“1 Peter 3:21, 22”

Monday, October 23, 2017

1 Peter 3:21, 22:

“21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.”

IMMEDIATE CONTEXT: 1 Peter 3:18-22 (Noah’s salvation)
EXTENDED CONTEXT: 1 Peter 3:13-4:19 (Suffering for Christ with a good conscience)

As is the case with every book in the Bible, it is hard to select only one verse to highlight for memory work. Our last passage from James 5:20 focused on restoring the Christian who had wandered from the truth. 1 Peter 3:21 has in view the salvation of the alien sinner—one who has never obeyed the gospel and has lived alienated from God (cf. Eph. 4:18; Col. 1:21).

Those who have been Christians for some time have likely memorized 1 Peter 3:21. If that is the case for you, consider advancing it with memorizing verse 22 which speaks of the authority of Christ. Jesus has the power to command us what to do to be saved because He is the Son of God who died and rose again. All authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth and He commanded His apostles to make disciples baptizing them (Matt. 28:18-20). To reject water as the element of baptism is to reject the immediate context found in 1 Peter 3:20. Accordingly, the clarification “not the removal of the filth of the flesh” is pointless if Peter had Holy Spirit baptism in mind.

To reject water immersion as a necessary requirement for salvation today is committing the same sin as that of the Pharisees and lawyers in Luke 7:30:

“But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.”

Refusing water baptism is rebelling against the will and authority of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, water baptism does not save us because of some inherent power found in water, but rather through the word, the blood, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ (cf. Jn. 8:51; 14:23; Rom. 5:9, 10; Eph. 2:13).

--Steven J. Wallace

Share