Baptism Saves Me? From What?--1 Peter 3:21

Baptisms have been the source of many laughs over the years. A story is told about a young minister who was performing his first baptismal service. He was nervous about conducting a baptism for the first time, and in his nervousness, he confused some words pertaining to the Lord’s Supper with some words pertaining to baptism. So he said, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” then as he was lowering the baptismal candidate into the water, he said, “And now drink ye all of it.”1

Baptism has also caused its share of confusion and misunderstanding. A story is told about St. Patrick, who evangelized Ireland. One day, he was baptizing a convert, and as he was in the water he was bracing himself with a walking staff that had a rather sharp point at the end. At some point during the baptism, St. Patrick accidentally stabbed the man in the foot with his walking staff, and after the baptism he noticed that the man was bleeding and asked him why he didn’t say anything. The man replied, “I thought it was part of the ritual!”2

Anytime we go through one of the traditions or rituals that we practice in the church—such as baptism or the Lord’s Supper—its important that we understand what we are doing—not just the precise steps of the ritual, but the meaning behind it. This morning as we celebrate with the young ladies who will be baptized, I want to talk about the meaning of baptism, and we’ll look at it from the perspective of a passage that has caused some debate over this ritual. Would you turn with me please to 1 Peter 3? We’re going to look specifically at v. 21, but I’m going to read vv. 8–22 so we can get a good look at the context of this verse.

As you’re turning in your Bible, let me set the stage for our discussion about baptism. After Jesus rose from the grave and just before He returned to heaven, he told the men we know as the apostles to “go…and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20). So we can see that Jesus wants those who follow Him to be baptized, and that’s because baptism is a public declaration of our faith in Him. You see, when you accept Christ as your Savior, that’s a decision that you make in your heart, and other people won’t necessarily know that you’ve made that decision unless you tell them. So baptism is a formal and public way of telling other people that you are a follower of Jesus Christ.

Now when Peter wrote this letter that we are about to read from, it seems that at least some of the Christians that he was writing to had not yet been baptized—perhaps out of fear of being persecuted as a follower of Christ. But Peter wants them to know that baptism plays an important role in our lives as Christians, so let’s read what he has written [READ 3:8–22].

There are some interesting questions that come up about “spirits in prison” when you look at vv. 18–20, but those questions will have to wait for another sermon. Instead, let’s get right to the heart of today’s focus, which is v. 21, where Peter makes the very interesting statement that “baptism…saves you.” Now what does Peter mean by that statement? This is where some debate has taken place over the years. Is Peter saying that baptism saves you from your sins? In other words, is he saying that baptism provides you with forgiveness from God and entrance into heaven, so that if you were not baptized you would not be allowed into heaven?

I don’t believe that’s what Peter was saying, but ultimately it doesn’t matter what I think or what anyone else thinks—all that matters is what the words of Scripture teach in their context. So let’s take a closer look at what Peter says and the context in which he says it.

Let me give you a rule of thumb to follow when you’re reading the Bible. Whenever you come across a word like “saves” or “saved,” you should ask the question, “Saved from what?” You see, most of the time when we read words like “saved” or “salvation,” our thoughts automatically turn toward the idea of salvation from hell—or in other words, entrance into heaven. So we find ourselves automatically thinking, “Oh—he’s talking about what I have to do to gain entrance into heaven.”

But we can’t simply jump to that conclusion, because while words like “saved” and “salvation” talk about being rescued from some kind of danger, those words don’t specify what the danger is. That has to be determined from the context of the verse. So the main question we need to answer is, “What kind of danger is Peter talking about in this context?” Once we answer that question, then we will know what it is that baptism saves us from.

So what kind of danger is Peter talking about? Well, if we start at the beginning of this section in v. 8, notice the theme that develops around the idea of doing evil:
• v. 9—Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling
• v. 10—Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil
• v. 11—let him turn away from evil
• v. 12—the face of the Lord is against those who do evil
• v. 17—it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil

I think v. 17 sums up the danger that Peter has in mind—it is the danger of suffering as a result of doing evil. Specifically, if we look at vv. 9 and 14, I think Peter was talking about doing evil to those who were persecuting them. Peter’s basic message in this section is that these Christians should not respond with evil behavior toward those who were persecuting them, but rather they should be willing to suffer as Christ did and thus serve as a witness for Christ.

So the danger that Peter has in mind is that of suffering as an evildoer. And v. 17 makes it clear that he is thinking of some kind of suffering in this life; some kind of suffering that we could go through right now. In v. 17 he says, “it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” Now when he talks about suffering for doing good, the rest of the book makes it clear that Peter is thinking of things like being insulted, being lied about, being slandered, and even suffering physical harm. All of those things could come from doing evil as well, but Peter says that baptism will save us from suffering the negative consequences of evil behavior.

We can also see this in the connection that Peter makes between baptism and the flood experience that Noah went through in the ark. He makes a fascinating comparison here—he says that baptism is for us what the ark experience was for Noah. And what was the ark experience for Noah? It wasn’t something that gained him entrance into heaven or forgiveness of his sins. Remember—Noah already had forgiveness for his sins; he already had a relationship with God. That’s why God chose him to build the ark—so that he could be saved from suffering in the flood like the wicked people around him. The ark saved Noah from suffering like an evildoer, and Peter says that baptism will do the same for us.

But how exactly can baptism do this for us? Well, as Peter emphasizes in v. 21, the answer is not in the physical act of getting wet but in the attitude that is expressed by the person who submits to baptism. He writes, “baptism…now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience.” Your translation might say “a pledge to God for a good conscience” or something to that effect, but the idea is easy to grasp. When you submit to baptism, you are identifying yourself and associating yourself with Jesus. You are saying, “I died with Him, and now I’ve been raised with Him to walk in a new way of life.” And as that attitude works itself out in your life, it will give you a good conscience before God as you act in Christlike ways rather than evil ways.

So what you need to understand, friends, is this—the attitude that you express when you choose to be baptized is precisely the attitude that will help you be a faithful follower of Jesus. It is the willingness to stand up and say, “I believe in Jesus, I am His follower, and I’m not ashamed to say it.” That attitude will help you make godly choices in life, which will save you from suffering the consequences of evil behavior. That’s why baptism is such an important step of obedience, and that’s why we rejoice today with those who have decided to make this declaration.

1From Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) . Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville.

2From Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) . Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville