The sermon text provided below is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

Please remain standing for the reading of God’s word, we continue our consideration of 1st Peter, and
tonight we are in a challenging portion of 1st Peter, 1st Peter chapter 3 verses 18-22.
And you’ll find that on page 1205 in your pew bibles if you’d like to follow along.
But let us hear with reverence and awe the word of our God, 1st Peter chapter 3 verses
18-22.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit, in which
he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey when God’s
patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few,
that is eight persons, were brought safely through water.
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.
For once the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever.
Once again, let’s seek the Lord’s blessing upon the preaching of his word.
Heavenly Father, we ask that your word, which is the power of God unto salvation to all
who believe, we ask that this word would be driven home to our hearts by your Holy Spirit,
that you would open our minds and our hearts this evening to behold wondrous things from
your word, and we pray that you would implant the word of grace into our souls this evening
as we consider this portion of your word.
We ask that you would set a guard over my lips, that I might speak only that which is
faithful, and we ask, Lord God, that the name of Jesus would be exalted in the preaching
of his word this evening.
In his name we pray, and all of God’s people said, Amen.
In congregation, you may be seated.
My sermon this evening is Baptism Now Saves You, and the keywords are Gospel, Christ,
Baptism, and Saves, or Salvation.
Well, dear ones, this evening we consider, as I already mentioned, we consider a challenging
passage of Holy Scripture.
Indeed, dear ones, verses 19 through 21 of our passage are arguably some of the most
difficult verses in the entirety of the New Testament Scriptures to interpret.
And how to understand the various minutiae, the various details of this passage is heavily
disputed among biblical scholars and exegetes.
In this passage of God’s word, we are confronted with many puzzling questions.
I mean, a good practice in learning how to be a good interpreter of the Bible is to learn
how to ask good questions of what you are reading, especially if you come to a difficult
passage.
And I suggest to you, in cases like that, you might want to have a notepad or a computer
beside you and take notes and ask questions of the text that you’re reading.
And this particular text confronts us with many such questions.
For example, this passage raises the question, when did Christ preach to the spirits in prison
that are referred to in verse 19?
And who are these spirits in prison?
Is he referring to dead human spirits or is he referring to demonic spirits or something
else?
And what is this prison to which he refers in this passage?
Why does Peter mention God’s patience in the days of Noah?
And why on earth does Peter compare the floodwaters of Noah’s day to the sacrament of Holy Baptism?
And what does he mean when he states in verse 21 that baptism now saves you?
Again, in attempting to answer these kinds of questions, biblical scholars have offered
a confusing array of possible interpretations of these verses.
In my opinion, there are some equally competent and learned and godly Bible-believing scholars
and theologians who advocate some very different interpretations of these seemingly mystifying
verses.
Now, you might be thinking to yourself, okay, buckle up, the pastor’s going to take us
through all of the various different interpretations or possible interpretations of this passage.
And I assure you that that is not my intention this evening.
But I do want to point out that this is a difficult passage and this can be rather discouraging
to the typical Bible reader.
After all, since the study of this passage by professionally trained and learned Bible
scholars has yielded so many differences of interpretation, what are you supposed to
do if you are not a professionally trained biblical scholar?
When trying to dive into a passage like this one, you may be tempted, brother or sister,
to throw up your hands in frustration and to say, what is the use?
If even biblical scholars with advanced degrees struggle to understand this passage of God’s
word, then how can I, an ordinary Bible reader, ever hope to profit from this passage of God’s
word?
But, dear listeners, if you’re tempted to be discouraged, if you’re tempted to think
like that, let me offer you some words of encouragement by reminding you that the Bible
attests to the truth that all scripture is profitable.
All scripture is God-breathed and profitable, and that would include even difficult passages
of scripture like the one that we are considering this evening.
Again, consider what the apostle Paul tells us in that very familiar passage in 2 Timothy
3, 16, and 17 as he writes to his son in the faith Timothy, and he says this, all scripture
is breathed out by God, theopneustos, God-breathed, all scripture is breathed out by God and what?
So again, even though this is a passage that we as God’s people need to wrestle with and
struggle with, and sometimes that’s how God contributes to our sanctification, he sanctifies
us by forcing us to work through passages like this one, and we have to bring all of
our resources to bear as we seek to understand this passage.
But let me also encourage you, brothers and sisters, to keep in mind the life situation
that was faced by Peter’s original readers in the first century.
