I invite you to look with me in your copies of God's Holy Word at 1 Peter 3, beginning in verse 18. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. in which also he went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you. Not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven after angels and authorities and powers have been subjected to him. Chapter four, therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. Well, in a recent viral debate between an Oriental Orthodox Christian and two evangelical apologists, the issue of baptism came front and center. And as the debate progressed, what became clear is that while the apologists were strong in certain areas of defending the Christian faith, when it came to the issue of baptism and church history, they proved to be lacking. But in considering how the debate went, I pose a question to you this morning. How would you have done in the debate. Do you know the distinctives on baptism in your own tradition? We, after all, are called Reformed Baptists. But what does that actually mean? And can it be supported in the scriptures? This, again, is what we will consider today. Now, as I start this message, I should say up front that there are many different views on baptism and many different questions that we can ask concerning baptism, even within our own tradition. And today will by no means be an exhaustive treatment of the subject. We can think, for instance, about certain questions concerning baptism, like the right mode of baptism. Should we sprinkle or should we immerse? You might then think about the question of who should be baptized? Everyone or believers only? And then there are questions of who should do the baptizing? all believers only certain authorized members of the church not to mention the question of what is baptism and what does it do anything many of us might be familiar with the roman catholic view on baptism Roman Catholics believe that baptism is causal to salvation. It is the act itself that grants the forgiveness of sins and the new birth. And so in a document known as the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this document basically summarizes all of the teachings of the Catholic Church. In a section entitled, On One Baptism for the Forgiveness of Sins, the document states this. Our Lord tied the forgiveness of sins to faith and baptism. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that we too might walk in newness of life. And then towards the end of the document, it concludes with the statement, baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have not yet been reborn. Now this is what is known as baptismal regeneration. simply stating baptismal regeneration in its broadest sense teaches that baptism is necessary for salvation. Now, even in our own tradition, when we think about Protestants We see that there are Protestants who also hold to this teaching. In fact, the first Protestant himself, Martin Luther, held to a form of baptismal regeneration. In Martin Luther's small catechism published in 1529, he writes on the subject of baptism. He says this, what benefits does baptism give? It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the word and the promises of God declare. Again, baptism, according to Luther, works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation. Now in case you were wondering how it is that Luther could hold to the doctrine of justification by faith alone and baptismal regeneration, how he harmonized it was in this manner. He said that it was the word and faith in the promises of God regarding baptism that transforms the waters and brings Christ to us. So then Luther would say that it was not the act of baptism itself, but rather faith in the promise of God concerning baptism, which imparts saving grace. Now recognizing the example of the thief on the cross, Luther would also state that baptism is that it is possible for God to save a part from baptism, though not ordinarily. And so again, this is the Lutheran. This is the Roman Catholic, the Oriental Orthodox. But what about our own tradition? What says the Reformed Baptist? Well, to learn what our tradition teaches about baptism, we should go no further than the 1689 London Baptist Confession. Now, in the 1689, we read, baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament ordained by Jesus Christ to be unto the party baptized a sign of his fellowship with him in his death and resurrection, of his being engrafted into him, of remission of sins, and of giving up into God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life. Well, as being stated on previous occasions, the 1689 is largely based on the Westminster Confession. Now, as you might imagine, when it comes to the section on baptism, there are some differences. Of major difference is the change in the word sacrament to ordinance. Now, the word sacrament itself comes from the Latin word sacramentum, which means an oath. In some instances, like Roman Catholicism and in the Oriental Orthodox and the Lutheran Church, the notion of saving efficacy is tied to the word. In other words, saving grace is imparted through baptism. On the other hand, an ordinance is defined as a command of an authoritative nature. And so the 1689 defines baptism as an ordinance or an authoritative New Testament command ordained by Jesus Christ. Now the Confession goes on to state that baptism is also a sign of four things. First, it is a sign of the believer's fellowship with Christ. Second, it is a sign of the believer's union with Christ in his death and resurrection. Third, it is a sign of the forgiveness of sins. And fourth, it is a sign of the believer's determination to walk in newness of