Spiritual Aspirin for Your Baptism Headache
1 Peter 3:18-4:1
(Children's Sheet for Sermon Interaction is at bottom. Notes are throughout sermon)
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter 3:18-4:1. As you are turning there, I want to talk a little bit about headaches. Some of us know what it is like to have a headache come knocking at our door. You wish it would leave, but you find that this uninvited guest is going to hang around awhile. Migraines are that way. They typically come; and then after they have done their job, they leave. Occasionally they pop up again, and then you experience the familiar throbbing pain that lingers much too long. What I am describing is the same way it is with what I will call the Great Baptism Controversy Headache. Maybe you recognize the symptoms: One is being worried about the mode of baptism. The overwhelming thought is: "Was it done right?" This may be complicated by other symptoms; like this question, "Is it necessary, or even legitimate, to baptize babies?" Or this one; "Is baptism something that was only meant for the first generation of Christians?" Then there is one similar, "Is baptism a covenantal practice that the emerged church did because they thought it was a replacement for Old Covenant circumcision?" But then there is the really big one;
"Is it necessary for people to be water baptized as part of a 'process' that spiritually saves?"
Part of the ache is that there are people, and whole denominations, that preach at you that baptism is absolutely necessary for you to acquire the miracle of spiritual salvation. They even highlight sentences in the Bible to back up the assertion. All of these things are the stuff of the migraine I am talking about. Unfortunately, many of us have experienced, and will experience, its mind numbing visit. This morning, I want to share a prescription for this. It is the remedy that comes from God's word. To get started we need to read 1 Peter 3:18-4:1,
"18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit 19 in which He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 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. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the flesh but the pledge of a good conscience to God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him." 1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, ..."
Please prepare your heart to learn, along with me, in this sermon titled,
"Spiritual Aspirin for Your Baptism Headache"
[prayer]
As we get into this sermon, I want to stick with what Peter is conveying in his flow. In verse 18, Peter is continuing his big theme. He is exhorting Christians concerning suffering for doing what is right. Through the suffering, we need to set apart Christ as Master in our hearts. As we live in the world of suffering and persecution, with Christ as Master, we are looking forward to the future glory that we will inherit in Christ. Then Peter transitions into our passage section with the example of the suffering of Christ, and our future destination, in His comprehensive work. Peter explains,
"18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit," 1 Peter 3:18
@1 The righteous Christ suffered once _____________ the unrighteous ones, that he might bring them to God. 1 Peter 3:18
I want us to notice that Peter starts out by saying "For." This word, "for" (hoti in the Greek) is the marker that shows us that Peter is basing what all he is about to say on what all he just said. He gives more encouragement of our future hope by giving a concise definition of the atonement that Christ has accomplished. He suffered once for sins as the righteous, perfect, spotless, sacrifice. All of this was done in knowledge of what would necessarily take place. It was so that he might necessarily "bring us" Christians to God. It is through embracing Christ, and His work, that we are crucified to the old man, and made alive in Christ, both now and forever. This is good news (gospel). We need to keep this in mind as we notice that Peter continues to write a difficult to understand statement. Peter says that Christ was,
"... made alive in the Spirit, 19 in which He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah," 1 Peter 3:18-20
Christ experienced real physical death in the flesh. He was made alive in the Spirit, by the Spirit, which is indicative of what happened to His spiritual body that was raised by God (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:44 for "spiritual body"). In Romans Paul speaks of the Spirit's work in resurrection,
"11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:11
@2 If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in you, God will give everlasting _______________ to you. Romans 8:11
In Corinthians, Paul describes the spiritual result,
"1 Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel ... 3 ... Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ... 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body." 1 Corinthians 15
When Peter says that Christ has been made alive in the Spirit, Peter means, as Paul explains, that Christ died in the natural body, and is now alive in the resurrected spiritual body in which the Holy Spirit accomplished it all. Now, what is interesting is that Peter goes on to say something that is somewhat of an interpretational puzzle. Peter says that Christ "proclaimed [Gk. ekeruxen] to the spirits in prison. The question is:
"What does Peter mean?"
Martin Luther had the same question in mind, when he said, concerning this passage,
"A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means." --Luther
Briefly, I will give three views of this "wonderful" and "obscure" text;
{A}
One view is that between the day of crucifixion and the day of Resurrection, Jesus proclaimed his triumph over evil to fallen angels from the time of Noah who were awaiting judgment.