Consider how the truths that are contained in these verses would have encouraged them
in their faith.
Remember friends that Peter’s original readers were facing an intensified, demonically inspired
persecution for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And even though we may not be able to come to dogmatic conclusions about how to interpret
all of the minutiae and varying details of this passage, as we will see, Peter in this
passage emphasizes the gospel truth that our Lord Jesus Christ has conquered sin, has reconciled
us to God, has gained victory and vindication by his resurrection from the dead, that he
reigns at the Father’s right hand and that he has subjected the angelic realm of spirits
to himself, which would include even those demonic spirits that were behind the fiery
trials of persecution that these believers were facing.
Jesus has subjected even those spirits to his sovereign dominion.
My friends, the message of this passage to these first century believers and indeed to
all believers who face uncertainty and opposition and persecution in this present age, the message
is loud and clear.
The basic message is loud and clear.
And that basic message is Christ is victorious.
Jesus Christ reigns.
He has conquered, therefore fear not.
Now beginning in chapter 3 verse 13, Peter had returned to the theme of suffering for
righteousness sake, a theme which virtually dominates the remainder of this epistle.
In verse 18, he draws our attention to the ultimate example of one who suffered unjustly
at the hands of the wicked, namely our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the suffering servant
of God.
And in turning our attention to Jesus, Peter cannot help but review the basic elements
of the gospel message.
And so as we turn our attention to the details of this passage, I want us first to consider
the truth of the gospel restated.
What we have in this passage is the truth, the basic truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ
being restated for the encouragement and the fortification and the building up of these
suffering Christians to whom Peter is writing.
Now we consider verse 18 on the last Lord’s Day, but by way of quick review, we learned
in this passage, verse 18, that Christ the righteous one suffered for the unrighteous.
The idea of substitutionary atonement lies behind this statement here.
And that of course is at the heart and center and soul of the gospel.
It says in verse 18, for Christ also suffered once for sins, Jesus Christ, the God man,
the word made flesh offered a perfect once and for all sacrifice for sin, a propitiatory
sacrifice that accomplished eternal redemption for God’s people.
Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for or in the place of the unrighteous.
Why?
That he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in or by
the spirit.
This statement here in verse 18 implies a number of very central gospel truths.
For example, the truth that we are sinners, Christ died what?
The righteous for the unrighteous.
Who are the unrighteous ones for whom Christ died?
That’s me and you, brothers and sisters.
We are sinners.
We are unrighteous.
We fall short of the glory of God.
We do not love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
We do not love our neighbor as ourselves.
We are by nature, fallen nature in Adam and by choice and sinners.
And we are culpable, responsible for that sin.
And because of our sin, we are in desperate need of a sinless savior.
Praise God that God has provided for sinners like me and you a perfect, all-sufficient
savior of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For Christ is the sinless one.
He is described as the righteous one.
We also learn in the statements of this verse that Christ, the God man, suffered.
He died in our place.
He offered a substitutionary atonement.
He took the penalty that we deserve for our sin upon himself.
And the Father sent his Son out of love to redeem sinners.
It’s not that Jesus had to die to make an angry God loving.
It’s that God, who was justly angry for us because of our sin, out of love for us sinners,
sent his Son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin in our place, in our stead.
Again, that is at the heart and center of the Gospel.
And why did Christ do so?
In order to bring us to God.
This is the language of bringing us to God.
That’s the language of reconciliation and justification.
So in this passage, in this verse, are condensed these central Gospel truths.
The truth that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
The truth that Christ died for sinners like me and you.
That he died in our place, in our stead, in order to effect reconciliation and justification.
But not only that, this passage clearly implies and proclaims that Christ rose victorious
from the dead.
The resurrection victory of Christ is also pulsating throughout this passage as we’re
told in verse 18 that he was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit.
Now I pointed out on the last Lord’s Day that there’s some interpretive and translational
differences of opinion about how to understand this.
Some translations, for example, the New King James Version, say that Christ was made alive
by the Spirit, which would mean that the Holy Spirit was the divine agent in raising
our Lord Jesus from the dead.
And certainly the scriptures elsewhere teach that.
Or it could be translated as it is here in the English Standard Version as made alive
in the Spirit, which would refer to Christ in his resurrected sphere of life.
Christ in his bodily physical resurrection from the dead was raised in a body that was
adapted to the Spirit world.
