1 Peter 3:21 is another verse often used by the baptismal regenerationist. But notice carefully the actual wording and the context. Noah and his family were not saved by the water, but from the water of judgment. Their salvation came by being inside the ark, the ark being a figure or a type of the believer's salvation from judgment by being in Christ. In the 21st verse it says: "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us." Baptism is here used to illustrate by way of a figure of speech the operation of God which takes place inwardly upon believing. The "figure" (baptism) speaks of our identification with Christ who has saved us-He was the "ark" of Noah's salvation. The salvation the sinner is afforded comes through His saving grace. The rest of the verse bears this truth out; it's not the putting away of the filth of the flesh (through ceremonial washings-a reference to Old Testament ritual), but the answer of a good conscience toward God. It is always heartfelt faith in the shed blood of the Lamb and in His glorious, bodily resurrection that renders the sinner justified before an all Holy God! Rom. 10:9; Heb. 9:14.
http://www.fundamentalbiblechurch.org/Tracts/fbcbaptr.htm
Miss Interpretation meet Miss Full Court.
Really FC, I had hoped better from you. A internet preacher? Please. Instead of you giving my your thoughts and beliefs on this passage, you had to resort to someone else.
Shoot, this guy would make Chubby Checker proud. He can twist and turn with the best of them.
I don't have the time right now, but I will be back later to give you my thoughts on this utterly amazing mischaracterization of I Peter 3:21. I don't blame you though...you just searched on the net until you found something that would refute me. That's fine. You still obviously agree with me since you stated someone else's position and not your own. You have had over 24 hours to find this one...I just would have thought you would have come up with something better. I guess I just had too high an expectation for you.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 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.
I will start with verse 18. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. One cannot escape the conclusion that the apostles of our Lord were Christ-intoxicated men. It is highly significant that they did not write on any theme associated with redemption without being immediately reminded of and alluding to, their matchless leader and guide. Peter’s reference to suffering wrongfully for righteousness sake brought immediately to his mind the one who, above all others, suffered in this manner; and he is offered as in I Pet 2:21-25, as a pattern for other innocent suffers.
Each word in this text is vitally significant. Christ “suffered”; and he suffered “for” our sins. The Greek word translated as “for” is the word peri; meaning “concerning”. He suffered concerning our sins once and for all, it not being necessary to make continual offerings as under the old Law of Moses; and the design of his offering was “that he might bring us to God”. Through his suffering we now have access to God (Rom 5:2), and are privileged to come boldly to the throne of grace (Heb 10:19); through once afar off (Eph 2:17), we have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Eph 2:13). It is significant that there is no article before the words “just” and “unjust” (some translations have “righteous” and “unrighteous”) in the original text. The meaning is, a just person suffering for or on behalf of an unjust person, a fact without which the blood of Jesus would have been no more effective than any other man.
being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit- Two things are affirmed of the Lord in this statement; (1) he was put to death in flesh (there is no article before either “flesh” or “spirit” in this affirmation); and (2) he was made alive in spirit. “In flesh” (sarki) and “in spirit” (Pneumati) are locatives, indicative of the sphere in which the action occurred. “Put to death” and “made alive” are aorist passive participles, thus pointing to a definite occasion when these events happened. The meaning is, the sphere of death, for our Lord, was in the flesh; the sphere in which he was made alive was in the spirit. Death affected only his flesh; for from dying in the spirit, here he was made alive. The “spirit” alluded to in this verse is, therefore that divine spirit which Jesus possesses in common with all men, and which was not affected by the death which he suffered. Why should it be asserted that in this spirit he was made alive? It should be remembered that it was Peter’s purpose to show that though Christ suffered death this, far from terminating his existence or destroying his influence, merely enabled him to be energized, brought to active life in the realm of the spirit. His spirit, instead of perishing in death, was clothed with renewed and enhanced powers of life. At death, this spirit passed into a new sphere of existence, hence was said to have been made alive.
by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison - In this spirit he preached. What was preached is not stated. This preaching was done to “spirits in prison”. They are called “spirits” because they were in a disembodied state when Peter wrote; and they were “in prison” i.e. under restraint as wicked beings. “In Prison” is of frequent usage to denote the state or condition of those spirits which because of disobedience await condemnation at the last day. (2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 20:7). It should be noted that Peter does not declare that these who were the objects of this preaching were in a disembodied state and in prison when the preaching was done; such was their condition when he wrote. The period in which such lived in the flesh, and the time when this preaching was done is clearly stated in the verse which follows.
