but it’s also much more than that, it’s a way to wash away our sins and show others that they can do it to. Baptism isn’t just a way to show your faith to others, it’s also something you do and your heart changes after being baptized. People who just say they believe in God aren’t true Christians if they were true Christians they would be baptized and living their life for God. Even if you have been baptized that doesn’t make you a Christian for your whole life you have to actually show your Christian behavior and follow Gods rules and do all that he says because if you don’t do any of those things you aren’t a true Christian. People who won’t give up there worldly life aren’t Christians because if they were they would give up their Worley life for God. I was taught from a young age to always follow God and what he says. I was also taught that being a Christian is more than just a lifestyle it’s also a way of life and a community that you can talk with if you ever have anything on your mind. This lesson definitely impacted me and my way of thinking about baptism. I’m glad I go to a school where I can learn more about God everyday.

[Caden Kull]

This lesson truly showed me how baptism works and how it impacts our lives. I think overall, this has been my favorite lesson and one of the most important lessons this year. And i now understand how important baptism is. Because i learned that we are not reborn physically, we are reborn mentally. I never understood why they would say that you are reborn after a baptism, but now I know why. And we have to repent on our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our lord and savior. And once you have done those things are you truly believe in god, then you will be reborn by a baptism. And the scripture say that once we are reborn, our old mindset and our old thoughts leave us. Because we are reborn mentally into a new person. And yes i was taught the gospel os Christ at a young age, but i have not been baptized yet. Because i want to be 100% sure that this is the path that i want to take in life. And i have pretty much made up my mind at this point.

Thank you Mr. Ballard for an awesome year of bible, i cannot thank you enough and thank you to mathetis for a great Bible experience, I have learned a ton from these lessons and I truly cant thank you enough.

[Emily Voce]

In John 3:3-12, Nicodemus is asking how it is possible for a man to be born again and Jesus tells him that it’s not a physical birth, but a spiritual one through being submerged in water. When Nicodemus questions Jesus further, Jesus stresses the importance of believing in him and God in the process of being spiritually reborn and receiving eternal life. In John 1:12-13, we are told that in order to be a child of God, we must give ourselves to Him and the we will be reborn spiritually. Luke 13:3-5 tells us that if we do not repent, we will not receive eternal life. Luke 24:47 stresses the importance of us telling others how to receive eternal life (through baptism and a sincere and complete believe and trust in Jesus Christ). Acts 17:30-31 tells us that there will come a day that God will judge us all and if we have not repented and been baptized, we will perish spiritually. The proof is in Jesus’s resurrection. Acts 2:36-38 tells the how the people of the Pentecost accepted that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and they were told that baptism results in the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:17 informs us that being baptized results in us being a completely new person spiritually. We are literally renewed and reborn. Our sins are washed away and we are made stronger in Christ. Romans 6:3-11 tells us that when we are being baptized, we are being connected to Jesus and to His sacrifice and resurrection. We are dying spiritually in the name of Jesus and for him, just as he died for us, and we are rising again (being reborn) in the name and life of Jesus Christ. And our sins are joining those that Jesus died on the cross for. Our old selves and sins are dying and we are rising again in the glory of God to do God’s work. Colossians 1:13-14 tells us how, through baptism and Jesus’s sacrifice, God has delivered us from the darkness of sin and to the light of His kingdom full of love. God has offered us redemption for our sins, because he is merciful and forgiving. Titus 3:3-7 is telling us that without God in our lives we are spiteful, mean, angry, and bitter. Our lives and souls are dark and He is the light. Through God, we are saved. He forgives our sins and offers us patience and kindness. When we live for God, we too are kind, patient, and loving. Nicodemus stresses the importance of water and being fully submerged in baptism and the washing away of sins. This means a lot to me because I was baptized as a baby with water, but it was only sprinkled on me. I was never fully submerged so I have to wonder if my baptism is what Jesus and God wanted of me in order to be forgiven and to receive the Holy Spirit and eternal life. This lesson has taught me a lot about baptism. What it truly means and all of the requirements involved in order to be a part of God’s kingdom. I now know that baptism is essential to my journey with God and to receive eternal life. Baptism is important because you are washing away the secular person you used to be and all of the sins of your secular life. And in return for giving your life to God and putting your faith in Him, He strengthens us with the Holy Spirit to protect us from temptations and sin. We are also accepted into God’s kingdom which is full of love and forgiveness and we are making a deeper connection with Jesus and with God. In the past, I have been taught the Gospel of Christ and been given instructions but my teachings have been inconsistent and infrequent. And though they may have truly believed what they were teaching me, I think I may have been mislead a bit. This lesson has clarified a lot of question I had and a few incorrect teachings.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by  Emily Voce.

[Caden Kull]

These passages and these text that i read helped me understand how we are reborn and how to do it. Because Jesus says that we are not reborn in the flesh but in the spirit. And it helped me understand that unless you get baptized, you cannot be welcomed into the kingdom of god. Also it helped me realize that we shouldn’t be born in the flesh but in the spirit. Because if we obey the flesh than we will end up sinning. But if we obey the spirit and we listen to everything god says, then we will be welcomed into the kingdom of god as long as we have been baptized. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (3:8). Jesus says that this is a “heavenly thing” this is probably one if my favorite sentences from the lesson reading. Because it shows how important being born and living in the spirit is. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” this sentence showed how much god truly loves mankind. And this is why I believe in god, because he wants what’s truly best for humanity. And he showed us this by sacrificing is only son who died on the cross for our sins. Many people think that just because god lets things happen in the world like famine and disease, that he doesn’t love humanity. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. When a skeptic asks me does God truly love humanity, i answer with absolutely, Because he gave his only son for us. “Receiving the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit as a gift means that these believers were born again.” When i was younger, i never knew what being reborn truly meant. But now i do because mainly of this whole lesson. I never knew that it meant to be reborn in spirit and not physically. Because i just thought that it would be like when Jesus was reborn. That i would come back to life from the grave.

Thanks for a great year Mr Ballard and thank you to Mathetis for teaching me a lot this year about the Bible. I truly cant thank you enough for the amazing year I had.

[Vanessa Masson]

this lesson has taught me a lot I have learned the importance of being baptized and how special and amazing it is. we sacrifice what we know and our sinful ways to be one with God. I learned that we are not reborn physically but we are reborn mentally. I now understand baptism and the importance of repenting. i learned that being a Christian is not as easy as I thought it would be we have to live differently than everybody else and accept that it will be more difficult. we have to believe in God fully and not just say we do on the surface but not act like it. we have to really change and try our best day to day Instead of saying we are christian and not acting like it. I have learned the mot that God has forgiven us and that we need to be thankful for that he could of just cast us aside after we all sinned but he didn’t he has given us chance after chance and a spot with him and eternal life. I am very grateful for these lessons and that I am able to go to school and learn about God everyday.