This document provides a lesson plan about baptism and confirmation that covers: a) what baptism celebrates; b) the origin of baptism from John the Baptist baptizing Jesus; c) what baptism means for Christians including a change in lifestyle; and d) the two options of infant baptism where parents and godparents make promises, and believers baptism where an older person makes their own decisions. The lesson plan includes discussion questions, images, and a worksheet for students.

1. What is Baptism and Confirmation? Lesson Plan
Teachers note:
Topics we will look at
See more Free Lesson Plans at:
https://notmanywise.uk/re-lesson-plans/
[i]
a) What baptism celebrates
b) The origin of baptism
c) What baptism means for Christians
d) Two options to be baptised
[1] Infant baptism
[2] Believers baptism
e) Baptism indicates a change of lifestyle
f) Two answers for teachers needing
additional help:
What happens if I don’t baptise my child?
Why did Christians start baptising babies?

2. What sort of special events do people celebrate and how?
Birthdays
Weddings
anniversary’s
Christening
baptism
Why do you think people want to
share special occasions with others?
[ii]
A starter to set the scene:

3. Why do couples have a wedding day?
Why not just say: "We're married now"?
[iii]

4. Couples have a wedding day because:
1. It declares to a large group of people, (friends, family, and relatives), in a formal
way: “We are married”.
2. It is an occasion where the couple makes promises to each other to stay together
no matter what.
3. In many weddings, promises are made to God as well.
4. It is a definite date to look back at and remember the day.
5. At the wedding the words are declared: “You are now husband and wife”.
6. It’s someone else confirming that the couple is married.
7. The giving of rings on that day shows that they are married.

6. a) What baptism celebrates:
The answer is very similar to what has just been said about the wedding day:
1. It declares to a large group of people, (friends, family, and relatives), in a formal
way: “I am a Christian”.
2. It is an occasion where that person shows that they have faith in Jesus Christ and
that they intend to do that for the rest of their life.
3. In other words a promise.
4. It is a definite date to look back at and remember the day.
5. The minister / Christian leader will in some way confirm their decision to be a
Christian.
6. Although there is no ring given on that day, Christians believe that God gives them
His Holy Spirit as a ‘seal’ (as a ‘ring’):
“Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal,
the promised Holy Spirit” Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)

7. b) The origin of baptism, where the idea of being baptised comes from:
John the Baptist used to baptise anybody in the river Jordan to signify that the person
wanted to turn from their wrong ways and turn to God. (Matthew 3:1-)
Then Jesus came to John and asked to be baptised,
even though Jesus had lived a perfect life.
John refused, so Jesus said:
“Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” Matthew 3:15 NIV
So John agreed, and as Jesus came up out of the water,
the Holy Spirit came upon him in the form of a dove and God said in a loud voice:
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17 NIV

8. c) What baptism means for Christians

9. d) There are two options to be baptised:
[1] Infant baptism
Parents who are (ideally) Christians
want their baby to be baptised:
At the Baptism Service the parents,
and godparents, make certain promises.
Godparents are chosen by the parents to help
in training the child in the Christian faith.
Here is what the minister would say
in an Anglican church: [i]

10. “Children who are too young to profess the Christian
faith are baptised on the understanding that they are
brought up as Christians within the family of the
Church.
As they grow up, they need the help and
encouragement of that family,
so that they learn to be faithful in public worship and
private prayer,
to live by trust in God, and come to confirmation.
Parents and godparents, the child whom you have
brought for baptism
depends chiefly on you for the help and
encouragement they need.
Are you willing to give it to them by your prayers,
by your example, and by your teaching?”
(Anglican baptism service)
The parents and godparents answer: “I am willing”.

11. [iv]
The minister said:
“and come to confirmation.”
This means attending a
special
‘Confirmation Service’ which
is held when the baby has
grown to be about 13 years
old.

12. So the answer to
‘Why is it called a Confirmation Service?
Is because they are now ‘confirming’ the
promises for themselves, that were said
then.
[iv]
The special ‘Confirmation Service’ is held when the child is old enough to accept the
Christian faith for themselves.

