Noah, the Flood, Baptism, Judgment, Deliverance, and Good Conscience (1 Peter 3:20-21)

First Peter 3:20-21 says,

"...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…"

Noah and his family were the righteous ones living amongst the pagans around them. The flood that God sent upon the earth was a judgment upon the unrepentant pagans, but at the same time the flood was a form of salvation for Noah and his family from the pagans. When God visited the earth, the many were judged and the few were saved. The many pagans were destroyed in the flood waters of judgment, while the few saints were brought safely through the waters of judgment.

In the same way in Peter's day, despite the few saints suffering at the hands of the many pagans around them, so too will the many pagans be judged by God while the few suffering saints will be brought safely through that judgment. In application to our own day, we few saints may suffer at the hands of the many unrepentant sinners that surround us, or at least feel the tension, yet Jesus will return, and when he does, judgment will fall upon the many sinners around us, yet Jesus will bring us few saints safely through that judgment as we are in Christ who is our Ark.

The flood of judgment in Noah's day	The flood of judgment at the end of the age
Noah and his family were safe in the ark	The saints of God will be safe in Christ
Many perished and few were saved	Many will perish and few will be saved
The ark was being built	The body of Christ is being built

I am called into ministry to Somalis, and this passage can provide comfort to the Somali Christians who may be suffering at the many unrepentant Somalis which surround them. As with Noah and his family, so also with the Somalis who trust in Christ. Let them not fear the opposition and persecution, but let them fear the Lord and trust him to bring them safely through the judgment which is to come. They are in Christ. As Noah and his family were baptized in the waters of judgment while abiding in the ark and were delivered from death, so also will we be delivered from death through the flood of judgment at the end of the age as we abide in Christ.

Let us speak in a little more depth about baptism. To begin, which baptism is the Apostle Peter talking about? Water baptism? Spiritual baptism? Or both? Water baptism is a physical ritual which points to the reality of our spiritual baptism.  We'll get to spiritual baptism afterwards, but let us speak further of water baptism first. We go under the waters of judgment to illustrate our identification with the death and burial of Christ--just as the judgment of God fell upon Christ while he hung on the cross, so also this judgment of God fell upon us at the cross, yet we are not consumed today because we are in Christ who has brought us safely through the judgment at the cross and will bring us safely through the judgment yet to come at the end of the age.  This aspect of being brought safely through the judgment at the cross is illustrated in our coming up out of the water during the ritual. Not only does the ritual of water baptism point backwards towards our judgment at the cross, so it also points forward to the judgment on the world at the end of the age and thus gives us assurance and confidence that Jesus will bring us safely through that judgment as well. God is faithful. He was faithful in the past judgment, and he will be faithful in the future judgment.

Turning now to spiritual baptism, of which water baptism illustrates, this is a baptism which we do not experience in a tangible way. Water baptism is experienced in a tangible way. Our bodies experience the water and we experience it all with no doubts. It is real. Spiritual baptism, on the other hand, is not experienced in a tangible way. None of us can provide a specific time when we experienced our spiritual baptism. We don't know it happened until we see evidence of it through our changed lives, but that evidence doesn't tell us exactly when it happened.  Similar to animal sacrifices: the Israelites could not experience their sins being forgiven in a tangible way, but through the sacrificial system of the Mosaic Law, a tangible experience was provided. The tangible points to the reality of the intangible.  Same is true with the bread and wine in communion, the Passover lamb, and other parts of Holy Scripture. This is God's design.

Further depth on spiritual baptism is beyond the scope of this writing. I don't want to leave this entirely incomplete, so I want to at least provide a reference to Scripture that can be read and pondered over and meditated on to come to some further revelation on the meaning of spiritual baptism. Much can be extracted from this passage on both spiritual baptism and water baptism, which in turn would grant us more understanding to help our walk with Christ, the Ark in whom we abide. Ponder and mediate and pray and think over Romans 6.

I end with a final note on verse 21 of 1 Peter 3. Baptism into Christ, which would lack power without his resurrection from the dead, provides us with a good conscience, so that we can live our lives striving for holiness and obedience and faithfulness, even in the midst of suffering at the hands of our persecutors, because we know with assurance and confidence that Christ will bring us through it all safely and we shall not see death but only life forevermore. Glory to God in the highest, and peace to men and women and children with whom God is pleased.