life. But it is exactly at that point where various other Christian traditions rise up at the use of the term sign. You can hear the Catholic and the Orthodox and even the Lutheran getting their biblical ammunition ready. They look at passages, such as the one we will look at in a moment in 1 Peter 3.21, and say that the scripture is clear. Baptism saves you. Now, in response to the objection of the use of the word sign, I would offer two brief statements. First and foremost, the word sign is literally used of the Old Testament equivalent of circumcision in Genesis 17 verse 11. Secondly, even as we will see today, Peter describes baptism in highly symbolic language. So, baptism saves you might be what the text says, but is this what the text means? This again is the challenge set before us today. What does the Apostle Peter mean when he says that baptism saves you? Now, my intention is to walk through this passage under three headings. First of which is the environment of 1 Peter. Second, the example of Noah. And third, the efficacy of Christ. First, consider with me the environment, or to be more specific, the context. Try to keep with the E theme there. So specifically, the context of the letter of First Peter. Now, the letter of First Peter was believed to be written sometime in 64 AD. This is during the reign of Emperor Nero, just either prior to or during a period known as the Great Fire of Rome. Now, the Great Fire of Rome lasted for several days, and essentially what it was was two consecutive fires that devastated much of Rome. Now, the second fire, in particular, was said to be started under certain mysterious circumstances. And before long, these circumstances were attributed to the emperor himself. It was attributed to Nero. And Nero, seeking a scapegoat, then turns around and blames the Christians. Now, the Roman historian Tacitus gives us a sense of the hostility that existed against the Christians at the time. He writes, therefore, to scotch the rumor Nero substituted as culprits and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class of men loaded for their vices, whom the crowd styled Christians, Christus, the founder of the name, had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius by sentence of Pontius Pilate. And the pernicious superstition was checked for a moment, only to break out once more. Not merely in Judea, the home of the disease, but in the capital itself, where all things horrible or shameful in the world collect and find a vote. First then, the confessed members of the sect were arrested. Next, on their disclosures, vast numbers were convicted, not so much on the count of arson as for hatred of the human race. and derision accompanied their end. They were covered with wild bee skins and torn to death by dogs, or they were fastened on crosses, and when daylight failed, were burned to serve as lamps by night. Nero had offered his gardens for the spectacle and gave an exhibition in his circus, mixing with the crowd in the habit of the charioteer or mounted on his car. Hence, in spite of a guilt which had earned the most exemplary punishment, there arose a sentiment of pity due to the impression that they were being sacrificed, not for the welfare of the state, but for the ferocity of a single man. Now one thing I want you to first notice is that The Roman historian Tacitus is no friend of Christianity. In fact, he describes it as a disease. He says that it was based on superstition. Christianity, in his eyes, was associated with everything shameful and horrible. And yet, even Tacitus, is taken back by the cruelty of Nero. He is taken back to such an extent that he pitied the Christians. See, this was the context of the letter. Peter is writing to real Christians who are experiencing real persecution. What would be the most important thing to address at this time? Well, it would be the subject of suffering. Peter writes this letter to encourage believers during a time of great suffering. Now, beginning in chapter 2, verse 12, Peter says, keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may, because of your good deeds as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. And so Peter encourages believers to live in such a way that those who slandered them falsely would be proven wrong through their excellent behavior. Now this is a very important point and a very important theme all throughout the book of 1 Peter. Peter again turns our attention as believers on how we should live the gospel in a world that persecutes us. He did not want Christians in the spirit of the age to take up arms and rebel against the Roman government. Instead, he encourages believers to submit themselves to Rome. Now, he demonstrates throughout the book how submission to authority, even an unjust one, is part of excellent behavior in various aspects of life. He, in a sense, goes from least to greatest. He admonishes slaves to submit to masters, even those who are unreasonable. Likewise, wives are to submit unto husbands, even those who are unbelieving. And then he shows at the end of chapter 2 how Christ, who is the example to follow, who was sinless, submitted himself to sinful authority and suffered. Now, I should say that Peter here is not teaching unlimited submission to those in authority. For even Peter himself once defied Jewish authority by saying that we must obey God rather than man in Acts 529. So there are instances when we must disobey the authorities over us. But too many Christians take too many liberties in this area. Now again, keeping this background in mind, we come back to the question of, what does this have to do with baptism? If you remember, Peter speaks about how those who slandered