{B}
Another view is that Christ, after His death, went into a place called Hades. He went there in the Spirit between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Then He took the keys of life and death from a wicked spirit being called Satan. Then He opened up another area referred to as "Paradise;" and then He preached a gospel message. All those that trusted in Him, were then taken up with Him to heaven.
{C}
There is also the view that Christ, by his Spirit, preached repentance to people through the man Noah while Noah was building the ark. And so it is said that Noah was the one who was speaking, by the Spirit of Christ, as he preached to the unrighteous people.
Those are the tree primary views. So, what is Kerry's view? My view is that Christ, in His resurrected spiritual body, made alive in the Spirit, heralded forth, making proclamation, concerning both His death and resurrection, according to 1 Peter 3:18, to the spirits of those who died in the pre-flood society who ended up in an afterlife "prison" because they were disobedient to God's warnings through Noah. It also seems reasonable that the angels, mentioned in Peter's second epistle that he wrote in 2 Peter 2:4, had Christ's majesty proclaimed to them too, along with those of "the ancient world" of Noah's day as seen in 2 Peter 2:5. So, looking at 1 Peter with 2 Peter, I think that Christ's sacrifice was proclaimed; His resurrection was proclaimed; His righteousness was proclaimed, and His majesty as the Messiah-King of kings and Lord of lords was proclaimed. I really don't think it is necessary to say much more about this section of our passage.
It is directly after this statement, that Peter says something that has become one of the interpretational roots of the baptism migraine. Peter goes on and says,
"... in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the flesh but the pledge of a good conscience to God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him."
The controversial statement is the sentence where Peter says,
"Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you."
As we look into Peter's statement, we need to ask some important questions. For example:
"Is Peter talking about water baptism?"
A lot of people take it for granted that Peter must necessarily be talking about water baptism here. They do this because of an anachronistic kind of association of the word baptism with always being a water ceremony. This leads to another question:
"Is Peter really saying that water-baptism is what 'now' spiritually saves you?"
/1/
Lets analyze this passage and see. In our analyzation, there is something that we need to understand exegetically about Peter's ark metaphor. In the Greek, Peter is saying that Noah and his family "were saved into the ark" in their rescue. This is what is meant by the Greek preposition eis with the pronoun hen, "in which" being used in direct respect with the Greek verb diesothesan. It means that,
"They were saved into the ark"
This sometimes overlooked fact is important because, as we will see in a moment, this is a picture of being saved by being into Christ who will bring us to God, 1 Peter 3:18. We must recognize this Greek nuance of being saved into the life preserving vessel, before we move to another Greek term.
/2/
The other Greek term we need to consider is the one Peter uses which we translate as baptism. The word is baptizo in the Greek. This word means "dipped," "dipping out," "being overwhelmed," "immersed," "soaked," or "washed." It means all of those things depending on its usage. Baptism has many specific meanings that modern english speakers do not usually associate with the word. In fact, baptism is not always a water-oriented word, which is important for us to recognize. For example, the whole death, burial, and resurrection experience of Jesus was, itself, a baptism. Jesus said,
"I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!" Luke 12:50
This baptism was everything Jesus went through concerning His "death in the flesh and being made alive in the Spirit," 1 Peter 3:18. It had nothing to do with being dunked into, immersed into, soaked, or washed with, water. Keeping in mind that baptism has more than one meaning, we must recognize that no one narrowed meaning must necessarily be brought to 1 Peter before its contextual data is considered.
/3/
The next thing we need to do is ask,
"Did Peter mention baptism-in-water anywhere else in this letter when addressing the means of salvation?"
Back in his order of salvation that Peter outlines in 1:1-5, he never mentioned water baptism.
"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be regenerated to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ..." 1 Peter 1:3-5
Neither did he mention it in 1:9,
"9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:9
@3 The outcome of our faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior is the ___________________of our souls. 1 Peter 1:9
Further, Peter did not mention it in 1 Peter 1:18-22, where Peter does not say that our purification is by water. Instead Peter says that our purification is by our faith and hope of 1 Peter 1:21. Peter did not mention water baptism in 1 Peter 2:6-7 either. It is where he mentions that the precious value of Christ's work is for those who believe. The same question must be asked of Peter's second epistle in respect to water baptism. The answer is also "no." The place we find Peter's association with water-baptism is in Acts. We will look at Peter's practice of water-baptism in Acts in a moment.
