New City Catechism, Week 45 (Question 45)

Q: Is baptism with water the washing away of sin itself?

Children’s answer

A: No, only the blood of Christ can cleanse us from sin.

Adult/older children’s answer

A: No, only the blood of Christ and the renewal of the Holy Spirit can cleanse us from sin.

Video explanation:

Song to assist with memorization:

Relevant Scripture to read:

Luke 3:16

John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Children’s Activity (printable pdfs)

Younger Kids (pages 20 and 21)

There are no resources for older kids currently available for this lesson.

Special thanks to Del Rey Church for sharing their New City Catechism kid resources with us!

Devotional questions for individual/family/group reflection and discussion:

  1. What did water often represent in the Old Testament (think of Noah, Moses, etc) - how does this help us to understand baptism?

  2. If you were baptized by a pastor who later renounced the faith, should you get baptized again? Why or why not?

  3. What are some other understandings of baptism that you are aware of in the Christian tradition? How are they different than our understanding?

For an additional “deeper” dive into this question and answer, check out this video from Dr. Michael Allen (which a few of the above questions are based on):