believers unjustly in chapter 2 He tells them that the remedy is godly living. Peter, once more, points us to two righteous men who suffered unjust persecution at the hands of wicked men, and then ties it back to baptism. The first of which is Christ, and then the second is Noah. And so, again, Backing up to verse 17, we read this. For it is better if God should will it so that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit So Peter says that when believers suffer for doing what is right, they are, in fact, suffering in a similar manner to Christ, who also suffered for doing what was right. He then adds that though Christ was put to death in the flesh, he says that he was made alive in the spirit. But what does that mean? In this instance, I believe that the New King James Version better translates the passage, saying, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit. That is capital S Spirit. That is a reference to the Holy Spirit And then things get interesting when we move on to verse 19. It says, in which also he went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah during the construction of the ark in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through the water. So Christ, who was made alive by the Holy Spirit, accomplished something through the Holy Spirit. But what is it that he actually accomplished? Well, we need to ask three questions of verse 19 in order to better track and follow the point that Peter is making here. Those questions are, again, who, what, and another who. First, the text says, in which he, right, who's he? Well, that points us to what was said before, that he is Christ. Did what? Well, the text says, went and made proclamation. And then who did he make the proclamation to? Well, again, the text tells us spirits in prison. So far, the passage is easy enough to understand, although we might not readily see the connection as yet. Christ, by the Holy Spirit, went and made proclamation to spirits in prison. Now, moving on to verse 20, we get some more information regarding the spirits in prison. The text says, who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah. So the spirits in prison that Peter refers to were once disobedient, And then we get one last important piece of information regarding the time frame. The time frame here is identified as the days of Noah. Now this is going to lead us to our second point, which is the example of Noah. The key to understanding why Peter holds up the example of Noah as an example to his audience who are suffering persecution is to think about the context of which Noah lived in. In fact, if we look at Genesis chapter 6, verse 5, we get a sense of the world that Noah existed in at the time. In Genesis 6-5 we read, Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Again, the text describes the extent of the wickedness and disobedience of mankind during the days of Noah as only evil continually. So Peter says that Christ preached to the spirits now in prison who were present at the time of Noah. Those spirits that Peter refers to is a reference to the people who lived during the time of the flood. These are the antediluvians. But this interpretation begs another question. When did Christ preach to those people, and where is that found in the book of Genesis? Well, you can look for it, but you won't find it. But perhaps the question is not so much so when, but perhaps the better question is how. How. And this is what I believe Peter gets to. He says that it was by the same Holy Spirit that resurrected Christ from the dead that Jesus preached through Noah. Now, Peter actually says something similar about the Old Testament prophets in 1 Peter 1 verses 10 to 11. He says in that section that the Spirit of Christ was in the Old Testament prophets. So there's already a precedent set for Peter to speak of the operation of the Spirit in Old Testament saints in this manner. Not to mention the fact that Noah also typifies Christ. In 2 Peter 2 verse 5, Peter says that Noah, who was a shadow of Christ, was a preacher of righteousness. His message would condemn the world. Now, how do you suppose that those wicked people would respond to the message of a righteous man who condemned them? Do you suppose they would just welcome his preaching with open arms? That they would just love him and accept him? Or would they slander him? would they seek to persecute him, even as those believers during the time of Peter were being persecuted. You see, Noah, like the audience of 1 Peter, was persecuted and slandered because of righteousness. But like Noah, their enemies would also be put to shame at the time of judgment. Now, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. We typically don't think about Noah and the flood in this manner. But the judgment of God by means of water was actually a means of salvation for Noah. It was salvation from the wicked whose every intent was only evil continually. And so the greatest danger to Noah and his family was not actually the flood, but it was those wicked men. And God saved Noah and his family from those wicked men by means of water. And so what Peter is communicating here is that wickedness and evil are drowned in the flood. In other words, the floodwaters represent the end of sin and the beginning of a new life for Noah. So again, if you read the text carefully, you will see that the emphasis that Peter stresses is not on the ark, but it is on the water. Peter ties the waters of the flood to the waters of baptism. Again, we often think about the ark which brings life, but the emphasis here is not on life, but it is on death. As the flood was the death of wickedness and the beginning of new life for Noah, so too