/4/
In the meantime, we must notice another important detail in Peter's immediate point. Notice that Peter says that the kind of baptism that he is talking about is, right now, the actual thing that save you.
Why is this important?
Because no where in Christ's Covenant, is baptism in water defined as the thing, or act, that now saves anyone. But here Peter makes the emphatic statement,
"Baptism, which corresponds to this,
now
saves you."
Think about this: Either water baptism is the thing, or act, that "now" saves you, or Christ is the One Who now saves you through His death in the flesh and being made alive in the Spirit in which you embrace Him by His grace through faith. This is important, because people that claim water baptism is necessary for salvation, present it as part of a formula which includes the work of Christ plus humanly generated faith (our faith is a work of Christ too, but those who believe that you must be baptized to be saved, seldom recognize that faith is a divinely generated gift from God, cf. John 6:29, Philippians 1:29, Hebrews 12:2, 2 Peter 1:1, Romans 12:3, Acts 16:14, Acts 18:27). But here, Peter clearly claims that this one baptism, that he is talking about, is what now saves you. So, already we know that Peter must be talking about something more comprehensive than a ceremony of water; but there is more.
/5/
Peter has not made this sentence in a vacuum. He, like Paul the apostle, has revelation that is consistent and connected. This is why, when Peter says that "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you," he clarifies it first by the phrase,
"which corresponds to this."
This clarifier is important because it has to do with the whole sphere of Peter's long statement. The key word in this passage is the Greek word "antitupon." It means "corresponding to," "copy," "type," "a thing resembling another," "its counterpart." Sometimes its translated as "symbolize." Peter is saying here that this particular baptism relationship that now saves as your faith pledge, which is your effectual response to God out of your mind that is good, is a representation, a copy, a typology of something that Peter calls "this." This shows us that Peter is continuing an apparent pattern of illustration here using analogy and metaphor, just as he has done throughout the whole letter. We must keep this in mind as we look at the nature of this baptism.
/6/
Something else Peter tells us about this baptizo word is that it is not a reference to the Hebrew cleansing rites. Peter says that it is not meant to remove "filth from the flesh." In the three places in the Greek Old Testament, (Septuagint) that baptizo is mentioned; in 2 Kings 5:14, Ecclesiastes 34:25, and Numbers 19:9, 13, 20, baptizo is a word used as a cleansing rite, to remove filth from the flesh. We see that baptizo, when used as a reference for a cleansing rite, was part of the Pharisaic tradition. In Luke 11, we read,
"38 ... the Pharisee ... was surprised that [Jesus] had not first ceremonially washed [baptizo] before the meal," Luke 11:38
The same type of cleansing practice is mentioned in Mark;
"3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse [baptizo] themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.)" Mark 7:3-4
Peter wants to make sure that this clarification is sharp in his point. So, he says that this particular baptism, that he is talking about, is not baptism that removes grime. Nevertheless, we know that something is clear: This particular kind of baptism, which corresponds to something, is what now saves you, not as a removal of dirt, but as the pledge, (the decree) of a good conscience that comes from being a Christian, to God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
/7/
To get at what this means, we must remember that Peter has been teaching on temporal suffering in society for the sake of being in the eternal Christ. Remember, Peter's focus has been on salvation in the afterlife as our ultimate hope. So, when Peter gets to 3:18-22, he is affirming our sure blessing in Christ. This is why Peter said at the beginning of this point,
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God." 1 Peter 3:18
Salvation can be described a million ways, but what matters in Peter's whole contextual flow is: Christ, through His death in the flesh and being made alive in the Spirit, like a life boat, will bring His elect to God. This is our eternal hope in salvation. Baptism in water is not what will bring us to God. Peter makes it clear that what he's talking about here, is what he has been talking about all along; and this is seen by his front to back statement from 3:18 which is book-ended in 4:1. In 4:1, Peter goes on to say "therefore." Therefore, is a word that sums up the prior points and adds further insight in tying everything together. Notice that Peter says,
"1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered [referencing the cross] in the flesh, ..." 1 Peter 4:1
At the first bookend in verse 18 Peter told us why Jesus suffered death in the flesh, and was made alive in the Spirit. It is for that very important reason. Do you remember what it is? Jesus suffered in the flesh to bring us to God. This is why Jesus had to go through His kind of baptism of Luke 12:50. Peter is saying the same thing in our passage between 3:18, and 4:1, by using a colorful illustration from God's dealing with mankind from the Old Testament. Then as Peter goes into 4:1 he gives more insight to his analogy for what he means by saying "into," in respect to the preposition eis with the pronoun hen, "in which" being used in direct respect with the Greek verb diesothesan meaning, "They were saved into the ark." The New Covenant insight in respect to entering into the ark for its glorious destination is,
"... through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God ..." 1 Peter 3:21-22
The point is that 3:18 at the beginning, along with 4:1 at the end, are Peter's parenthetical thought markers that lay the groundwork for everything Peter means in between. So make a note in the margin of your Bibles:
3:18, 3:22, and 4:1 are the foundational verses that explain the metaphor.
