Down a PDF version of this lesson below
About the Household Faith Series
Calvary’s Household Faith Series is a collection of lessons on a series of important faith formation topics designed for parents to lead their children through as they teach them the faith. God has given every parent the gift of being the greatest influence on the faith life of their children. The church’s role is to partner with them as they pass on the faith to their children. This Series is an attempt to do that by equipping parents with the necessary resources and lessons.
The Household Faith Series includes
First Communion Preparation
Remembering Baptism
Reading the Bible
Learning to Pray
Confessing the Creed
Learning the Liturgy
About Remembering Baptism
Remembering Baptism consists of five lessons following the questions and answers Martin Luther puts forth on Baptism and the Apostles’ Creed in his Small Catechism.
These lessons seek to help parents whose children are baptized or who are preparing them for baptism learn what Holy Baptism is, what its benefits are, how Holy Baptism can do what it does, and what it means for the new life of the baptized. It also aims to teach them about various aspects surrounding Holy Baptism, like infant baptism and baptismal sponsors.
Each lesson makes use of readings from the Bible and Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, videos, important vocabulary words to know, and questions to reinforce and solidify learning.
In the end, we hope these lessons will help those who are baptized learn more about what happened at their baptism and help those preparing for baptism understand how God works through the water and word of Holy Baptism.
Lesson Three: What Benefits Does Baptism Give?
Review the following before you begin Things you’ll need for this lesson:
Bibles for those going through the lesson
A copy of Luther’s Small Catechism. If you don’t have or can’t find a physical copy, you can download the Small Catechism app in your smart device’s app store or go to https://catechism.cph.org/ to view it online.
An electronic device that can play YouTube videos. We’ll be using videos from BibleProject.
A pen or pencil for recording your student’s answers at the end of the lesson
LEARNER GOAL: At the end of this lesson, students should have a basic understanding of the term “sin” and know that baptism works forgiveness, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal life.
NOTE TO PARENTS: As you’ve gone through the lessons the question of baptizing babies, also called infant baptism, may have come up either in questions from your students or yourself. If they haven’t, that’s O.K. too. That topic will be addressed in the next lesson (lesson four), and why infants and those who do have intellectual disabilities can and should be baptized.
Introduction
PARENTS SAY: In lesson one, we learned that in baptism God puts his name on us, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In lesson two, we looked at the Apostles’ Creed and what it teaches us about the God who puts his name on us in Holy Baptism—that God not only gives us all we need to live, but also all of himself in Jesus and all that we need to believe in him.
In lesson three, we’ll learn about the gifts God gives us in baptism. The benefits baptism gives are an important part of daily remembering our baptism (the name of this series of lessons). We’ll also learn why we need God to freely gives us these gifts through the water and words of Holy Baptism.
Small Catechism Reading
Open your copy of Luther’s Small Catechism (or go to https://catechism.cph.org/) and turn to the fourth chief part entitled, “The Sacrament of Holy Baptism” and read the second main question, “What benefits does Baptism give?” and Luther’s answer. Then read its follow-up question, “Which are these words and promises of God?” and Luther’s answer.
Review the vocabulary word below, then ask the following questions:
VOCABULARY: Sin, To fail or miss the mark; the most common word in the Bible to describe humanity’s fallen condition and the actions that result from it.
What is the first benefit promised in Holy Baptism?
A: The forgiveness of sins
Is this the only benefit given?
A: No. It also rescues us from death and the devil and gives eternal salvation.
Who needs these benefits and why?
A: We do because we are sinners and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
Video - Sin
Watch the Sin video on the BibleProject Youtube page (https://youtu.be/aNOZ7ocLD74). This video will cover the basic definition of the word sin and how the Biblical authors use it to talk about humanity and Jesus.
Discuss what you saw in the video. If you need to, you can use some of the following questions:
What is the basic meaning of the word sin?
If the basic definition of sin is to fail or miss the mark or goal, what is the goal?
Why is the story of Jesus such good news for sinners?
What was something new that you learned?
Parents, feel free to share something you learned
Was there anything in the video that was weird, confusing, or that you didn’t understand?
Parents, don’t hesitate to share something that was weird or confusing to you or that you didn’t understand.