Christ was physically raised from the dead, but his resurrection body also had unique
qualities to it.
He seemed to be able to appear and disappear at will.
He could also eat food and you could touch him and see him, but he would also appear
and disappear at will.
Whatever the case may be, however we are to understand this statement in verse 18, it
is clear that the glorious, victorious resurrection of Christ from the dead is at least clearly
implied in this verse and it is clearly stated later on in this passage in verse 21, where
it says of baptism that it is an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
So we have the death and resurrection of Christ being proclaimed and stated and affirmed in
this passage.
Not only that, we learn in this passage that Christ has ascended into heaven and that he
exercises universal dominion, as it says in verse 22, that Christ has gone into heaven.
That’s his ascension, which was his coronation at the right hand of the Father.
He has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of the Father.
The right hand of the Father, God the Father, is the place of highest authority, highest
honor, highest dominion and glory.
He is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected
to him.
Oh, what a comfort this truth must have been to Peter’s original readers.
Indeed, what a comfort this truth should be to all believers who face persecution for
their faith.
After all, friends, if even angels, the glorious angels and authorities and powers have been
made subject to Christ, then Christ certainly has dominion over those on earth who would
dare to persecute the beloved blood-bought children of God.
And so, as we wrestle with the difficult details of this passage, let’s remember the basic
foundational truths that are made clear in this passage.
For in this passage, the truths of the Gospel are restated with great clarity.
Do you, dear listener, believe this good news, this good news about Christ who died in the
place of sinners and rose victorious from the dead, Christ who reigns at the Father’s
right hand, Christ who has subjected all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible
to his sovereign dominion?
Do you believe this Gospel, and do you trust Christ as your Lord and Savior?
But having considered the basic clear truths that are communicated in this passage, let’s
dive in a little bit to some of the difficult details, and I want us next to consider in
verses 19 through 20 the identity of the spirits in prison.
The identity of the spirits in prison.
After stating in verse 18, or restating the Gospel truth that Christ suffered for sins,
the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring us to God and has been made alive
in the Spirit and so forth, he goes on to say in verse 19, in which, in which, speaking
of the Spirit, in which he went and proclaimed, that word could mean preached, to the spirits
in prison.
And then he assumes that his readers, his original readers, would understand what he’s
talking about, and they probably did, which is, you know, we’re not exactly clued into
exactly what he’s speaking of, so it’s frustrating to us, we have to try to reconstruct what
his argument is here, but obviously his original readers would have followed his train of thought,
and he says that Christ went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison because they formerly
did not obey when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared,
in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through water.
Whew!
Peter, what are you talking about here?
Well, again, let’s just be honest, this is a challenging passage, and in my own research
on this passage, I think the most likely interpretation about Christ going and preaching to the spirits
in prison is that these spirits are not the spirits of departed humans, these are not
the spirits of dead human beings, but rather Peter is referring here, I believe, to the
spirits of fallen angels.
In the Bible, the word spirits, if it’s not referring to the Holy Spirit singular, the
term spirits is usually used in scripture to refer to angelic spirits, unless, of course,
there is some qualification or clarification within the context of a passage to indicate
that this word is being used to refer to a human spirit or soul.
Now, of course, it is possible that Peter is referring to the spirits of those who died
in Noah’s flood, but that would raise an interesting question.
That would raise the question, well, why would Jesus, in the spirit, preach to those human
spirits who were perished in Noah’s flood to the exclusion of other departed human spirits,
and what would be the purpose of preaching to these dead human spirits who had perished
in the flood of Noah’s day?
Why would Jesus do that?
So I think it’s more likely that Peter is referring to the spirits of fallen angels.
The disobedience of these angelic beings is somehow connected with the days of Noah and
the building of the ark.
And the flood of Noah was a prototype of God’s judgment.
Indeed, it was a type and a pointer to the final judgment.
And the wickedness of the world that then was prior to the flood of Noah is a paradigm
for the wickedness of this present age, which we are assured the Lord will bring such wickedness
to judgment in the end.
But if these spirits that Christ proclaims to are demonic spirits, then it would seem
to be futile for the Lord Jesus to proclaim the gospel message of salvation to them, wouldn’t
it?
After all, God has made no provision for the salvation of fallen angels.
Jesus, the eternal Son of God, did not take upon himself an angelic nature to die in the
place of fallen angels.
No, he took upon himself our humanity to die as the God man on the cross of Calvary.
