Growing in Grace and Hope
1 Peter 3:21 – “What is Appealing to God?”
You have no doubt heard about the severe drought in
Seriously, baptism is a sobering subject that the Bible speaks very seriously about. And in 1 Peter, the apostle makes a very intentional statement about it in 1 Peter 3:21
1 Peter 3:21 – “Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” (NASB)
I use the NASB because it is most precise – closest to a word for word translation of the Greek. In fact, if you buy an interlinear Bible, like this one, it will usually have the Greek text and then the strictest translation underneath the Greek (often making no sense in English because of word order) and the NASB on the other side.
The immediately preceding context of this verse is found verses 18-20. These verses tell us that
Christ suffered once for sins;
He was just and we were unjust;
The purpose for His suffering was to bring us to God;
He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit (See also Rom. 1:4);
He preached to spirits in prison;
These spirits are linked to Noah's time; and
Noah and 7 others were saved through water (his wife, his three sons and wives for his three sons).
Now, with this background, we come to verse 21. The first
thing we note is that Peter sees a correspondence between the flood of Noah and
our baptism. That is, in like manner to one, so is the other. In other words,
as the flood saved Noah, so baptism now saves us. Noah was not saved by the
flood, but God saved him through the flood. The flood becomes, in the mind of
Peter, a reminder of our own baptism. We then, are not saved by our baptism,
but we are saved through our baptism. That is, God saves us, he brings us
safely through our baptism, just as He did Noah. This is similar to what Paul
taught us in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 where the children of
Baptism saves us, like the flood saved Noah. We cannot say that the flood was the causative agent of Noah's salvation, any more than we can say that baptism is the causative agent of our salvation. That is the role of God’s grace. Noah’s faith put him on the ark, just as our faith puts us in the baptistery. The flood was the event associated with Noah's salvation, and so baptism is the event associated with our salvation. It is the process whereby we die to our old selves and God brings us safely through that death and into our new life by the power of the resurrected Christ.
Some questions and
answers
I. What is
baptism’s role in accepting Jesus?
Well, let’s look at what the Bible says about how we come to be saved. How do I connect with what Jesus did for me on the cross and in the empty tomb? How do I accept that free gift?
How Do I Accept Jesus And What He Did For Me?
1. Hear the Gospel (good news of Jesus).
- Romans 10:13-14 – “Whoever
calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
But how can they call on Him in whom they have not believed, . . . or
believe in whom they have not heard . . .?
2. Believe the Gospel.
- John 3:16 – “whosoever
believes”
- Romans 5:1 – “justified by faith” (made right with God) - believing that I need forgiveness and a right relationship with God, and that Jesus is the way to that right relationship.
3. Repent of your sin. Repentance (metanoia) means to turn away from and turn to. It is not just sorrow but a decision to make God your boss.
- Acts 2:38 – Repent
- Acts 17:30-31 – “God
declares that all people should repent.”
- 2 Peter 3:9 – “God
wishes all to come to repentance”
4. Confess Jesus as the Son of God, Lord and Savior or your life.
- Matthew 10:32-33 – “Everyone
who confesses Me before men – I will confess Him before my Father in heaven.”
- Romans 10:9-10 – “If
you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
5. Be baptized into Christ.
- Acts 2:38 – “Repent
and be baptized, everyone of you, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Because baptism has not always been followed biblically throughout the history of the church, we want to clarify what the Bible does say about it.
a. What is it?
- “Baptism” is a Greek word that means “to immerse, to dip, plunge, overwhelm.” It always involved being submerged. The word never got translated into the English language. Instead it was transliterated. Unfortunately, it has been given other meanings over the centuries (e.g. initiated).
- In the Bible, baptism is going down into the water and being raised back up. Acts 8:38,39 (Ethiopian) Matthew 3:14-16 (Jesus)
- Baptism portrays a death and resurrection.
- of Christ (Romans 6:4-5) – “buried with Him in baptism into death – so that as Christ was raised from the dead, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
- of the one being baptized - the old self as sinner being put to death and the new self in Christ being raised in new life (Romans 6:4-8) – “As we have been united with Him in His death, we also will be raised as He was.”
- it is an act of submission (not a work that earns something) to Jesus. The command is to “be baptized.” It is something done to you, not something you do.
The founders of the denominations agree:
b. Why be baptized?
- Jesus commanded it for all who believed in Him. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16)
- Jesus said “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)
- In baptism, we identify with
Christ. (Galatians 3:27) – “You who were baptized into His Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ.”
- In baptism, we identify with His
Church (1 Corinthians 12:13) “By one
Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”
- Baptism is God’s prescribed
way to demonstrate our initial faith in Christ. It is a God given objective moment where we
display our subjective faith in Jesus Christ as opposed to a man made tradition
(e.g. the mourner’s bench or the sinner’s prayer). We will talk about this in a moment. This is
why we find language connecting baptism to salvation such as 1 Peter 3:21
which says “baptism now saves you, not
the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good
conscience.” The water and the act
of baptism do not save us. Ephesians
2:8-10 tells us that is the role of God’s grace. There is nothing holy about the water. What is holy is the faith of the
believer. God’s grace saves us, but
baptism is a moment in which we appeal To God in our faith in His grace. In that sense, baptism is an occasion of
salvation. This is why Acts 2:38
says, “Be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”
Or Acts 22:16, “Arise, be baptized
and wash away your sins.”