In fact they are the key verses to understanding this whole passage, where Peter is saying that this particular baptism here is an "antitupon"--a symbolism of elements in the whole point. Make another note somewhere, that 3:18, and 4:1 are the parenthesis of all the colorful language Peter uses in verses 19-22. This is why context is so important in exegeting scripture. So, I am going to state Peter's point in easy to understand terms:
/8/
The point is that baptism into Christ Himself and His work in death in the flesh and being made alive in the Spirit and going "into" heaven--not water--is a like figure of the events of the eight souls being saved in the days of Noah, who were saved "into the" ark from the flood. This represents us being saved "into" Christ the Covenant (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6-8) in which He is bringing us Christians to God through His crucifixion-sacrifice, and our co-crucifixion with Him, plus being made alive in the Spirit. This is the relationship of our hope (our faith) as our current pledge to God of a good, righteous in Christ, conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I really want everyone to get this, so let's look at verse 20. I want you to notice the details of the analogy,
"... eight persons were brought safely [into the ark] through the water." 1 Peter 3:20
This parallels verse 18. Bringing us to God in eternal salvation is what Christ does in the prior statement of verse 18 concerning our hope in entering into Him. We enter into the One who has entered into heaven, 1 Peter 3:22. This is why similarly, and symbolically, being brought safely through the flood is a salvation reference.
/9/
We also must notice that Peter identifies the actual savers in the analogy. They are the real savers that brought the eight safely through the wrath water. Notice that the savers are not the wrath water. Peter clearly says that the savers in the Old Testament illustration are:
1. God
and
2. The ark
The wrath water was the problem to be saved from. The water was not the salvation from the problem. All the elect who entered into the ark, were saved from what? They were saved from the wrath water. The fact that they entered was a demonstration of their right answer to God of a good conscience as their pledge to Him to embrace His good news of their coming preservation. All who did not enter into it, perished in their sins. The lost were not "brought" to safety. The writer of Hebrews explains the same thing where salvation was found in the ark--not in water;
"7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the
salvation
of his household, ..." Hebrews 11:7
The key sentence in Hebrews 11:7, is "an ark for the salvation of his household." Again, Noah did not prepare water for the "salvation" of his household. Water was the thing to be saved from. The writer of Hebrews, like Peter, knew this fact. God brought the wrath water for flooding and death in condemning the world. Noah, in obedience to God, prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, and entered the ark by faith. The corresponding type and symbol of the particular kind of baptism experience in our passage, is that we are
a) brought to God and His safe keeping;
as
b) Noah and his family being into something;
that
c.) was prepared for us to be into for our future glory.
What this means is that this baptism of verse 21, is not the antitupon--the like figure; the copy, the thing corresponding to, or even a symbol, of the wrath-water that Noah and His family were delivered from; rather the baptism into something that Peter is talking about corresponds to the ark that was prepared that Noah and his family were inside in pledging themselves to God in hope for salvation from the dangerous water itself. Stated more plainly: The baptism that saves is the special relationship of immersion into Christ Jesus Himself with His atoning, purchasing, propitiating, and forgiving, work in which He suffered for sins in His death in the flesh plus being made alive in the Spirit, (1 Peter 3:18) and has entered into heaven (1 Peter 3:22) as our faith pledge to God out of our conscious (mind, heart) that is made good by the Spirit.