does baptism point the believer to the reality of the death of sin and the beginning of new spiritual life. And so Peter writes corresponding to that. Well, what's that? Again, what he just mentioned, the floodwaters during the time of Noah. Peter says corresponding to that, baptism now saves you. Baptism saves. Now the word for save here is the same word used in scripture elsewhere. to speak of deliverance from great peril. And so it is used, for instance, in Matthew 8, 25, when Jesus and the disciples are on the sea, and a great storm appears, and the disciples cry out, Lord, save us. We are perishing. So the idea is that baptism, in some sense, rescues us from some sort of peril or suffering. But the question is, what peril? What suffering? Well, Peter goes on to make a few clarifying statements, lest we get carried away by the analogy. He says, not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You see, Peter points to baptism's cleansing effect, not of the body, but actually of the mind. Again he says, baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience. What does that mean? Well, we'll look at several words in that phrase in order to better understand Peter's point. Well, the Greek word for appeal that's translated in our Bibles is epirotima. In our passage, it could be used in the sense of a question. If this is accurate, then the meaning is that in baptism, we are asking God for a good conscience. On the other hand, If the word is being used in the sense of a demand, which I believe it is, then the sense is that of a pledge of a good conscience. And so if you look at various translations and how they translate that word, you will find it translated as answer, as interrogation, and even the word pledge. In other words, in baptism, we pledge ourselves to God, having already a conscience that is clean and good. Now here's another question to ponder. What does it mean to have a good conscience? Well, generally speaking, the conscience is that faculty of the mind that passes judgment on our own actions. And so a good conscience, as described in scripture, is one that rightly judges that it is free from the guilt of sin because it receives the forgiveness of God based upon the merits of christ i should also add that a good conscience in this sense is not our work of man but actually or work of grace a point to which peter makes clear when he adds at the end of the first through the resurrection of jesus christ so putting it all together Baptism is a pledge of the one being baptized to walk in newness of life by the grace of God. It is a right response to a conscience that is clean and good. Now, in this sense, The word sacrament, again, as a sacred oath or vow, aptly applies to baptism. If you trace the word all the way back, it was one that was first used by Roman soldiers when they would pledge their allegiance to the empire and to the emperor. And again, likewise in church history as you look into it, you will see that there is evidence that those who were baptized would take an oath and pledge themselves to the Lord before baptism. And again, what were they pledging? The pledge was to walk in newness of life. Again, in our baptism we are reminded that we are saved from the wickedness of the old man who has been drowned in the flood. This idea of death and life in connection with baptism is seen in other places, places such as Romans chapter 6, verses 1 to 4, where the apostle Paul says, what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? 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 walk in newness of life. Now, water baptism, as I've stated, is also a sign of our spirit baptism. Our spirit baptism that unites us to Christ. But to say that baptism is a sign of these things, again, is not to say that baptism does not have any efficacy or importance. No, on the contrary, the efficacy of baptism does not lie in the mysterious or mystical impartation of grace, but rather it is through a mental apprehension of the reality that the sign of baptism itself points us towards. And what is that reality? It is the truth that as believers, we no longer bear the guilt of sin. And so regardless of how the believer is slandered, we remain innocent. Now Paul puts it this way in Romans 8 verse 1, he says, Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Again the efficacy of baptism is not found in the act itself, but in the faith that it points us towards. As someone has said, baptism is the body of which faith is the soul. To put it another way, it is the wedding ring that symbolizes that we exclusively belong to another. Pretty soon, my children will be graduating And again, I can't help to think about another illustration that comes to mind. In baptism, it's the graduation ceremony that confirms that a skill has been acquired. You don't acquire the skill at graduation. No, that is acquired long before that. And again, while baptism itself does not save, it is a visible representation of the fullness of the salvation that we possess. Again, think about the importance of signs as we're driving down the interstate. We don't just say that signs are not important because they're not the reality of the place that it points us towards. No, on the other hand, we find the sign very useful. For these signs direct us and guide us that we may arrive safely to our destination. Likewise, the sign of baptism guides us and directs us back to Christ. This leads us to our final point, which is the efficacy of Christ. Reflecting on the truths pictured in our baptism encourages our faith and assurance. But our faith and assurance can be hindered by sin. You see, you cannot persist in high levels of assurance with low levels of