"1 Peter 3 Verse 21 - A Spiritual
Baptism"
I
am speaking as a Biblical Born-Again Evangelical
Christian.
..........................................................................................
1
Peter 3:21 "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now
save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the
answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ."
Peter 3, verse 21 is NOT saying that a water
baptism saves a person. This verse, along with the surrounding
scripture is comparing the saving of the physical lives of Noah
and his family, to the Spiritual saving of believers in Jesus
Christ. A key phrase in this scripture is "The like figure," which
means there is a comparison being made.
Below
shows the biblical meaning of 1 Peter
3:21
As all scripture, 1 Peter 3:21 has a contextual
meaning that the Holy Spirit put in just the right way and explains
to those who follow Jesus Christ. There is the close context and
there is the context of the entire word of God, and we must always
read everything with the Gospel of Christ in mind, through "GRACE Colored Glasses."
A - Paul said to
believers in 2 Peter 3:18, " But grow in grace, and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and
for ever. Amen." --THIS is how we are to grow. Notice the word
"grace" in that scripture.
B - Ephesians 2:8 says to
believers, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God."
C - And we see in Romans
11:6 "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace
is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace:
otherwise work is no more work."
D - Before Jesus died and
rose from the dead people who loved God were baptized with water
believing that there would be "One" coming who would save them. In
Mark 1:8, John The Baptist said, "I indeed have baptized you with
water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost."
E -
Jesus would baptize people with the Holy Ghost (the Holy
Spirit).
F - We see Jesus speak of the need to be born of the
"Spirit" in John 3:5 - 7: Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is
flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not
that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
G - Mark 16
shows what Jesus commanded believers to do:
15 And he said
unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they
cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They
shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall
not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he
was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of
God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the
Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs
following. Amen.
H - Notice in Mark 16, the second half of
verse 16 shows that if a person does not believe that person shall
be damned. It does not say if the person is not baptized he will be
damned. This shows us that a person who is just baptized with water
and does not believe, will not be saved. (We know the scripture here
is speaking of a water baptism because the baptisms would be done by
man.)
I - We also see that after Jesus died and rose from the
dead that water baptisms began to take place after a person believed
on Jesus Christ. We see that the eunuch was not hindered from a
water baptism because he believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God, in Acts chapter 8:
34 And the eunuch answered Philip,
and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of
himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his
mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him
Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a
certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth
hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou
believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and
said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And
he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both
into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized
him.
We see in the book of John that Jesus, who is the word
made flesh, uses the term "living water" for the word of
God:
J - John 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him,
How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a
woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the
Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me
to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given
thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou
hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then
hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our
father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and
his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto
her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a
well of water springing up into everlasting life.
K - Now
let's look at 1 Peter 3:21:
Keeping in mind 1 Peter 1:23
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by
the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever," and John 1: 1
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God."
1 Peter 3
18 For Christ also hath once
suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us
to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the
Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the
spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when
once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the
ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by
water.
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also
now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the
answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ:
22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right
hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject
unto him.
L - 1 Peter 3, verse 21 is NOT saying that a water
baptism saves a person. Keeping all the above scripture in mind, if
it meant that, it would mean that the word of God contradicts
itself, which it does not contradict itself. The word of God is
perfect, lacking in nothing. Believers are called to "rightly divide
the word of truth." Taken in context of the bible and in the context
of its immediate surrounding scripture, verse 21 is comparing saving
of the physical lives of Noah and his family, to the Spiritual
saving of believers in Jesus Christ. Noah and his family were saved
by water (verse 20), and Jesus' bride (the biblical church made up
of believers) are saved by the living water. --Verse 21 is speaking
of the living water, the word of God, the word made flesh, Jesus
Christ. We know that this is speaking of the Spiritual birth
baptism, because it is speaking of salvation, "by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ."
M - A key phrase in this scripture is "The
like figure," which means there is a comparison being made.
N
- Another thing to point out here: The main point of 1 Peter 3:18 -
22 is that just as few people were saved by water in the days of
Noah, few people will be saved by the living water, Jesus Christ.
Read verse 20
again.
Debra
J.M. Smith 2012
www.InformingChristians.com
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