20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, - These spirits were once in the flesh; they were once upon a time disobedient; the period of their disobedience was “while the ark was being prepared”; and during this period Christ preached to them. What one does through an authorized agent, he is said to do himself (1 John 4:1), hence Christ, in the person of Noah, preached to the antediluvians during the period in which the ark was being constructed; and these, having rejected this preaching died in disobedience, and were under restraint in the spirit realm when Peter wrote. The meaning of the passage, simply and briefly put, in this: Christ preached; he preached “in spirit: to “spirits in prison”. These spirits in prison were wicked persons who lived while the ark was “being prepared”. The preaching which Christ did was through Noah. Those to whom the preaching was done were bound in the prison house of disobedient spirits at the time the letter Peter wrote was penned.
Demonstrated in the events associated with the ark and the flood was the “Devine longsuffering”, that is the longsuffering of God. One hundred and twenty years were especially designated as the probationary period afforded men (Gen 6:3). During this period there must have been many opportunities afforded the antediluvian world to turn in penitence to the Lord. These were, for the most part, rejected.
in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. - into the ark, in order to be saved the eight souls went. Being saved in it through the means of water. They were saved in the ark, and by the water; the ark protected them from the flood, and the water bore up the ark, the means of their salvation from the old world. The eight souls saved were Noah, his wife, their sons and their wives. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. (2 Pet 2:5). Though he continued his preaching through the period in which the ark was being constructed, only those of his family were finally induced to avail themselves of the protection it afforded. Those saved in the ark were “saved through water”.
There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism - The antecedent of “antitype” is the “water” alluded to in verse 20, not, however the water of the flood, but water generally, and in this clause identified as the water of baptism. The apostle thus affirms that water, utilized in baptism, “an antitype” of that characteristic of the deliverance of Noah and his family from the old world, now saves. “An antitype which now saves us-baptism” is literally in the Greek text, “which antitype is now saving you, even baptism”. The salvation of Noah and those with him is thus made a type of the deliverance which a sinner receives in passing through the waters of baptism. The “antitype” obtains in the following manner: (1) the waters of the flood bore up the ark and delivered its occupants from the destruction of the antediluvian world; (2) these waters separated those who were saved from those who were drowned in them; and (3) the flood destroyed the evils of the old world and enabled Noah and his family to emerge into a new existence. In like fashion (antitype) (1) baptism is the final condition in the plan through obedience to which one is enabled to escape the condemnation of the lost. (Mark 15:15, 16), (2) Baptism designates the line of demarcation between the saved and the lost. (3) In baptism the “old man of sin” is buried, and from its watery grave one comes forth to “walk in newness of life”. (Rom 6:4)
The conclusion is inescapable that the deliverance promised is salvation from sin; and the statement is in exact harmony with one earlier made by this same Apostle when, in response to the query of the multitude on the day of Pentecost “”brethren what shall we do?” he answered “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”. (Acts 2:37-38)
The mention of water in connection with Noah’s deliverance from the old world immediately suggested to Peter a resemblance which exists in the water of our salvation, “baptism”. It should be noted that Peter does not affirm that Noah and his family were saved “by” water, nor “in” water, nor “from “water; they were saved THROUGH water, i.e. the water was the means through which God exercised his saving power. Following, the “antitype”- “baptism” saves NOW, not of course as a Savior, but as an instrument through which God exerts his saving power. When Naaman was led to finally dip in the river Jordon to be cleansed of his leprosy, he did not attribute miraculous efficacy to it muddy waters; this power resided in God only. Yet it was not until he dipped that he was cleansed (II Kings 5:14). Similarly when one is properly and intelligently baptized today, he knows that the power of forgiveness does not resided in the water, instead, the power of forgiveness resides IN God; and that the baptism is a condition precedent to receiving salvation from God’s hand.
(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, - to guard against any misunderstanding that should arise as a result of a misinterpretation of the first clause of this verse, Peter explains that baptism does not put away “the filth of the flesh”. “Filth” (rupos) refers to that which is dirty, physically defiled. Baptism does not wash sin from the skin, and is not to be confused with a bath for the body or a ceremonial cleansing of the flesh. It is a condition precedent to the forgiveness which God alone exercises. (Mark 16:15-16; Rom. 6:3-4).
Having explained what baptism is not, Peter tells what it is: “the answer of a good conscience toward God”. Baptism thus becomes an act through which an individual seeks to manifest a good conscience. One submitting sincerely to baptism follows the promptings of a good conscience; indicates thereby that his conscience is sensitive, and that he is desirous of doing exactly what the Lord has commanded.
Baptism derives its benefits “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” which it symbolizes. Baptism “which now saves us” does so only because Jesus was raised from the dead. (See also Romans 6)