Introduction
Oh no! Not Baptism!
After talking about how the Spirit of Christ preached through Noah to those who were disobedient, Peter is going to make a statement which is as plain as the nose on your face concerning salvation.
When Peter uses the word baptism, he is using it in a way which we call an antitype. Which basically means ‘a thing formed after some pattern, that which corresponds to a type.’
You have two things that somehow relate or correspond to each other, one is a type, the other is the antitype.
‘Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.’ 1 Peter 3:21-22
Peter says the waters of the flood are the type, and the waters of baptism are the antitype.
Barnes, in his commemoratory, says the following.
‘The meaning here is, that baptism corresponded to, or had a resemblance to, the water by which Noah was saved; or that there was a use of water in the one case which corresponded in some respects to the water that was used in the other, in effecting salvation.’
All we need to understand about what he says is this, baptism is an important part of our salvation.
A Little History
For 1300 years after the church was established on the day of Pentecost, baptism was uniformly practised by the immersion of a person under water. In other words for 1300 years after the establishment of the church baptism was practised as we still practice it today.
Every single person who became a Christian in New Testament times were immersed in water. And notice what I wrote, every single person was immersed, not a single one of them was sprinkled or poured upon.
John Calvin says says the folowing.
‘In the early days, baptism was administered by immersion but the church did grant unto herself the liberty to change the rite somewhat’.
Do you understand what he’s saying? He’s saying that the Roman Catholic Church changed the rite, changed the practice of baptism, from full immersion to sprinkling or pouring.
And in the year 1311, the catholic council met in France and decided that sprinkling or pouring may be used as an alternative mode for baptism.
People often say, ‘oh you people, you’re always going on about baptism’. If it’s important for Jesus to preach it, if it’s important for the writers of the New Testament to practice it, then it should be important for us to preach and practice it too.
Did you know that the Bible speaks about baptism 126 times? And in every instance in the Bible it means to dip or immerse or plunge, not once does it mean to sprinkle or to pour.
Allow me to share something with you which may come as a shock to some. I don’t believe in infant baptism and I don’t even believe in adult baptism, but what I do believe in is a believer’s baptism. The Gospel is designed for people who have the ability to believe or not to believe.
That’s exactly what Jesus taught. ‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who disbelieves will be condemned,’ Mark 15:15-16.
Notice that He did not say ‘Whoever BELIEVES and is SAVED shall be BAPTISED’. No matter how we look at this verse, Jesus clearly put salvation AFTER faith and baptism.
Notice also the tenses in this text, ‘Whoever believes and is baptised,’ is present tense, but ‘will be saved’, is future sense.
It’s a believer’s baptism, someone who believes and is baptised will be saved, and someone who doesn’t believe will be condemned.
We’re not saved simply by believing, if we were taught that we were saved simply by believing we’ve been taught a lie. If we believe that we were saved before we were baptised or if we were taught that it doesn’t matter when we’re baptised, then our belief is wrong, Matthew 28:19-20 / Acts 2:38.
Think about it, if our sins were already forgiven before our baptism then what was the purpose of us being baptised? Because Peter says we’re baptised in order to be forgiven and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:38.
Scriptural baptism is the immersion of a believer in water with a view to receiving the forgiveness of their sins, receiving the Holy Spirit as a gift, acceptance by Christ and addition to the body of Christ, the church, Acts 2:41 / Acts 2:47.
And if our baptism doesn’t match up to that biblical standard, we need to re-examine what we went through, because this really is a salvation issue.
What I find amazing these days is that many people don’t preach about the importance of baptism in some religious circles but did you know some of their best teachers used to?
The Church of England for example, in their prayer book, says, that ‘baptism is the ordinance where by a person becomes a child of God, a member of Christ and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven’.
And if that doesn’t tell us that baptism is important, I don’t know what does. A child of God, a member of Christ and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven is what you become by means of baptism.
What about John Wesley? We know what the Methodists today practice and preach but John Wesley in his notes on the New Testament says this, ‘all who believed in New Testament Times were baptised’. Wow that’s certainly not true today, is it?
Campbell Morgan who was a Congregationalist says ‘in the rite of baptism there are two movements, an immersion and an emergence. Immersion is the symbol of death and burial and emergence is the symbol of the resurrection and life of that work of the Holy Spirit there is no symbol so perfect as that of water baptism’.