/10/
This reference to this unique baptism is not something that I just came up with out of the thin air. Remember, we have already seen that baptizo means more than water-baptism. The question we need to ask is whether baptism ever means the relationship of baptism into a person. Of course it does. There are many examples of this. In 1 Corinthians 10 we find Israel being baptized into a person. Paul says that the Israelites in the desert
"... all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea" 1 Corinthians 10:2
The Israelites "followed" the cloud as a guide, and the sea that parted, never touched them,
"29 ... Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea," Exodus 14:29
The baptism described in 1 Corinthians 10:2 is into a man. This baptism is into Moses. Okay, now we are on the same page as the apostles in respect to this. What I mean is that this kind of baptism gets us into the same arena of Peter's intended meaning. But Peter is talking about baptism into Christ Jesus. Can we find this particular baptism described anywhere else? Of course we can. In Romans 6, Paul forthrightly describes Christians as being baptized into Christ. Paul says,
"3 ... 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, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." Romans 6:3-4
Paul is not talking about baptism into water. Paul is talking about baptism "into Christ Jesus." It is the sole and only baptism relationship that now saves us as our faith filled pledge to God of our good thinking minds while in this present world. It is as Paul also says in the rest of Romans 6:3-4 concerning His work: to "have been baptized into His death" (not water) and resurrection (not water). The baptism that Paul describes in Romans 6:3-4 is exactly what Peter is talking about in 3:18-4:1. The Scriptures are consistent on this unique baptism. This baptism is our spiritual position in being regenerated. It is where we are made into the image of the last Adam, in the New Covenant, 1 Corinthians 15:22 with 15:45. It is the continual metaphor of being in, and clothed, with Christ,
"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." Galatians 3:26-27
We have not "now" clothed ourselves with water. We have clothed ourselves with Christ, being baptized "into Christ" personally. It is the metaphor of us being in the body of Christ:
"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." 1 Corinthians 12:13
It is not a body of water. It is the body of Christ. It is not water that we drink of. It is the Spirit. This is the same baptism that is our position in Christ by faith in which we have made a pledge to God in our response of faith in the effectual call. Our position in Christ is that we are co-crucified with Him, in Him, and yet we are alive because Christ lives in us; Galatians 2:20. Our position is that we are regenerated in Him into resurrection life. You are immersed into Him. He permeates you by His Spirit in purifying cleansing. Peter just mentioned to us that we are in Christ in 1 Peter 3:16. Peter says that we were called to God's eternal glory in Christ, in 1 Peter 5:11. All of this is baptism into Christ.
/12/
This baptism relationship into Christ Himself (into His death and resurrection) even covers all cleansing rites. John states clearly that it is,
"the blood of Jesus His Son [that] cleanses us from all sin," 1 John 1:7
@4 The blood of Jesus __________________ us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
Water does not cleanse anyone from any sin. The living water is the only water that cleanses us from sin. Peter tells us at the outset of this epistle that we are separated by the Spirit to be sprinkled with His blood, 1 Peter 1:2. That is God's cleansing rite that He has put us through in His miracle work. Paul says in Titus,
"5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior;
[This is the only cleansing rite of baptism that saves, but the Father does it by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. But there is more. Paul goes on and says,]
7 so that being justified [righteousified] by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:5-7
In other words, in Christ, through His grace work alone, we are cleansed by Christ's blood, through the Holy Spirit. This is the washing of regeneration by which you are made into the righteousness of salvation. Christ is our all in all. He is all that has been accomplished, and all that is needed, in all of us who are members of His body. Your saving baptism is to be in Him--eternally cleansed by Him.
/13/
The Greek term, eperotema, which is rightly translated as pledge to God, is indicative of our perseverance in true saving faith in receiving Christ as our Lord and Savior that comes from a conscience made good in the effectual call. This volitional pledge of verse 21, is because of the prior goodness of cleansing that already occurred in salvation.