And so, clearly, Jesus did not preach the gospel to these demonic spirits for the purpose
of bringing them good news of salvation.
Rather, it seems more likely that our Lord proclaimed to them his resurrection victory.
And he preached to them, he proclaimed it to them as a proclamation of judgment.
A proclamation that would have confirmed their ultimate defeat and their eternal doom.
Now the reason why I believe that this is the most likely interpretation of these spirits
in prison is that it seems to fit in well with Peter’s purpose, his overall purpose
in this larger section of scripture.
And that purpose is to encourage these believers who were suffering for their faith.
I mean, think about it, brothers and sisters.
What Peter is telling persecuted believers is that Jesus Christ has gained the victory
over the demonic spirits, those spirits who had inspired the disobedience of the wicked
in the days of Noah.
And likewise, our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ is victorious over those demonically driven
enemies of God who would seek to harm and persecute his people, such as those who were
threatening persecution to these first century Christians to whom Peter is writing.
And so, friends, do you see how this truth would fit in with Peter’s purpose of comforting
and fortifying and strengthening these suffering Christians?
Beloved, remember, by the grace of God, we are more than conquerors, not because we’re
strong in ourselves or conquerors in our own strength, but no, we are more than conquerors
how?
Through him who loved us, for Christ our Lord has conquered sin, death, hell, and the devil
and his minions.
I’m reminded again of that familiar passage in Romans 8, 35 to 39.
I know we’ve heard it many times, but we need to hear it over and over again.
As Paul writes, under the Spirit’s inspiration here, he says, who shall separate us from
the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written, for your sake we are being killed all the day long.
We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor
things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be
able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
Now, at this point you’re saying, okay, pastor, but what about the title of your sermon?
I want to know what he’s talking about when he compares this to baptism.
Let’s finally consider here, based on verses 20 and 21, let’s consider the connection
of baptism and salvation, the connection of baptism and salvation in verses 20 and 21.
In verse 19, the flood waters that destroyed the earth and how Noah was saved, Noah and
his family in the ark were saved through the flood waters and brought into a new world,
a new life.
He compares that to baptism.
He says in verse 21, 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.
Now this passage touches upon the question of the efficacy of baptism.
In other words, what does baptism actually do?
What does it actually accomplish?
Peter’s statement here that baptism now saves you in verse 21, that’s a statement that seems
rather shocking, especially to those of us with Protestant sensibilities.
And if we don’t read this passage carefully and in context, we’re likely to misread it.
Again, I know I quote from him often, I’ve refrained so far from quoting Bible scholars,
but I do want to quote once tonight from Dr. I. Howard Marshall.
Now Dr. Marshall is not reformed in his conviction, but he does have good comments in his commentary
on 1 Peter.
And he says this about this passage.
He says, by what he says in verses 21 to 22, Peter has made three things clear.
First, just as Noah and his family escaped despite the disobedience of the evil spirits
in their day, so too Christians will be saved and not be overcome by the evil forces behind
persecution.
Salvation is not just from sin, but also from the powers that threaten us and our salvation.
Second, although baptism is the normal means of Christian initiation, salvation is not
the result of merely submitting outwardly to baptism.
It is for those who come to God with a longing to be set free from sin and to have a pure
conscience.
Third, the one source of spiritual victory is the crucified and risen Jesus.
Now with that foundation in mind, did you notice here as we compare verses 20 and 21
that the flood waters of Noah’s day are said to spiritually correspond to the waters of
baptism?
Back in verse 20, he talks about how God’s patience waited in the days of Noah while
the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is eight persons, that would be Noah
and his family, were brought safely through water.
Baptism which corresponds to this now saves you.
Now let’s pause there.
In what sense does baptism correspond to the flood waters in Noah’s day?
Well Peter is using language here that indicates that there is a type, anti-type relationship
between the flood waters of Noah’s day and holy baptism.
Let’s consider that for a few moments.
How were Noah and his family delivered from the flood judgment that God sent upon the
earth in that ancient time?
Well they were saved in the ark.
It was in the ark that they were saved.
But how were they saved from the godless world that no doubt ridiculed and persecuted Noah
for his godliness?
Well they were saved.
Noah and his family were saved in the ark, which is a picture of Christ.
Jesus Christ is the ark of our salvation.
Noah and his family were saved in the ark through the flood waters.