Harry A. Ironside who was an active member of the Plymouth Brethren says, ‘To the lover of the Lord Jesus Christ there can be nothing legal about baptism. It is simply the glad expression of a grateful heart recognizing its identity with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection. Many of us look back to the moment when we were thus baptized as one of the most precious experiences we have ever known.’
Martin Luther says in answer to the question, ‘what gifts or benefits does baptism bestow?’ Luther replied, ‘it affects forgiveness of sins.’ He also wrote concerning the sinner, ‘through baptism, he is bathed in the blood of Christ and is cleansed from sins.’
And finally, Luther says, ‘to put it most simply, the power, effect, benefit, fruit, and purpose of baptism is to save.’
And for those who argue by saying that baptism is working for our salvation, Luther also says, ‘yes, it is true that our works are of no use for salvation. Baptism, however, is not our work but God’s.’ Colossians 2:12 / Titus 3:4-5.
I would also add that faith is a work? But again faith is the work of God, not man, John 6:29. The expression ‘work of God’ means the works required and approved by God.
The point I’m trying to make is that sprinkling and pouring to replace full immersion is a relatively new thing. And because its practice has only been around for 300 years or so, should warn us that this is a manmade ordinance.
The religious world around us can practice and teach whatever they want, but the Bible clearly tells us that baptism is important for salvation.
Peter makes it very clear that ‘baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you,’ 1 Peter 3:21, but in what way does baptism save us? It’s all to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 3:21. There is nothing special about the water we get plunged under, salvation in baptism is not found in the water.
Salvation in baptism is only possible because of the blood of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. Because if He had not shed His blood on the cross, if He had not been raised back to life, we would still be in our sins, 1 Corinthians 15:17.
But thanks be to God, Jesus did rise from the dead. And because Jesus was raised from the dead, we who are united together in the likeness of His death in our baptism can share in the power of His resurrection as we also rise to walk in the newness of life, Romans 6:3-6.
Baptism in the Bible is used to mean identification
The relationship between water baptism and spiritual baptism is similar to the relationship of a wedding to a wedding ring. The ring doesn’t marry you, but it clearly identifies the wearer as one who is married. The ring identifies one who has made a total, lifelong commitment to another person, Romans 6:3-5.
What Paul is telling us in Romans 6:3-5, is that baptism identifies us with Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection into new life. This identification is not only with Christ but also into the name of the Father and Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19-20.
And this is significant because it shows that our lives are to be totally encompassed by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Paul also more or less says the same thing over in Colossians 2:12-13.
In other words, it is the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead which saves us in baptism so we can be made alive.
Listen to what the apostle Paul says, ‘what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,’ Ephesians 1:19-20.
When we flick over to Ephesians 2:4-6, Paul says, ‘but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved-and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.’
Do we understand what he’s telling us? He’s telling us that by God’s saving grace and resurrecting power, baptism can indeed save us. Not because of any cleansing power in the water, but because of what God is doing at that moment.
And do you also know that baptism is an appeal to God? What Peter is telling us in 1 Peter 3:21, is that our baptism is an appeal to God for a clear conscience, 1 Timothy 1:5.
If anyone should know the significance of baptism, it’s Peter, after all, he was the one who preached the very first Gospel message and commanded those listening to ‘repent and be baptised’, Acts 2:38.
Why would he tell them to repent and be baptised if repentance and baptism weren’t important for salvation?
Why would Ananias say to the apostle Paul, ‘and now why do you wait? Rise and be baptised and wash away your sins, calling on his name’? Why would he tell him to hurry up and be baptised if baptism wasn’t important for his salvation? Acts 22:16.
Baptism was and still is for the remission of sins, to have one’s sins washed away by the blood of Christ. And to have a good conscience before God is to have our conscience cleared by the blood of Christ, Hebrews 9:14.
A person is baptised so their sins can be washed away and they can rise to a new life through the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead.
As I mentioned earlier the Holy Spirit is given as a gift in order to help us live our Christian life in a way which pleases God, Acts 2:38. But I cannot for the life of me understand why some people today disagree with the Bible on this topic.
When I read my Bible I don’t see anyone arguing against baptism. I don’t read anywhere in Acts 2 of people saying, ‘must I be baptised?’ What I see are ‘those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls,’ Acts 2:41.
I don’t read anywhere in Acts 4, of people saying, ‘I’m not sure if I should be baptised!’ What I see is ‘many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand,’ Acts 4:4.
