[go to: part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6]
     Good morning and welcome to the Berean Break, my name is George Sinkie and I am so glad that you have joined us here this morning.  This is the third lesson in our series on baptism.  I want to remind you that these lessons are available free of charge on cassette tapes.  Each tape holds six lessons so when we have completed this series you would have six biblically sound lessons on the topic of baptism.  The address will be given at the end of this program if you would like to receive a free tape.  As always I encourage you to have your Bible handy so that you can be like the Bereans in Acts 17 who checked out what they were taught and were called noble-minded by God.  Let’s go to God in prayer as we begin.

Great God in heaven, we thank You for this day in our lives.  We thank You for the moisture that You have blessed us with and pray for Your continued blessing in this way.  We pray for our nation and the leaders of our nation.  We thank You for the freedom that we have in this country to study Your word, but help us also to realize that with this freedom comes responsibility.  Be with us now and help us to search out the truth from Your word.  My we cling to that truth and reject the error that is so prevalent in our world.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray, AMEN !!

     So far in our series we have looked at Baptism in the teaching of the apostles as a group, and last week we looked at baptism in the teaching of Paul.  We saw that they had harmony in what they taught.  Not a single one of them taught man-made denominational doctrines about baptism, they taught the truth about baptism.  This week we are going to look at what Peter taught concerning baptism.  Turn over with me to 1 Peter 3:21

   21 And 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,

     Let’s consider the use of the word “corresponding” in I Peter 3:21.  Of course, Peter’s words were not written in English, but in Koine Greek.  Peter used the Greek word, “antitupon,” (an-ti-tu-pon).  Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament indicates this word means “a thing resembling another, its counterpart;  something in the Messianic times which answers to the type prefiguring it in the Old Testament as baptism corresponds to the deluge:  I Peter 3:21” (page 51 of Thayer’s Lexicon.)
     Now we could list every reliable translation of the Scriptures and there is not one that translates this passage in a way that would negate the necessity of baptism for salvation.  Since they all translate this passage in such a way as to show that baptism is needed to be saved, no one who teaches the truth would deny the need for baptism in order to be saved.
     Why does Peter draw a parallel between the waters of the flood of Noah’s day and water baptism of our day?  Friends, Peter drew a parallel between the water of the flood of Noah’s day and water baptism of our day because the waters of the flood pre-figured water baptism.  In what way?  First, the waters of the flood supported the ark and allowed those who were in the ark to escape destruction.  Today, water baptism is the final condition in God’s plan whereby man may be saved.  Through obedience to God’s plan, man is able to be saved from destruction.  Jesus said in Mark 16:15-16,

   15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
   16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

Someone may say, Jesus did not say he that is not baptized shall be condemned.  Friends, He didn’t have to.  He already said he that believeth not shall be damned.  If a person does not believe, there’s no point in going any further in God’s plan.  Baptism will not help a person who does not believe.  In fact a person who doesn’t believe cannot even properly be baptized.  Second, the waters of the flood separated those who were saved from the disobedient who perished.  Today, the water of New Testament baptism separates those who are saved from the disobedient who will perish.  Third, the evils of the world were destroyed by the flood, enabling Noah and his family to begin a new existence.  Today, in baptism, the old man of sin with all its evils is buried.  Romans 6:4 teaches that in baptism we rise to walk in newness of life.
     But some will still insist that Noah was saved by faith and the flood was simply a picture of his salvation.  The flood was a mere picture of that which he had already received.  But let’s look at Hebrews 11:7:

   7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

How was Noah saved?  Not by faith alone.  Noah was saved by a faith that was accompanied by obedience.  In order for Noah and his house to be saved, Noah had to obey God by building the ark.  In order for you to be saved from your sins, you must be baptized.

     Next from I Peter 3:21 notice the word baptism.  It is a transliteration of the Greek word “baptisma,” (baptisma) meaning an “immersion” or “submersion.”  When the Bible speaks of water baptism, it speaks of an immersion in water.  It is incorrect to think of sprinkling or pouring as baptism.  We are going to look at this more in-depth in a future lesson.
     The Bible describes baptism as a burial.  Paul wrote in Romans 6:3-4

   3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
   4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

And again to the church at Colossae Paul wrote, in Colossians 2:12

   12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

     Imagine a dog taking his bone and simply laying it on top of the ground.  Would you say he buried his bone?  Of course not!  Imagine a dog putting part of the bone in the ground but leaving half of it sticking up out of the ground.  Would you say the dog buried his bone?  Of course not!  The bone is not buried unless it is completely covered.  Simple, isn’t it?  A person is not buried with Christ in baptism unless he is immersed, or buried, in water.

     Next from I Peter 3:21 consider the word “now.”  Notice, Peter said there is a result from being baptized.  First, baptism frees us from the guilt of our sins.  Peter said that we are to be baptized “for the remission of sins” in Acts 2:38

   38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;  and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

     Second, baptism results in our being added to the New Testament church.  Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:13

   13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

What is the “one Body?”  It is Christ’s church of course, as we read in Colossians 1:18

   18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead;  so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.

     Third, baptism results in our becoming a child of God.  As Paul wrote in Galatians 3:26-27

   26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
   27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

     Fourth, baptism allows us to have a fresh start, spiritually speaking.  When we are baptized we become “new creatures” in God’s sight (2 Corinthians 5:17)

   17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature;  the old things passed away;  behold, new things have come.

     Sixth, baptism places a person in Christ. (Romans 6:3)

   3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

A person who has not been baptized, and is thus outside of Christ, is unable to enjoy any spiritual blessings, for all spiritual blessings are in Christ according to Ephesians 1:3

   3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

     Next from I Peter 3:21 consider the words, “saves us.”  Peter wrote, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that baptism saves us.  But many people want to rewrite the Bible.  They want to change Peter’s words to say, “baptism does not save us.”  But the teachings of those who say we do not have to be baptized to be saved use the same deception that Satan used in the garden of Eden when the serpent told Eve, “you shall not die.”
     “But wait a minute,” they say.  “The Bible teaches we are saved by grace.”  I don’t disagree with that.  Paul wrote, (Ephesians 2:8)

   8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

     The Bible also teaches we are saved by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 1:7)

   7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,

     We are saved by the word of God. James wrote in James 1:21

   21 Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

     We are saved by hope according to Romans 8:24

   24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees?

     We are saved by faith as it says in Romans 5:1

   1 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

     We are saved by our obedience the Hebrews writer tells us in Hebrews 5:9

   9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

     And Peter taught that we are saved by baptism here in 1 Peter 3:21.

     Does the fact that we are saved by the blood of Christ, we are saved by the word of God, we are saved by hope, we are saved by obedience, and we are saved by faith diminish God’s grace in any way?  Of course not!  Does the fact that Peter taught we are saved by baptism diminish God’s grace in any way?  Does it in any way make God’s grace less important?  Of course not!  Only a fool would answer yes to such a question.
     Baptism, when preceded by faith (Mark 16:16), repentance (Acts 2:38), and confession (Romans 10:8-10), is the specific act of obedience that allows a person to become a recipient of God’s grace.

[go to: part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6]