1 Peter 3:20-22: The Like Figure

I. Introduction: This passage can be confusing to many because of the word use and some misconceptions about baptism. Let’s look at the passage in greater detail.

II. Text: 1 Peter 3:20-22

III. Context: Suffering of Jesus

A. Early in chapter three Peter tells them to be compassionate towards one another and not to return evil for evil.

B. Towards the end of the chapter he tells them that if they suffer for righteousness sake, it is a blessing.

C. He challenges them not to be afraid but to be ready to give an answer to those who would oppose them.

D. If they suffer for good, they would be like Christ who suffered innocently to bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

E. He then compares Jesus work to the teaching in Noah’s day while Noah was building the ark for the salvation of his household.

IV. The salvation of Noah.

A. During Noah’s time the world was very wicked and violent and ” the thought of every man’s heart was on evil continually.”

B. God commanded Noah to build an ark to save his family and some of the animals of the world.

C. Noah worked on the ark for over 100 years and apparently preached to the people during the meantime.

D. Peter notes that the people remained disobedient during the building of the ark, a period of longsuffering to give them time to repent. In 2 Peter 2:5 Noah is called a preacher of righteousness.

E. God then brought rain from above and broke the depths of the earth so that the water covered the entire earth.

F. The ark was raised in the water so that Noah and his family would be saved. The water that saved Noah cleansed the earth of its wickedness.

G. How was Noah saved?

H. He obeyed God and followed his commandments that told him what to do to be saved.

I. Was he saved by the grace of God? Yes! Did he have to do something to respond to that grace? Yes! He didn’t sit back and say, ” Go ahead and save me God, I believe you.” He had to respond to God’s message of salvation.

J. The eight souls were saved through water.

K. The same water that destroyed sin from the earth lifted Noah and his family and carried them from the destruction. The water destroyed the disobedient and saved the obedient.

V. Peter then compares baptism to Noah’s salvation.

A. He calls it a ” like figure” in the KJV and ” antitype” in the NKJV.

B. When we see antitype we would probably think ” opposite type.”

C. The more understandable translation is ” the like figure”

D. The Greek word means ” a thing formed after some pattern; that which corresponds to a type.” (Mark Copeland).Vine’s calls it a ” corresponding type.” Strong’s calls it a ” representative counterpart.” So it is not the opposite, it is a corresponding type or figure.

E. Baptism is a corresponding figure, a like figure, to the salvation of Noah.

F. Albert Barnes in his commentary on 1 Peter: ” The meaning here is, that baptism corresponded to, or had a resemblance to, the water by which Noah was saved; there is a sense in which water performs an important part in our salvation, as it did in his.”

G. What comparisons to we see?

H. The cleansing by water.

I. In the flood the world of sin is washed away. In baptism, the sins of the world are washed away, Acts 22:16.

J. Regeneration by water.

K. All life was destroyed in the flood so that the physical world could have a fresh beginning. Baptism is called the washing of regeneration, Titus 3:5.

L. Salvation was in response to the word of God..

M. Noah was saved by the flood by obeying God’s command to build the ark. He was saved by the grace of God but he had to do something. Baptism is also commanded: Ephesians 5:25-26; Matthew 28:18-20.

VI. He explicitly says that baptism now saves us.

A. As previously read in Matthew 28, Jesus commanded the apostles to make disciples ” baptizing them.”

B. In Mark’s account of the great commission, Mark 16:15-16, ” he that believes and is baptized shall be saved.”

C. He who does not believe though baptized, would be lost. Baptism is not the only thing.

D. We read Acts 22:16 where Paul was told to arise and be baptized to wash away his sins.

E. According to Galatians 3:26-27: We are baptized into Christ.

F. It is plain from these passages and more that baptism has the power to wash away sins.

G. Note some other observations from religious scholars outside of the church whose groups do not teach the necessity of baptism for salvation:

H. Augustine: ” the salvation of man is effected in baptism” and a person ” is baptized for the express purpose of being with Christ.” Thomas Aquinas: ” for this end baptism conferred on a man, that being regenerated thereby, he may be incorporated into Christ…without baptism there is no salvation for men.” Martin Luther in his Small Catechism: ” It effects forgiveness of sins…through baptism he is bathed in the blood of Christ and is cleansed from his sins…the power and purpose of baptism is to save.”

I. Some will say that it is a ” works” salvation.

J. Luther also noted: ” Yes, it is true that our works are of no use for salvation. Baptism, however, is not our work but God’s.” Our authority is the scripture: Colossians 2:11-12 tells us that when we are baptized it is the working of God that saves us.

K. The power is not in the water, but in obedience to God’s command.

L. It is not the removal of the filth of the flesh. It was not that the sinner needs a bath, he needs to obey.

M. We see this same example in the Old Testament example of Naaman being cleansed of his leprosy by dipping 7 times in the Jordan in 2 Kings 5.

N. The power was not in the water, but the response to God’s command. Naaman was angry, he thought there would be a great show to heal his leprosy, and that the waters of the Jordan were inferior. As long as he felt this way, he still had leprosy. It was by the grace of God that his leprosy was removed but he still had to do something.

O. We are saved by the grace of God and the blood of Christ, but we must still respond to his commands, as did Naaman and Noah, to have salvation.

VII. The answer of a good conscience towards God.

A. Peter emphasizes that the importance of baptism is not in cleaning our physical flesh.

B. Rather, baptism is the answer of a good conscience towards God (NKJV)

C. The idea is that baptism is the appeal to God for a good conscience:

D. Note some other translations:

E. “…an appeal to God for a clear conscience” (RSV)“…an appeal to God for a good conscience” (NASV)“…the interrogation of a good conscience towards God” (ASV)

F. According to Vine’s, the word for ” answer” in the NKJV was used by the Greeks in a legal sense as a demand or an appeal.

G. When we are baptized, we are making a legal appeal to God for a good conscience.

H. We are doing what he commanded and are showing that obedience. Since ” baptism now saves us” (1 Peter 3:21), ” he that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16), we are appealing to God for salvation through baptism. In Acts 2:38, those who killed Jesus had their hearts (conscience) pricked because they knew they had done wrong. They appealed to Peter ” What shall we do?” and they were commanded to be baptized. They would have their conscience cleared because they now obeyed the Savior. Hebrews 9:13-14 - The blood of Christ will purge our conscience Hebrews 10:22 - Let us draw near having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

VIII. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

A. 1 Peter 1:3: We are begotten again (born again) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ to an eternal inheritance.

B. 1 Peter 3:21: We are baptized through the resurrection of Jesus for salvation.

IX. Conclusion: The teaching is clear, baptism saves us.