holiness. Think about it this way. How can you fight an external battle against the world, your flesh, the devil, when internally, your mind says, hypocrite. Internally, your conscience condemns you as guilty. Certainly in the midst of trials and suffering, this will cause you to lose heart. It will lead to a loss of assurance and despair. And so it is especially crucial in times of suffering that we maintain a good conscience as well as good behavior. Now I believe it is at this point that it is appropriate to emphasize the point that a good conscience does not start with good behavior but it starts with Christ. Peter again in verse 18 of the passage we look at says, for Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh. You see, a good conscience is acquired by believing the message of the gospel. It happens when we see ourselves as the unjust ones in comparison to Christ Jesus, the only just one. It happens when we accept his death on our behalf to bring us to God. It is maintained when we return again and again to the truth that all of our righteousness is found in Christ. Christ is sufficient. No other work is necessary. But There is another side to having a good conscience born out of gospel repentance. For when we turn to Christ, we are also at the same time turning from sin. Now Peter goes on to say in chapter four, verses one to two, Therefore, we ask another question, what is that therefore? Well, this goes back to everything else he has labored in chapter 3. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God." Simply put, Christ suffered and died in the flesh for sins. Those who are in Christ likewise suffer in the flesh and are dead to sin. The life we now live, we live for God. And this again is what is pledged in baptism. And so for those of you who may be suffering persecution for the sake of Christ, remember the oath to God in baptism. Like the audience in 1 Peter, pledge yourself to him as a sign that your conscience is clean, that the old man is dead, having been drowned in the flood And now a new man has been resurrected in his place. There is now no guilt or blame that your enemies can justly lay at your feet. For your baptism symbolizes your union with Christ. Christ is in you. and you are in Christ. Therefore, his righteousness is your righteousness. His death for sin is the reason why you die to sin. His resurrection ensures your resurrection. And even as Christ suffered for righteousness' sake, so too are his followers called to suffer, for no disciple is greater than his Master. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to highly esteem and cherish all that it means to be baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Now, As I consider the emphasis that other Christian traditions have placed upon baptism, I am convicted that in our own tradition, we have gone in the opposite direction. That is to say that we have moved away from highly esteeming baptism. This was not always so. You see, the old reformers held the ordinance in high regard. And this is something we must likewise reclaim. So tonight, we will gather to observe the second ordinance that the Lord has commanded to his church. I invite you to return and to partake of the blessing that God has given to the church for the strengthening of our souls. We will gather around the table of the Lord to commune with one another, but also with Christ. But while all are invited to come, Only family members are invited to partake. And so for those of you outside the family of God, what you must first do is make an appeal to God for a good conscience in faith and repentance. Then, after doing that, pledge yourself to him through the waters of baptism. And then, finally, come, eat, partake of the blessing of Christ. Remember what Christ has done on your behalf, as well as the promise of his return. Amen? Let's go to the Lord in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you have given your church all that is necessary for life and for godliness. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your spirit. We thank you for the ordinances that lead us back to Christ. Heavenly Father, I pray first and foremost for those who have been united to you by faith. I pray, Lord, that we would reflect upon all that it means to be united to you in your life, in your death, and in your suffering. I pray that we would reflect upon our baptism, that we would draw strength in recalling the oath, the pledge to God to walk in newness of life. And at the same time, I pray for those who may have already confessed you as Lord and Savior. I pray, Lord, that those among us through a full apprehension and grasp of the significance of baptism, would long for the graduation ceremony. That we would look forward to it with great joy for all that it represents and all that it means, for it is indeed a reality to those who are united spiritually to Christ. And finally, I pray for those who are unbelieving. I pray for those who have yet to bow the knee to Christ Jesus. That they would not look to any external right or to any form of goodness, but that they would look to the righteousness of Christ. Lord, we know that it is only by your spirit that you could take the heart of stone and give the heart of flesh. And even as Pastor Sean opened up the Psalms to us this morning and ended it on the verse to not harden our hearts. I pray that we would go back to that first admonition for those who are outside of Christ, that they would not harden their hearts, but that today would be the day of salvation, that they make that appeal to God for a good conscience based on the blood and righteousness of Christ. And all these things we pray in Christ Jesus' name. Amen.