Lesson 23 Explore 4: Should I Get Baptized?
CHAPTER 37 Should I Get Baptized?
Mark the following statements true or false:
Baptism is a requirement for Christians.
□ True
□ False
The main purpose of baptism is to protect you from giving in to sin.
□ True
□ False
Baptism puts you in line for salvation.
□ True
□ False
If you’re not baptized, you’re not accountable to God for your actions.
□ True
□ False
If your friends are getting baptized, that means you’re ready for baptism too.
□ True
□ False
IF YOU’RE living up to God’s standards, cultivating a friendship with God, and talking to others about your faith, it’s only natural for you to be thinking about baptism. But how do you know if you’re ready for that step? To help answer that question, let’s consider the true-or-false statements above.
● Baptism is a requirement for Christians.
True. Jesus directed that his disciples be baptized.
(Matthew 28.19, 20: Go, therefore, and make disciples of people 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 the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”)
In fact, Jesus himself submitted to baptism. To follow Christ, you need to be baptized when you’re mature enough to make that decision and have a genuine desire to do so.
● The main purpose of baptism is to protect you from giving in to sin.
False. Baptism is a public symbol of your dedication to Jehovah. Your dedication isn’t a cold contract that restrains you from doing things that you would secretly like to do. Rather, you dedicate your life to Jehovah because you want to live by his standards.
● Baptism puts you in line for salvation.
True. The Bible says that baptism is an important step to gaining salvation.
(1 Peter 3.21: Baptism, which corresponds to this, is also now saving you (not by the removing of the filth of the flesh, but by the request to God for a good conscience), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.)
This doesn’t mean, though, that baptism is like an insurance policy that you buy to protect yourself in case disaster should strike. You get baptized because you love Jehovah and want to serve him forever with your whole heart.-
(Mark 12.29, 30: Jesus answered: “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.’)
● If you’re not baptized, you’re not accountable to God for your actions.
False. states: “If one knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him”-baptized or not. So if you know what’s right and you’re mature enough to take a serious look at your life, perhaps this is the time to talk matters over with a parent or another mature Christian. In that way, you can learn how to progress toward baptism.
(James 4.17: Therefore, if someone knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him.)
● If your friends are getting baptized, that means you’re ready for baptism too.
False. The decision to be baptized needs to come from your own willing heart.
(Psalm 110.3: Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day of your military force. In splendid holiness, from the womb of the dawn, You have your company of young men just like dewdrops.)
You should be baptized only when you’re fully aware of what being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses involves and when you’re sure that you’re ready to take on this responsibility.-
(Ecclesiastes 5.4, 5: Whenever you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it, for he finds no pleasure in the stupid ones. What you vow, pay. Better for you not to vow than to vow and not pay.)
A Life-Altering Step
Baptism is a life-altering step that leads to many blessings. At the same time, it entails a serious responsibility-that of living up to a personal dedication you’ve made to Jehovah.
Are you nearing that point? If so, you have good reason to be happy. What lies before you is the greatest privilege of all-that of serving Jehovah wholeheartedly and living in a way that shows that you’re truly dedicated to him.-
(Matthew 22.36, 37: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’)
IN OUR NEXT CHAPTER
Learn how to set goals so that you can make the most of your life.
KEY SCRIPTURE
“Present your bodies a sacrifice living, holy, acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason.”-
(Romans 12.1: Therefore, I appeal to you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason.)
TIP
With your parents’ help, find someone in the congregation who can assist you to make spiritual progress.-
(Acts 16.1-3: So he arrived at Derbe and also at Lystra. And a disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a believing Jewish woman but of a Greek father, and he was well-reported-on by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul expressed the desire for Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.)
DID YOU KNOW . . . ?
The act of baptism is a vital part of “the mark” that identifies you for salvation.-
(Ezekiel 9.4-6: Jehovah said to him: “Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who are sighing and groaning over all the detestable things that are being done in the city.” And to the others he said in my hearing: “Go through the city after him and strike. Do not let your eye feel sorry, and do not feel any compassion. Old man, young man, virgin, little child, and women you should kill off completely. But do not go near to any man on whom there is the mark. You should start from my sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were in front of the house.)