/14 A/
This leads us to the next important remedy for soothing your baptism headache. Salvation by baptism in water, was never taught by Christ and the apostles. Baptism in water was taught and practiced; but salvation by baptism in water, was never taught by Christ and the apostles. Peter baptized people as a symbolic rite in honor of salvation, but Peter did not expect it to secure salvation for anyone. Looking at Peter's own track record, we will see that he never preached water-baptism as a means of salvation. In fact, we actually have a clear example of people being saved by Christ after hearing Peter's message, and they were already saved before being baptized in water. We read the account in Acts 10:
"... the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47 'Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?' 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." Acts 10:45-48
The Holy Spirit was poured out on these people and they started speaking in tongues and exalting God like Peter and the other apostles had done, v. 47 which is something the unsaved do not do. It was after the Holy Spirit was poured out on them, and they had already "received the Holy Spirit just as" the apostles that they were finally water-baptized. Paul explains that the Holy Spirit is given as a pledge of our inheritance in salvation;
"13 In Him [Christ], you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him [Christ] with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance," Ephesians 1:13-14
@5 The Holy _________________ is given as a pledge of our eternal inheritance after we believe the gospel. Ephesians 1:13-14
/14 B/
Even though we see that people received the Holy Spirit first in salvation, and then later were baptized, we must be aware that there are some headache makers who claim that Peter declared that water-baptism is what brings forgiveness for sins in Acts 2:38. Acts 2:38 is where Peter preached,
"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38
Notice that Peter said to be baptized "for" the forgiveness of your sins. The Greek word here translated "for" is "eis." Now, eis can express aim or purpose. Like for example saying,
"I washed my hands for [eis] the cleanliness."
In this case, cleanliness is what was desired to be achieved from washing. Hands are washed for it--to receive it. But there are other usage's of "eis," in koine Greek, and subsequently, in Scripture, which is what Peter means here. For example, eis can also mean "at." Eis can also mean, "because of." It is the same usage as in Matthew 1, where Jesus said,
"41 The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented [eis, as "at," or "because of"] the preaching of Jonah;" Matthew 12:41
Jesus is meaning that men repented "at" Jonah's preaching, or, "because of" Jonah's preaching. They did not repent first, and then receive the preaching from Jonah that leads to repentance. They repented "at," or "because of" the preaching of Jonah, which is the same detail in Jonah 3:3-9. Considering this, let's think about what Peter said again,
"be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins," Acts 2:38
This is accurately, as well as more understandably, translated in accord with the rest of God's revelation concerning salvation, as,
"be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ at the forgiveness of your sins." Acts 2:38
Or,
"be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins." Acts 2:38
/14 C/
Another example that gives you about 500 more milligrams of aspirin for your baptism headache, is found in Matthew 3:11. It is where John says,
"... I baptize you with water for [eis] repentance, ..." Matthew 3:11
John clearly taught that an Israelite should repent first and then be baptized for repentance. The problem is that water-salvationists twist the order over there in their big proof text passage of Acts 2:38 to fit their wrong interpretation of the wording. Remember, Peter said there to first,
{1} Repent,
[then next, Peter says,]
{2} and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; (Acts 2:38)
Matthew 3:11 causes a problem for the water baptism for salvation theorists. Why? Because according to their theory, Peter has repentance being the cause of baptism; but this would indicate an interpretation of "eis" that would have John saying that baptism is really the cause for repentance. Yet the reality is that John is saying that he is doing the symbolic ritual of baptizing people with water because of their repentance. In other words, water baptism is a commemoration of the fact that they repented. It is not a commencement to get repentance. So the conclusion then, based upon the correct usage of eis in Matthew 12:41, and 3:11, and the clear New Covenant grace gospel of justification by faith in Christ alone, is that Peter preached to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins in Acts 2:38; not to get your sins forgiven; thus suggesting that Peter meant that baptism is a symbolic celebration as a kind of worship experience from the saved because of the forgiveness of one's sins in Christ, which is a fact that is concisely exemplified in what happened when those Gentiles in Acts 10:43 received the gift of the Holy Spirit in salvation before baptism.
/15/
There is one more scripture that I want to cover that is not connected with Peter, but is typically used by water-salvation theorists as they hammer you over the head with their doctrinal mallet. The passage is Acts 22:16. This is where Ananias came to Saul and said:
"... you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized; and, wash away your sins calling on His name." Acts 22:15-16
There are some who read this and think that water baptism washes away your sins. But this passage is rightly understood when we recognize that the two terms "arise" and "call" (GK. anastas and epikalesamenos) are participles in the aorist tense. Then, there is "be baptized" and "be cleansed" (Gk. baptisai and apolousai). Those are both aorist imperatives. In respect to this, the terms make up two sets of points to be accomplished:
1) "Get up and be baptized"
[This is bodily cleansing that is done with water.]