I don’t read anywhere in Acts 5, of people saying, ‘are you sure about this baptism thing?’ What I see is ‘more believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.’ Acts 5:14.
I don’t read anywhere in Acts 6, of people saying, ‘I believe in Jesus and that’s all that I need to do?’ What I see is ‘the word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly,’ Acts 6:7.
Our soul is just too precious to God for us to play around with. We’ve all heard people say ‘well, I will come to the Lord eventually, I will get baptised next year’.
In the Bible, there was none of this, ‘I don’t need to be baptised or I will get baptised later this year’ but what we do see is the opposite. In the Bible, we see a bunch of people who realised they were sinners and they were anxious to be baptised.
Look at the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, he didn’t waste any time, Acts 8:35-38. What we see in the Bible are people who believed that Jesus was who He claimed to be and they understood that baptism was important enough for salvation.
Baptism was important enough for them to get it done straight away. But what’s hindering some people? For some, it’s the fear of the commitment, where they say, ‘I’m not sure if I can live up to the Christian lifestyle.’
God says if we step out in faith today and He will help us in our Christian walk. For others, it’s pride, where they say, ‘I’m not going to be baptised just because someone said I need to’.
Maybe they should get baptised because God commanded them to, Mark 16:15-16. Isn’t that what it means to be ‘born again’? Isn’t that what it means to be ‘born of water and the Spirit’, John 3:1-5. Can’t we see the connection between ‘the water and the Spirit’ being acted out in baptism, Acts 2:38?
But for most, it’s because they don’t understand the importance of baptism and they don’t see sin like God sees sin. Some people see themselves as good people but they are still sinners with a sin problem. Some people see themselves as devoted to God but they are still sinners with a sin problem.
Some people see themselves as God-fearing people but they are still sinners with a sin problem. Some people see themselves as a religious person because they work in charity shops and do a lot of good deeds but they are still sinners with a sin problem. Some people see themselves as people who pray regularly to God but they are still sinners with a sin problem.
I know a man who was just like that and in Acts 10, we can read about him, Acts 10:1-2. If we met Cornelius today, he would remind us of so many good people in the world, wouldn’t he?
People who devote their lives to God, people who fear God, people who give generously to those in need, and people who always pray to God. And we in our minds would say, ‘Cornelius yep, he’s a good Christian man’.
He may well be all of these things but he still has a problem, his sin. And there’s only one to deal with sin, which is through baptism. We might be thinking, where in the text does it imply that he had a sin problem?
Well, if we read on we will read that Peter ‘Commanded not only Cornelius but also his household to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,’ Acts 10:48.
Notice again, Cornelius and his household didn’t say, ‘oh no, not baptism, I will do anything but be baptised!’
Why would Peter command them to be baptised if Cornelius and his household were already right with God? Why would he command them to be baptised if they were already in a saved state?
They were commanded to be baptised in order to be saved just like every other Christian back then did, Acts 2:37-41 / Acts 8:36-38 / Acts 10:47-48 / Acts 16:13-15 / Acts 16:27-34 / Acts 18:5-8 / Acts 19:1-5 / Acts 22:14-17, and every single Christian in the Lord’s church today did.
As I mentioned earlier, if I were teaching this lesson over 300 years ago, there would be no arguing concerning baptism. It’s a real tragedy that so many people today totally ignore the importance of baptism.
I mentioned earlier that baptism is like a wedding ceremony and I don’t know about you but all of the weddings I’ve ever been to are beautiful events, especially as those vows are made to each other.
Well, if you have ever witnessed a true Biblical baptism surely you have to agree that this too is a beautiful event. It’s beautiful because it is as sacred and God ordained as a marriage ceremony, as both people say, ‘for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, I promise to love you and stay with you as long as I live’.
Jesus says when we step out in faith in the waters of baptism, that’s our way of saying, ‘I promise to love you and stay with you forever’. And Jesus says, when you’re baptised into the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, ‘I promise to stay with you forever too, and to help you along, the Holy Spirit will live in you, to help you keep to your promise to me,’ Matthew 28:18-20 / Acts 2:38.
Jesus died, was buried and rose again and in the waters of baptism, we too die to self, we too are buried in the water and rise to a new life, Colossians 2:11-12 / Romans 6:3-6.
Yes, baptism is an acting out the Gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, 1 Corinthians 15:2-4, but it’s also a spiritual marriage ceremony between us and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