ACTION PLAN!
To progress toward baptism, I will increase my understanding of the following Bible teachings:
What I would like to ask my parent(s) about this subject is
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
● Why is baptism such a serious step?
● What might cause a young person to take the step of baptism too soon?
● For what reason might a young person unwisely hold back from dedication and baptism?
Questions Often Asked About Baptism
What does baptism symbolize? Being immersed and raised up means that you have died to a self-seeking course and are now made alive to do Jehovah’s will.
What does it mean to dedicate your life to Jehovah? It means to give up ownership of yourself, promising to put the doing of God’s will ahead of all else.
(Matthew 16.24: Then Jesus said to his disciples: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and keep following me.)
It’s fitting that you make a formal dedication in prayer to Jehovah sometime before your baptism.
What should you be doing with your life before baptism? You should be living in harmony with God’s Word and talking to others about your faith. You should be cultivating a friendship with God through prayer and study of his Word. You should be serving Jehovah because you choose to do so-not because others are pressuring you.
Is there a certain age by which you should be baptized? Age is not the primary factor. Still, you should be old enough-and mature enough-to understand the meaning of dedication.
What if you want to get baptized but your parents say you should wait? Perhaps they’d like you to gain more experience in Christian living. Value their advice, and use this time to grow in your friendship with Jehovah.-
(1 Samuel 2.26: Meanwhile, the boy Samuel kept growing in stature and in favor both with Jehovah and with the people.)
Worksheet Are You Thinking of Getting Baptized?
Check your progress by considering the questions and statements below. Be sure to look up the cited scriptures before writing your answers.
In what ways are you currently showing confidence in Jehovah?-
(Psalm 71.5: For you are my hope, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah; I have trusted in you since my youth.)
How have you demonstrated that your perceptive powers are trained to distinguish right from wrong?-
(Hebrews 5.14: But solid food belongs to mature people, to those who through use have their powers of discernment trained to distinguish both right and wrong.)
How often do you pray?
How specific are your prayers, and what do they reveal about your love for Jehovah?-
(Psalm 17.6: I do call on you, because you will answer me, O God. Incline your ear to me. Hear my words.)
List below any goals you would like to set with regard to your prayers.
How regular is your personal study of the Bible?-
(Joshua 1.8: This book of the Law should not depart from your mouth, and you must read it in an undertone day and night, in order to observe carefully all that is written in it; for then your way will be successful and then you will act wisely.)
What do you include in your personal study?
List below any goals you would like to set with regard to your personal study.
Is your ministry meaningful? (Examples: Can you explain basic Bible teachings to others? Do you call back on interested ones? Are you working toward conducting a home Bible study?)
□ Yes □ No
Do you engage in the ministry even if your parents do not?-
(Acts 5.42: And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.)
□ Yes □ No
List below any goals you would like to set with regard to your ministry.-
(2 Timothy 2.15: Do your utmost to present yourself approved to God, a workman with nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of the truth aright.)
Would you describe your attendance at Christian meetings as regular or sporadic?-
(Hebrews 10.25: not forsaking our meeting together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you see the day drawing near.)
In what ways do you participate at meetings?
Do you attend when your parents cannot (if you have their permission to do so)?
□ Yes □ No
Can you say that you truly delight to do God’s will?-
(Psalm 40.8: To do your will, O my God, is my delight, And your law is deep within me.)
□ Yes □ No
Can you list specific instances in which you have resisted peer pressure?-
(Romans 12.2: And stop being molded by this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, so that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.)
How do you plan to keep your love for Jehovah strong?Jude 20, 21: But you, beloved ones, build yourselves up on your most holy faith, and pray with holy spirit, in order to keep yourselves in God’s love, while you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ with everlasting life in view.
Would you serve Jehovah even if your parents and friends stopped doing so?-
(Matthew 10.36, 37: Indeed, a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever has greater affection for father or mother than for me is not worthy of me; and whoever has greater affection for son or daughter than for me is not worthy of me.)
□ Yes □ No
[End of article.]