The flood waters brought judgment and death and wrath upon the godless world that they
left behind.
But God used those flood waters to deliver Noah and his family from a godless world and
to bring them into a new world, a new life.
And so the same flood waters that destroyed the ungodly world were an agent of salvation
for Noah and his family in the ark as God used the flood waters to deliver Noah and
his family from the ungodly world in which they had previously lived.
Theologians call this kind of dynamic redemptive judgment.
God delivers, redeems his people by bringing judgment upon the wicked.
And that redemptive judgment is supremely illustrated at the cross of Christ.
For on the cross of Christ, Jesus, the sinless, spotless lamb of God, endured the flood waters,
the metaphorical flood waters of God’s holy wrath in our place, in our stead.
And our baptism is an outward sign and seal of that.
As Romans 6 points out, our baptism among other things signifies and symbolizes our
union with Christ in his death as well as in his resurrection.
The waters of baptism signify and seal that, point to that redemptive judgment.
Christ was judged in our place, in our stead, and the waters of baptism that are applied
to us remind us and seal to us by grace through faith that indeed we are united to Christ
in his death and resurrection.
So do you see the parallel there, the type and anti-type relationship that goes on there?
So again, in what sense does baptism save us?
Peter makes this shocking statement in verse 21.
He writes this under the inspiration of the Spirit.
We cannot dismiss it out of hand.
We have to reckon with this.
But what does he mean?
This verse, of course, along with others like it, is misused by ritualists and sacerdotalists
and hypersacramentalists who teach that the sacrament of water baptism automatically and
necessarily conveys regenerating or saving grace to all who receive it.
Many believe that this passage supports the doctrine which we believe to be a false doctrine
known as baptismal regeneration.
Yes, it is true that Peter does say that there is a sense in which baptism, quote, saves.
But notice how quick he is to qualify his statement.
It’s as if Peter knows that by stating this he could be easily misunderstood.
So after saying baptism, which corresponds to this now, saves you, what’s the next thing
he says?
He says it saves you not as a removal of dirt from the body.
In other words, it’s not the outward ritual that saves you.
It’s not the external washing that saves you.
The waters of baptism are not magical waters, no, but rather it saves you by what it points
to, what it means, namely as an appeal to God for a good conscience.
Dear ones, the point of this is that it is not the external ritual of baptism that saves.
It is not as a removal of dirt from the body, but rather it is the inward grace to which
baptism externally points to, to which baptism externally signifies and seals.
It is that inward grace that saves.
Friends, baptism does not save as a magical hocus pocus kind of ceremony.
It is not the water of baptism that actually saves.
Rather it is what baptism symbolizes and signifies and seals.
It is that which saves us, namely an appeal to God for a good conscience.
Baptism is a sign of cleansing, which implies that we have a guilty conscience.
We are sinners in need of cleansing, and in baptism we have an appeal to God to bring
a clear conscience to the baptized, all by God’s grace through faith in Christ and faith
alone.
Apart from Christ, our consciences accuse us, rightfully so, of sin, and they show us
that we are worthy of God’s judgment for that sin.
Remember, as we come to Christ in true faith and repentance, trusting in Him and Him alone
to cleanse us inwardly from sin, just as the waters of baptism cleanse us outwardly from
the dirt of the body, so we can have a good conscience before God.
We can have a good conscience as we trust in Jesus and His finished work.
If you have been baptized, your baptism calls you to trust in the one who is signified and
sealed in the grace that is signified and sealed in your baptism.
So believe in that good news that is proclaimed not only in the preached word and the written
word, but also in the word that is symbolized in the visible sermons of the sacraments,
including baptism.
Let us trust in the Lord and His mercy that we might have a good conscience, and let us
remember and improve our baptism as the Puritans and our Westminster divines would call us
to do.
Let us improve our baptism by reflecting on what our own baptisms mean and how they point
us to Christ and Christ alone for cleansing and forgiveness and growth in grace.
Amen.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, Sovereign and Eternal God.
We thank You for this difficult passage.
We pray that by Your Spirit, You would cause us to spiritually profit from that which we
have considered this evening.
And we would ask, Lord God, that those of us who have been privileged to receive the
sign of baptism, we pray that the grace that is signified would be abundantly realized
in our lives.
We pray these things, Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name and all of God’s people said,
Amen.
As we close our time of worship this evening, let’s rise for our closing hymn, number 435,
Not What My Hands Have Done, 435.