2) "and, wash away your sins calling on His name."
[This is a spiritual cleansing of the remission of sins that is done by calling upon the name of the Lord.]
In other words, there are two different actions here that Paul is told to do. Paul needed a typical bodily cleansing baptizo. Why? Because he was blinded in the desert while traveling to Damascus, and he fell to the ground. Plus it is three days later at Acts 22:16. In Acts 9:9, we see that Paul had started fasting the day he was blinded. It is important to realize that when a Pharisee fasted, he also did not take a bath. Jesus mentions this practice in Matthew 6:17. Keeping all this in mind, the Pharisee Saul (Paul) was shocked at being blinded by Jesus Christ. Remember, Jesus said to Paul, "Why are you persecuting me," in 9:4; and so like a shocked, blinded, Pharisee would be expected to do, Paul began fasting. This clarifies why Acts 9:18-19 explains that later,
"18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized [cleansed]; 19 and he took food and was strengthened [broke the fast]." Acts 9:18-19
Remember there are various meanings of baptizo. One common one for the Pharisees is to hygienically wash yourself. Logically, Paul needed to wash at this point when he broke his fast and could finally see what he was doing. With that out of the way, let's look at the second urging. The second urging here, is given after the word, "and." It is a completely different action, of which the NET makes it clearer,
"and have your sins washed away by calling on the name of Christ." Acts 22:16 NET
Have your sins washed away by doing what?
"... calling on the name of Christ."
Christ is who washes away sin which is actuated in the elect by grace through faith in calling on the name of the Lord out of a good conscience. This action reflects what Paul taught later in his ministry,
"Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved," Romans 10:13
To be spiritually saved is to have your sins washed away through the blood of Christ, 1 John 1:7. So, we see that Paul's conversion is not water-baptism for salvation either.
/16/
I should add here that Paul, in respect to His comprehensive apostolic ministry of the gospel, said that God did not send him to water baptize, but rather, to preach the gospel. Paul said,
"14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 Because Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel ..." 1 Corinthians 1:14-17
Evidently Paul thought that water-baptism and the gospel are
a) two different categories,
and
b) of differing importance.
If Paul believed that water-baptism is actually part of the gospel of salvation, then he was wrong to say that it was different than the gospel. He would also be wrong to say that Christ did not send him to baptize, if baptism is supposedly part of the gospel he was preaching. But Paul says,
"Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." 1 Corinthians 1:17
This needs to be considered in light of the fact that Paul does not thank God that he did not preach the gospel. In fact, Paul says later on in this same epistle,
"woe to me if I do not preach the gospel" 1 Corinthians 9:16
Yet, here, instead of saying "woe to me that I did not baptize," Paul gives thanks to God that he did not baptize. Clearly this is because the gospel is the "good news" that is necessary for us to be spiritually saved, and water-baptism is not necessary for salvation which demonstrates that it is not part of the gospel. It is simple:
If water-baptism is part of the gospel, then Paul was immensely confused.
But Paul is not confused. He was simply dealing with the baptism headache. Paul preached and practiced the gospel, which is the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith alone through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ alone. This is the same gospel that Peter preached. In our epistle under study, Peter speaks of salvation for those who are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the separating work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood, 1 Peter 1:1-2. Then Peter gives the result--you obtain "as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls." in 1 Peter 1:9 Then Peter says, that we know that we were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from our futile way of life inherited from our forefathers; but how?--With precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. It is through Him that we are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that our faith and hope are in God for eternal spiritual salvation, 1 Peter 1:18-21. This is the ultimate aspirin for anyone's baptism headache. To be saved, you need to have your faith and hope in God. You need to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood that He shed on the cross for sins--obtaining as the outcome of faith in Him, the salvation of souls. That is the good news (gospel) that saves.
@1 The righteous Christ suffered once _____________ the unrighteous ones, that he might bring them to God. 1 Peter 3:18
@2 If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in you, God will give everlasting _______________ to you. Romans 8:11
@3 The outcome of our faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior is the ___________________of our souls. 1 Peter 1:9
@4 The blood of Jesus __________________ us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
@5 The Holy _________________ is given as a pledge of our eternal inheritance after we believe the gospel. Ephesians 1:13-14