Also, feel free to write down these questions and try to find the answers throughout the week.\
PARENTS SAY: Sin is more than minor mistakes or accidents. It’s also more than outward action—things we think, say, or do. It is something that lives within us and enslaves us (see Romans 6:6). It is such a part of us that it affects everything we think, say, or do.
No matter how hard we try, we can’t stop sinning (see Romans 7:15-16). This sin that lives within us, we call original sin. Original sin is the sinful condition you received from us (your parents) and which we received from our parents (your grandparents) and so on all the way back to Adam and Eve, the first sinners. Original sin causes us to distrust God and dislike those he has put in our lives—parents, friends, teachers, and others.
The mean and harmful things we think, say, or do to those around us because we don’t trust God we call actual sin. We need forgiveness for the things we do and the sinful condition that leads us to do them. Thankfully, God gave us baptism to give us the forgiveness we need.
Bible Reading - Genesis 6:5-14, 17-19; 7:1, 11-16; 8:1, 20-22; 9:1, 8-17
Grab your Bibles and turn to Genesis 6:5-14, 17-19; 7:1, 11-16; 8:1, 20-22; 9:1, 8-17. Read these passages aloud (consider taking turns with those with you); then, discuss what you read. Use some of the following questions:
What did the Lord see on the earth and in human hearts?
What things does God do for Noah and his family?
What promise (or covenant) did God make after the flood?
Video - Water of Life
Watch the Water of Life video on the BibleProject YouTube page (https://youtu.be/PgmAkM39Zt4). This video covers the “water of life” theme through the biblical story and shows how it leads to Jesus, who presents himself as the one bringing living water to a world that is desperately thirsty.
Discuss what you saw in the video. If you need to you can use some of the following questions.
What is the result of all of humanity’s efforts to quench its own thirst on its own terms?
How does the prophet Ezekiel describe the nation of Israel in exile?
What kind of water is Jesus offering the woman at the well?
What do the water and blood flowing from Jesus’s side show us?
What was something new that you learned?
Again, feel free to share something you learned
Was there anything in the video that was weird, confusing, or that you didn’t understand?
Again, don’t hesitate to share something that was weird or confusing to you or that you didn’t understand.
Also, feel free to write down these questions too and try to find the answers throughout the week.
Bible Reading - 1 Peter 3:18-22
Grab your Bibles again. This time turn to 1 Peter 3:18-22. Read it aloud. Then, review the vocabulary word below and discuss what you read. Use some of the following questions:
VOCABULARY: Forgiveness, To let go or release from punishment; to cancel a debt
What does Peter say corresponds to baptism?
See verse 20
What does Peter say baptism now does?
See verse 21
How does baptism do what Peter says it does?
See verse 21
PARENTS SAY: Sin is a part of our lives that we cannot escape without God. At one point, sin ruled the world so much that God sent a flood to cleanse the world of it. But sin remained in Noah and his family and so it remains in us.
We could ask, “why did God send a flood if it did not solve humanity’s sin problem?” First, we see that God could have started over altogether. He had the power to uncreate his creation. Second, while we see God show that power, we also see that he doesn’t use it to solve our sin problem. Instead, he makes a promise never to use it like that again.
God had a different plan to solve our sin problem. His plan didn’t involve the death of all living creatures on the earth, but the death of his Son for the forgiveness of all our sins. When we think of our baptism this is what we should remember our baptism. In baptism, we are forgiven. And with that forgiveness, God rescued us from what sin earns which is death (Romans 6:23) and saves us from the one who use to have the power of death, the devil (Hebrews 2:14).
Some questions to see what you learned
Review the following questions with your child to see what they learned and reinforce the information; grab a pen or pencil to record their answers
What else do the baptized receive when they are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
What does Jesus promise in Mark 16:16?
What’s the difference between original sin and actual sin?
What do the words “sin” and “forgiveness” mean?
According to 1 Peter 3:18-22, what does baptism do?
Closing Prayer
Close your time of study with the following prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for the gifts you give us in Holy Baptism, namely, the forgiveness of our sins, rescue from the death and the devil, and eternal life. In good times and in bad, help us to always remember these gifts. Amen.