So, it is often said we are saved by grace, through faith, at baptism. Baptism is faith expressed to God the way God commanded us to express it.
c. When should I be baptized?
- As soon as you believe in Jesus Christ or as soon as you realize that He commands you to be baptized. In the N.T. there was no such thing as an unimmersed believer.
- Acts 8:37- Ethiopian ; Acts 16:31-33 – Philippian jailer - In the New Testament, there was an immediacy to baptism.
So it is usually more private than public – usually not on Sunday morning.
To follow Jesus’ command to be baptized as He commanded is never a matter of being “rebaptized.” You are only doing now in good conscience and obedience of faith what you realize you have not done.
6. Continue in the faith.
Our assurance of salvation in Jesus does not come from our good works. Neither can we lose our salvation by sinning. However, we can choose to reject our faith in God’s grace and “fall from grace” in that way (Galatians 5:4). God will never force us to be with Him if we choose not to be. That is not love. Our assurance is built on what God has done for us and His faithfulness to keep His promises and not our ability to please Him. We are saved by grace and kept by grace. Our good works are just an expression of our gratitude to God for what He has done and evidence of our faith and His working in us.
Why is it controversial then? Because people began to substitute their own ways for the clear message of the Bible centuries ago.
- infant baptism in the Roman Catholic church following Augustines understanding of original sin.
- sprinkling as a new method following infant baptism and carried on to adults
- Zwingli’s “faith alone” to allow for now action on the part of a believer who was not even capable of free will faith.
Understand, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Augustine, Justin Martyr and virtually every other church father and early reformer argued for the necessity of baptism and that baptism should remain what the word meant – immersion – signifying the death and resurrection of Jesus and of the one being baptized.
II. What baptism
is not
Not baptismal regeneration – but baptism being the commanded moment when God’s grace meets our faith. We are saved BY grace, THROUGH faith, AT baptism. Sacramental theology (baptismal regeneration) suggests the power is in the sacrament (baptism, marriage, communion, last rites, etc.) Biblical theology says the power is in God’s grace, we accept it through faith, and that God gives us an objective way to APPEAL in a good conscience that we believe in His grace.
III. What about
modern substitues?
Substitutes humans have used through the centuries:
- Mourner’s bench (altar call roots) – to work up an emotion. (popular in early American revivals). If coming to a preacher outside of the revival scene, you would be asked for your “narrative” or story. Then the preacher would judge if is was authentic or not and declare you saved or not.
- Sinner’s prayer (concerts, in gospel tracts, the back notes of some Bibles). It usually goes something like this . . .
- What about the thief on the cross? (That was pre death of Jesus, pre Christian era.) The Day of Pentecost is the beginning of the chuch.
- In the first few centuries of the church there was only one ritual that connected all Christians together. It was their baptism as a believer. No other ritual to appeal to accept God’s grace existed until after the reformation. Baptism was the entry point, the wedding vow, the marking event in a Christian’s journey.
IV. Isn’t baptism
a work?
Works versus works - Some have objected to the need to be baptized saying, “Baptism is a work, and you can’t work for your salvation.” It is a rather absurd objection, because they misunderstand the meaning of the word “work” as it is used in different ways in the Bible. Of course you cannot work for your salvation. Ephesians 2:8-10 makes that clear. It is the dominant message of the first chapters of Romans. But in those contexts, Paul is using the word “work” to refer to “works of the law.” That is, Paul is using the word “work” in reference to something we do that earns something. That is not the only way the word “work” is used in the Bible. In fact, the word “work” in its most basic sense simple means “something we do.” If you believe in free will, then even faith is “something we do.” Repentance is “something we do.” Confession of Jesus is “something we do.” None of these is seen as something we do that earns anything. They are actions of faith that reach up to accept a free gift. So is baptism. As our text today says, it is an appeal to God for a clean conscience.
In the USA Today newspaper in 1/6/00 – an article spoke of Pat Summerahl, the famous sports broadcaster meeting with Mickey Mantle on his deathbed. Mickey was asking Pat about Jesus and baptism. A few days before his death, Mickey Mantle placed his faith in Jesus and was baptized. Summerahl himself was baptized a short time later. He said of it, “It was the most helpless feeling I’ve ever had, and the most invigorating.” He recognized God was doing a work. Baptism is something you submit to, not a work that earns something.
V.. What about
sincere believers unimmersed?
- Acts 18:24-26 – Apollos delayed for lack of knowledge
What if ....?
What if I was baptized as an infant? It was not a demonstration of your own faith. Notice Acts 8::37 – “If you believe with all your heart you may.” and Mark 16:15-16. Baptism is for a believer. It is an act from a believing heart, surrendering to the work of God.
We certainly accept baptisms from other churches – as long as it was an act of your own faith and immersion.
What if I was sprinkled as a believer? Baptize = immerse. We ask you to follow in the obedience of your faith what God has commanded of you. Notice the example of Apollos in Acts 18:24-26. God only holds us accountable and responsible for what we know. The question is not “What if” but “Why not now?”
Conclusion:
What is appealing to God – (play on words)? What pleases him? When we trust Him. That means faith in the blood of Jesus and repenting of our sins, confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior and being immersed into Christ the way he commanded us to when we believe. It also means continuing to strive to live a life of faith.