I. INTRODUCTION
A. For many years, men have debated over the necessity of baptism for the salvation of souls.
1. The word of God clearly teaches the requirement of baptism for remission of sins and the salvation of the soul (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, 41; 8:35-39; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 30-34; 22:16; Rom. 6:3-7; Gal. 3:26-27; Col. 2:11-14).
2. However, many men have given false interpretations of the Scriptures and devised their own doctrines in which they deny the necessity of baptism. This is why the subject is debated.
B. There is no clearer teaching regarding the relationship between baptism and salvation than the teaching of 1Peter 3:21.
Which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (ASV)
C. Let us examine this passage in context so that we may fully understand the truth about baptism.
II. CONTEXT
A. The First Epistle of Peter was written to provide encouragement and instruction for Christians in
1. Peter instructed these Christians to maintain their holy conduct in spite of physical sufferings and temptations (1:13-16; 2:11-12; 4:1-6, 14-19).
2. As a means of encouragement, their minds were directed by Peter toward God and the spiritual rewards that they would receive for their faith (1:3-9, 17-21; 5:10).
B. Peter presented Christ as an example of how to endure suffering and why these things happened to these believers.
1. Christ submitted Himself to the will of God even when it meant unjust suffering (2:18-23).
2. By suffering in the flesh, Christ provided redemption for men and gave victory to the spirit over the flesh (2:24-25; 3:18; 4:1).
3. Therefore, these Christians were to imitate Christ’s example by doing what was right even if it resulted in their own suffering. This they were to do in faith, sacrificing the desires of the flesh in favor of the spirit (1:9; 2:12; 4:13, 19; 5:10).
C. It is in this context that the example of Noah and the flood is presented and the connection between baptism and salvation is explained. Understanding the context, let us now focus upon 1Peter 3:18-22.
III. THE FLOOD, BAPTISM, AND SALVATION
A. First, in 1Peter 3:18, Christ is presented as an example with which the suffering Christian should identify.
1. Just as these Christians were suffering for doing what was right (1Pet. 3:17), so also Jesus suffered for doing what was right.
2. Although Jesus died in flesh, He was made alive in spirit, in which He also was able to “bring us to God.” From this truth, a suffering Christian may see that good can come from physical suffering.
B. Next, the example of Noah’s salvation is also presented for the suffering Christian’s encouragement and understanding (1Pet. 3:19-20).
1. The connection that is made between Christ and Noah is the spirit of Christ.
a. Notice first that the actions of Christ described in 1Peter 3:19 were performed while He was in spirit and not in flesh (“…but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and preached…,” vv. 18b-19a).
b. In spirit, Christ is said to have preached to “the spirits in prison,” which are identified as the disobedient spirits from Noah’s time in 1Peter 3:20.
i. Upon first reading of this passage, one may think that Christ preached to these spirits in prison after His resurrection. However, the timeframe for His preaching is stated in 1Peter 3:20 as being “when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah , while the ark was a preparing.”
ii. Therefore, we can understand that the spirit of Christ preached to these spirits while they were still men and women alive on the earth. Because they were disobedient to God then, they are now “in prison,” indicating that they presently restrained and reserved for judgment (compare to 2Pet. 2:4; Jude 6).
iii. The best explanation of this is that the spirit of Christ preached to the disobedient people of Noah’s time through Noah, who is described as a “preacher of righteousness” (2Pet. 2:5). (Consider also 1Peter 1:10-12 regarding the spirit of Christ inspiring the prophets to preach.)
c. Thus, the suffering Christians could also identify with Noah, who, like them, preached and practiced righteousness for God’s sake in the midst of a wicked generation.
2. Peter reminded these Christians that Noah and his family were saved apart from the rest.
a. Notice the emphasis on the few who were saved (eight souls), indicating the ability of a few to remain right even when many are wrong.
b. Peter’s meaning in this example is clear. Noah and his family were a minority who were saved when the others were destroyed. Christians compare to Noah in that they are also a minority who are saved.
C. Now let us notice that Peter emphasized the element of water in the salvation of Noah and in the salvation of Christians.
1. Noah and his family “were saved through water” (1Pet. 3:20).
a. They were not saved from water, as if water was the problem with the world, nor were they saved by water, as if the water had some miraculous power.
b. Water was the instrument through which God saved Noah and his family from the punishment brought upon the rest of the world. Through water, the righteous were separated from the unrighteous.
2. Likewise, Christians are also saved through water.
a. Peter wrote that the salvation of Noah through water is a “likeness,” type, or figure of that which now saves Christians, namely baptism, immersion in water. The application leads us to understand that salvation comes through baptism. It can mean nothing else.
b. Just as surviving through the water was the line of demarcation between Noah and the unrighteous, so also is baptism between Christians and the unrighteous.
IV. ANSWERING OBJECTIONS
A. Those who argue against the plain teaching of 1Peter 3:21 charge that attributing salvation to baptism makes salvation into the product of works instead of grace and faith. Let us answer this objection.
1. Because the example of Noah is applied, let us consider what saved him. The Scriptures assign several factors:
a. “But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah” (Gen. 6:8). This is the element of grace.
b. From Hebrews 11:7, we notice that the elements of faith and obedience were part of Noah’s salvation. Therefore, Noah contributed to his own salvation. This did not nullify the grace of God who warned him, but Noah would not have been saved without his own faith and obedience.
c. In our passage from 1Peter 3:20, Noah is said to have been saved through water. This is the ordinary instrument that God chose to use for Noah’s salvation.
2. Likewise, according to God’s plan, there are several factors involved in the salvation of a Christian.
a. There is grace, faith, obedience, and the ordinary element of water in baptism.
b. Advocating the truth of 1Peter 3:21 (baptism for salvation) does not nullify these other elements. It does not make salvation a product of works, and it does not mean that there is saving power in water.
B. Opponents of baptism for salvation should study 1Peter 3:18-22 to understand the true nature of baptism.
1. Baptism is not a physical act designed for the cleansing of the flesh (1Pet. 3:21).
2. Rather, baptism is the “interrogation (inquiry, appeal) of a good conscience toward God.” One who submits to baptism is appealing to God due to the promptings of his good and sensitive conscience. He desires to do exactly what the Lord desires of him, and God has commanded him to be baptized for the remission of sins (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38).
3. The power of baptism for salvation is not in the act of immersion itself but it is “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1Pet. 3:22), who is declared to have all power.
C. Those who oppose the plain teaching of Scripture regarding baptism for salvation place themselves in a similar position as those to whom Christ preached through Noah. Despite the longsuffering of God, they remained disobedient, and ultimately it was water that separated Noah from them.