Saved Through Water

Sermon Text

1 peter 3:20-22

20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

• The flood was a real act of both judgment and mercy: the same waters that destroyed the unbelieving world lifted the ark that preserved Noah's household.
• Peter presents the flood as a type corresponding to baptism, with both displaying the seriousness of judgment against sin and God's provision of salvation.
• Baptism points believers to union with Christ in his death and resurrection, not merely to outward washing with water.
• Salvation rests in Christ, the true ark, and in his life, death, and resurrection—not in human righteousness or the bare performance of a sacrament.
• God's patience must not be mistaken for indifference: judgment is real, so sinners must flee sin and trust Christ while believers take comfort in him.

• How does the flood display God's judgment and mercy at the same time?
• Am I trusting in Christ himself, or merely in the fact that I received outward baptism?
• What does my baptism point me to believe about Christ's death, resurrection, cleansing, and promised salvation?
• Where have I treated God's patience as permission to continue in sin?
• What part of the old sinful life must I actively put to death?
• Does feeling like part of a small Christian minority weaken my hope, or drive me more firmly into Christ?
• How can I speak of Christ's righteousness while honestly acknowledging my own continuing imperfections?

Type and antitype

A biblical correspondence in which an earlier event or person foreshadows a later and fuller reality; here the flood corresponds to baptism.

Baptism

The covenant sign that points beyond outward water to judgment on sin, cleansing, and salvation through union with Christ in his death and resurrection.

Judgment

God's righteous response to sin, pictured in the flood and ultimately faced either in Christ or at the final judgment.

Regeneration

The Holy Spirit's life-giving renewal of sinners, described in Titus as a washing that comes from God's mercy rather than human works.

Union with Christ

The believer's participation by faith in the saving benefits of Christ's death and resurrection.

Covenant of grace

God's gracious provision of life and salvation in Jesus Christ for sinners who cannot save themselves.