13. [2] Believers baptism
Another way of being baptised is when someone is old enough to make the decision to
become a Christian:
A Baptism Service can be organised.
The person being baptised can make certain promises, and/or they would tell of the reality
of their own faith.
The actual baptizing can be done in several ways:
1. By sprinkling water on the head or forehead.
2. By standing in water, and sprinkling or pouring water
on the head.
3. By totally immersing the whole body quickly
underwater.
The last two are usually carried out in a Baptistery which
is a small pool set in the floor of a church.
Baptisms can also take place in a river, a lake, or in the
sea.
[
[v]

14. e) Baptism indicates a change in lifestyle
First, let’s look at the example of the wedding:
Before the wedding, ideally, there were two individuals living in two
different houses with two separate lifestyles.
When they get married, that old life ceases, it’s dead and gone, and a
new ‘married’ life begins.
They share a house, eat together, etc, they have started to live this new
life together.
Q. How does Baptism mark
a change of lifestyle?
[vi]

15. Baptism marks a new life together – that person and God.
Before that person was living their life independent of God,
now that old life has ceased, it’s dead and gone,
and they are living this new life with God.
Baptism symbolizes being
washed.
Q. Why would we need
washing?
Think of the wedding example.
[vii]

16. Christians believe that living independently of God is wrong.
It would be having a bad attitude toward God.
(Teachers note: Fill a clear glass tumbler with dirty water (add soil or ink).)
This tumbler represents a person, and the liquid represents their attitude
toward God – in our case, a very bad attitude!
But when a person becomes a Christian, that attitude changes.
Instead of pushing God away, they now want to please him.
So that bad attitude has gone.
(Teachers note: Rinse out the tumbler and replace it with clean water).

17. So baptism symbolises that washing.
But we need to continue the illustration further.
Just because this attitude has changed, it does not mean that this person is
now super clean, and will remain super clean!
(Teachers note: Pick up the tumbler with the clean water in it, continue to hold it upright,
and push it through a tray containing sticky mud).
As they live their everyday lives they do wrong things, they say wrong things,
and they should have done good things but they don’t!
Their overall attitude is still wanting to please God – the water in the tumbler is
still clear.
But they make mistakes so that is why there is all this dirt on the tumbler.
They don’t need to get baptised again!
They need to say sorry to God for these things.
(Teachers note: clean the outside of the tumbler).

18. Plenary for the baptism lesson plan:
Design a poster showing:
Why couples have a wedding day,
or why someone gets baptised.
Teachers note: There is a Baptism worksheet to
accompany this lesson plan, see:
https://notmanywise.uk/re-lesson-plans/baptism-
worksheet/
[viii]

19. Q1. What happens if I don’t baptise my child?
People can get to heaven without being baptised, remember the thief on the cross, Jesus
said to him: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
Even though the thief had not been baptised.
Where it says: “Repent and be baptised” (Act 2:38) this forms a part of our path of
obedience and it helps us to make a public declaration of faith.
So no, baptism is not necessary for salvation.
Two answers for teachers needing additional help:

20. Q2. Why did Christians start baptising babies?
1) What the Bible says about infant baptism:
In Acts, the jailer and all his household were baptised by the apostle Paul and Silas, so could we
say that there were babies included? No, because it then states that he had come to believe in
God, he and his whole household. (Acts 16:34) So all must have been old enough to understand
and decide for themselves.
Another verse says the same in Acts 18:8
The apostle Paul wrote: “I also baptised the household of Stephanas” (1 Corinthians 1:16), but
we cannot assume whether there were babies included or not.
2) When the early church carried out infant baptism:
We only know that the earliest reference to infant baptism was by Irenaeus around AD180.
There are three references by Origen (AD185–254) to infant baptism as a customary practice.
3) How we should view infant baptism now:
If someone believes in their heart that they have been baptised and they have an active faith, we
should accept them regardless of the method or when it was done.
If we do not accept them, we are saying that one ritual is more important than another ritual.

21. Photo credits:
[i] Infant being baptised image:
https://pixabay.com/photos/baptism-believe-christianity-infant-331581/ from Pixabay
[ii] Birthday cake image:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wt3GwdnZKgs/Taq-bwujKuI/AAAAAAAAAxU/QIBHo_tc-KA/s1600/IMG_2194.JPG
[iii] Bride and groom image:
https://c.pxhere.com/photos/39/b0/architecture_beautiful_bride_Bride_and_Groom_couple_dress_elegant_fashion-
1568327.jpg!d
[iv] Stone font image:
https://pixabay.com/photos/baptismal-fund-jug-napkin-church-869128/ from Pixabay.
[v] Baptism in a river image:
https://pixabay.com/photos/cuban-river-baptism-2535931/ Ahstubbs from Pixabay
[vi] Black and white image of baptism in a baptistry:
https://pixabay.com/photos/church-on-okhta-history-baptism-1159655/ RomanKN from Pixabay.
[vii] Young girl being baptised image:
https://pixabay.com/photos/baptism-jesus-church-religion-3748725/ Breno A.lmeida on Pixabay
[vii] [viii] Glass image:
https://pixabay.com/vectors/water-cup-beverages-drinking-drink-25169/ Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay.