Saved by Water
By Dr. Derek Carlsen
Peter said that Noah and his family were ‘saved through water’ (1 Peter 3:20). The preposition translated as ‘through’ can also be translated as ‘by,’ which is how the same preposition should be translated in the following verse as well. Peter compares two events and explains what he means by the word ‘baptism’ in this context.
Antitype
Peter said Noah and his family were saved by water and there is an antitype that now saves us (1 Peter 3:21). The antitype is the reality. What happened in Noah’s time was a type or shadow of something and that now we are saved by the antitype of Noah’s type.
Saved by Baptism
Noah was saved by the flood and we are saved by the antitype, which Peter calls baptism. In what way is baptism the antitype of what Noah experienced? We can’t turn the antitype into another image or picture of something else; this baptism that Peter is talking about is the reality; this is what saves us.
The Filth of the Flesh
Peter explains the meaning of the word ‘baptism’ by first telling us what he is not talking about; he is not talking about the ‘removal of the filth of the flesh.’ Water baptism is a picture or sign of our need to be cleansed from pollution. Peter says he is not talking about water baptism; water baptism is the type, not the antitype.
A Good Conscience
The ‘baptism’ that Peter is talking about and that saves, is the ‘answer of a good conscience toward God.’ God’s question to everyone is the same as His question to Adam in the Garden when He said, “Adam, where are you?” God knew where Adam was, His meaning was that Adam needed to give an account of himself—Adam’s conscience couldn’t give a good answer.
By the Resurrection
Peter further explains that ‘a good conscience toward God’ is ‘by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.’ Peter ties together the flood and the resurrection. Noah being saved ‘by water’ is the ‘type’ and this ‘water baptism’ is also the ‘type,’ namely, a picture of the real baptism, the ‘antitype,’ that was to come. Noah believed God’s word and entrusted himself to God’s provision—the ark. God washed away, with water, the evil and pollution, destroying His and Noah’s enemies.
Grace and Destruction
God didn’t save Noah and his family ‘through’ the water; He didn’t save them ‘from’ the water; He saved them ‘by’ the water. Noah found grace in the eyes of God (Genesis 6:8)—he was saved by God’s grace, but God’s work of salvation is always connected to His work of destroying His enemies.
The Seed
The plan of redemption flows out of God’s grace and when He first spoke about the Seed that would come to fix Adam’s mess, He said that this Seed would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). God didn’t save Noah from the flood but by the floodwaters destroying that perverse generation. God’s grace to Noah was the destruction of the evil inhabitants on the earth. He saved Noah ‘by’ water.
The Pattern
The connection between grace and destruction is a pattern found throughout Scripture, for example, God’s grace to Israel in the Passover was connected to the deaths of all the firstborn in Egypt. Likewise, God’s grace to Israel in opening the Red Sea was connected to the destruction of the Egyptian army in the Sea.
Messianic Prophecy
The prophecy from Isaiah that Jesus quoted at the beginning of His ministry (Luke 4:18-19) joined together both ‘the acceptable day of the Lord,’ which speaks about salvation, along with ‘the day of vengeance of our God’ (Isaiah 61:2). Christ’s coming was both a time of glorious salvation and a day of woeful judgment upon God’s enemies.
Sin and Evil
The antitype of Noah’s story is the salvation of God’s people by overcoming sin and evil. In allowing Himself to be destroyed, Jesus eternally defeated the power of the kingdom of darkness—salvation for God’s people by the destruction of His enemies is the baptism Peter is talking about. The writer of Hebrews says, ‘Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,’ (Hebrews 2:14).
The Substitution
Sinners needed a substitute who could perfectly obey God’s every word and also endure God’s full wrath. If Jesus failed in either of these requirements He would not have risen from the dead; He would have remained in the tomb and we would have remained in bondage to sin and destruction (1 Corinthians 15:17; Colossians 2:13-15).
Objective Success
Jesus’ resurrection is one of the most glorious events in history because it objectively declares the success of His mission. Jesus perfectly obeyed the law of God on our behalf; He fully paid for our sin and destroyed the kingdom of darkness; His resurrection is the undeniable proof of these things.
Put on Christ
Paul said, ‘For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.’ (Galatians 3:26-27). To put on Christ is to be joined with Him; it is to be one with Him and share in His comprehensive victory over the kingdom of darkness. Jesus has crushed His enemies and this crushing is inseparable from our salvation, which is the baptism that Peter and Paul speak about. We must not presume to know what the word ‘baptism’ means in any given passage, but rather allow Scripture to interpret it.
Conclusion
The antitype that now saves us is baptism which we partake of through faith when we believe in the completed work of Jesus Christ. This baptism is inseparable from the reality of Satan’s defeat and Jesus’ resurrection is proof that Satan’s head has been crushed. Believers possess the answer of a good conscience toward God because Jesus fulfilled everything that is necessary to eternally secure their standing in God’s presence.