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Scripture Reading: 1 Pet. 3:14-22
In the previous message we covered the matters of sanctifying Christ as Lord in our hearts, having a good conscience, Christ dying concerning sins, the righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, and Christ, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in spirit and going in His enlivened and empowered spirit to make a proclamation to the spirits in prison, to the rebellious angels. In this message we shall pay special attention to what Peter says in verses 20 and 21 concerning baptism.
Verse 20 says, “To those once disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were brought safely through by water.” According to verses 19 and 20, Christ made a proclamation to “those once disobedient.” These disobedient ones are different from the eight souls spoken of in this verse. The disobedient ones are angelic beings, not human beings.
In verse 20 Peter says that in the ark prepared by Noah eight souls “were brought safely through by water.” The Greek means to “arrive safe into a place of security through difficulty or danger,” as in Acts 27:44 (Darby). The Greek words rendered “by water” literally mean through water. Water was the medium through which the saving was accomplished. The ark saved Noah and his family from God’s judgment, the destruction of the world by the flood. But the water saved them from the corrupted generation and separated them unto a new age, just as the water of the Red Sea did to the children of Israel (Exo. 14:22, 29; 1 Cor. 10:1-2) and the water of baptism to the New Testament believers (1 Pet. 3:21).
In the Old Testament the waters of the flood at the time of Noah and the waters of the Red Sea both typify baptism. The ark saved Noah and his family from God’s judgment, from the punishment of God’s condemnation that came by the flood. But the water saved them and separated them from that corrupted age and brought them into a new age to begin a new life on a new earth.
In the book of Exodus the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea. The waters of the Red Sea were a judgment upon Pharaoh and his Egyptian army. Pharaoh and his armies were drowned in that water of judgment. But that same water separated the children of Israel from Egypt, separated them from the corrupted world. As Noah and his family were separated from their corrupted generation by the waters of the flood, so the children of Israel were separated from the corrupted world, typified by Egypt, by the waters of the Red Sea.
In the New Testament we also have water, the water of baptism. Baptism saves us from the world and separates us from it.
In verse 21 Peter says, “Which figure also now saves you, baptism, not a putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the appeal of a good conscience unto God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” As we shall see, this verse does not teach baptismal salvation. Therefore, we do not hold the belief that the waters of baptism put away the filth of the flesh. But, according to this verse, baptism is the appeal of a good conscience unto God.
The words “which figure” refer to water in the preceding verse, which is a figure of the water of baptism. This indicates that Noah and his family’s being in the ark and passing through the flood was a type of our going through baptism. The water of the flood delivered them out of the old manner of life into a new environment. In like manner, the water of baptism delivers us out of the inherited vain manner of life into a manner of life in resurrection. This is the main emphasis of this book. Christ’s redemption for us was for this (1:18-19). This was accomplished by His death and accepted and applied to us in baptism by the Spirit through His resurrection. Now our daily walk should be in the Spirit of the resurrected Christ, a walk that lives Christ in resurrection through the life power of His Spirit (Rom. 6:4-5). This is a new and excellent manner of life that glorifies God (1 Pet. 2:12).
Baptism itself does not and cannot put away the filth of our flesh — the dirt of our fallen nature and defilement of fleshly lust. The erroneous teaching concerning baptismal salvation based upon this verse and Mark 16:16 and Acts 22:16 is corrected here. Baptism is only a figure. Its reality is Christ in resurrection as the life-giving Spirit, who applies to us all that Christ has passed through in His crucifixion and resurrection, making these things real in our daily life.
The Greek word rendered “appeal” is eperotema, a question, an inquiry. Its meaning is very much disputed. The right meaning of the phrase seems to be, as Alford said, “the seeking after God of a good and pure conscience,” which governs the proper Christian life. This kind of question, asking for something, may be considered an appeal or demand. Peter’s thought here may be that baptism is the appeal to God of the baptized one for a good conscience unto God. Baptism, as a symbol, a counterpart of our belief in all the accomplishments of Christ, testifies that all the problems we have before God and with God have been solved. Hence, it is also a testimony, witnessing that in our conscience there is no more offense, but rather we are full of peace and confidence that we have been baptized into the Triune God (Matt. 28:19) and organically united with Him through the resurrection of Christ, that is, by Christ in resurrection as the Spirit of life. Without the Spirit of Christ as its reality, baptism by water immediately becomes an empty and dead ritual.
In this verse we see that baptism is first our appeal, the appeal of the baptized ones, to God for a conscience that is both good and pure. A proper baptism will always bring the baptized one into such a situation. Before we believed in the Lord and were baptized, we were sinners. But when we were enlightened through the preaching of the gospel, we came to realize that we are very sinful. Both before God and toward man we have had many transgressions, trespasses, and offenses, and we had a great deal of guilt. Then we repented, believed in the Lord, received His forgiveness, and were saved. But our repentance and believing need an outward expression. This expression is baptism. Therefore, baptism and our believing, our faith, are two aspects of one thing. For this reason the New Testament speaks of believing and being baptized (Mark 16:16). Believing and being baptized can be compared to using our two feet to take a single step. First we believe, and our believing can be compared to the half-step forward of one foot. Then we are baptized. Our baptism can be compared to the completion of the step with the other foot. Together, believing and baptism make one complete step.
As we have pointed out elsewhere, believing is our reflection of all that Christ has accomplished. First, what Christ has accomplished for our salvation is preached to us as the gospel. As we listen to this preaching, the Spirit works upon us and within us to cause us to reflect what we have heard in the gospel, a reflection of what we have heard regarding Christ’s accomplishment.
This experience of reflecting Christ’s accomplishment can be compared to taking a picture with a camera. A camera is focused on a certain scene, and then a reflection of the scene is impressed on the film. We may compare Christ’s accomplishments to a scene to be photographed with a camera. The proper preaching of the gospel brings the view of this “scenery” into us, and the Holy Spirit enlightens us. Then the scenery is imprinted on the “film” of our spirit. The result is that, from within, we believe in Christ. Therefore, in our being there is a reflection of Christ’s accomplishments, and this reflection is our believing in Christ.
We have pointed out that believing in Christ requires an expression, and that this expression is baptism. Baptism, therefore, is the counterpart to our believing in Christ.
Furthermore, when we are baptized, we, as baptized ones, appeal to God for a good and pure conscience. After we have been baptized and rise up out of the water, we have a conscience that is good and pure, a conscience without condemnation. All our sins, offenses, transgressions, and trespasses have been forgiven, and all the problems that have entangled our life and our being have been buried in the water. This means that through baptism we have a clearance of our sinful past. Because of this clearance, we can have a good and pure conscience.
We would emphasize the fact that baptism itself does not put away the filth of the flesh. But baptism does enable us to have the assurance and the testimony that we appeal to God for a good and pure conscience. Then, after we are baptized, God answers us by indicating that we now have a conscience that is good and pure.
Verse 21 ends with the words “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we could not have resurrection life, and we could not have the life-giving Spirit within us. Through faith and through baptism we all have been put into an organic union with the Triune God. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we are brought into the Triune God. Then we have an organic union with the Triune God. Now in the Triune God and with the Triune God we enjoy the divine life and the life-giving Spirit. Therefore, after we have been baptized, we have the divine life and the life-giving Spirit to make the figure of baptism real and living to us in our experience.
Verse 21 emphasizes baptism in relation to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The reality of baptism can be realized only by the divine life and the life-giving Spirit. Our basis for saying this is Peter’s word “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” It was in His resurrection that Christ released the divine life so that it could be imparted into our spirit. It was also in resurrection that Christ became the life-giving Spirit to come into our spirit, dwell in our spirit, and exercise all the riches of His divine life. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we genuinely and with assurance experience the reality of what is figured in baptism.
There are two aspects of baptism, the aspects of death and resurrection. Going down into the water and being immersed in the water signify death. Coming out of the water and walking away from the water signify resurrection. Therefore, in baptism we see not only the aspect of Christ’s death, but also the aspect of Christ’s resurrection. Christ’s death can be prevailing and effective only in resurrection. If Christ had died but had not been resurrected, His death would have been in vain. The effectiveness of Christ’s death is in the Spirit of resurrection. Christ died to take away our sin (John 1:29), and He died for our sins, bearing our sins away (1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 2:24). Christ’s death now keeps us free from sin (Rom. 6:7). But the effectiveness of this death is in Christ’s resurrection. The reality and effectiveness of the death of Christ are in the life-giving Spirit in resurrection. When the life-giving Spirit comes into us with resurrection life, this Spirit makes the death of Christ effective in our experience. Immediately and spontaneously, we are free from sin, and we enjoy the redemption accomplished by Christ on the cross.
Baptism is a figure indicating that all negative things have been dissolved and buried in the water. But baptism also signifies the resurrection of Christ. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we have the reality of what is signified in baptism.
At this point, I would like to say a further word regarding the ark of Noah. It is commonly acknowledged that the ark of Noah typifies Christ. But many readers of the Bible are not clear in what way or in what aspect the ark of Noah is a type of Christ. The ark of Noah typifies the Christ in resurrection passing through death.
When Christ was living on earth, He, of course, was not yet resurrected, for He had not yet died. Nevertheless, in John 11:25 He said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” This reveals clearly that Christ, even before His death and resurrection, was both life and resurrection. He was always the Christ of resurrection. The ark of Noah, therefore, signifies this Christ of resurrection passing through death.
If the ark of Noah did not represent the Christ of resurrection, how could the ark pass through the water and come out safely? The very fact that the ark passed through the water and came out of the water signifies Christ in resurrection, since the ark itself is a type of Christ. How is it possible for Christ, and Christ alone, to enter into death and come out of it? Christ could come forth out of death in resurrection because He is resurrection and is of resurrection. Because Christ is the unique One of resurrection, He had the strength to pass through death. According to Acts 2:24, death could not hold Him. But when any other person enters into the realm of death, he is held there. It is not possible for anyone else to come out. Christ not only entered into death and passed through it, but He even deliberately stayed in the realm of death for three days. When those three days were over, He walked out of death. Because Christ is resurrection, He could simply walk out of death. This is signified by the ark of Noah, which entered into the death waters, stayed in the death waters, passed through the death waters, and came out of the death waters. This is a type of the Christ in resurrection.
In His resurrection Christ became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b) to come into us (John 20:22) and to impart His resurrection life to us. Now this resurrection life with the life-giving Spirit makes every aspect of Christ’s death real and effective to us in our experience.
In verse 22 Peter concludes this section by saying, “Who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being subjected to Him.” This additional word not only unveils to us further, as the glorious result of Christ’s suffering, His exaltation after resurrection and a high and honorable position He now holds in the heavens at the right hand of God, but also indicates how glorious and honorable is the organic union we have entered into with Him through baptism, for we have been baptized into Him (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27).
It is a characteristic of Peter’s writing to add in as many points as possible. We see this characteristic in verse 22. After referring in the previous verse to the resurrection of Christ, Peter goes on to show us that today the resurrected Christ is at the right hand of God. Christ has gone into heaven, and angels, authorities, and powers have all been subjected to Him. We have seen that through baptism we have been put into Christ, and now we have an organic union with Him. The Christ to whom we have been joined organically is not only the resurrected One, but also the ascended One. Therefore, through the organic union, we are brought not only into Christ’s resurrection but also into His ascension and exaltation. This means that, because we are in Christ, the angels, authorities, and powers are subject to us as well as to Him. Hallelujah, we are one with the crucified, resurrected, and exalted Christ!
