Saved like Noah

Some of my denominational friends assert that Peter cannot be speaking of Christian baptism in 1 Peter 3:21 since Noah was spared from getting wet during the flood. They point out that it was thus the ark that saved Noah rather than the water. To what exactly is Peter comparing Christian baptism in this passage? How was Noah saved through water without even getting wet?

Peter chooses to compare “the baptism that saves” to the Genesis Flood because he sees Christian baptism as having more in common with the waters of Noah’s day than any Old Testament ceremonial washing. The apostle further clarifies that the purpose of Christian baptism lies not in the washing of physical dirt from our skin. This type of cleansing was what the Old Testament ritual washings had to offer as a foreshadowing of what was to come. As a one-time event, there was nothing ceremonial or ritualistic about Noah’s flood. While it is true that Noah stayed dry within the ark, there is more to the story. 

First, let’s look closer at the ark itself. In a sense, the ark serves as a “type” (representation) of Christ (the “antitype”). To escape the future coming judgment of God, we are told that we must be “in Christ” (Rom 8:1). Just as there was a single door on the ark by which all were expected to enter, Jesus declared that he himself is the “door” to deliverance unto eternal life in John 10:7. Those “in Christ” are spiritually encompassed about by the righteousness of God, which Scripture likens to a garment (Gal 3:27, Is 61:10, Eph 6:11, Rev 22:14). Outside of Christ there is no hope, just as outside the ark all perished (John 14:6). 

Psalm 91:1, 4: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘my refuge and my fortress’… He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and a bulwark.”[1]

We turn our attention now to the floodwaters referred to by Peter. While the wooden ark saved Noah from the destruction of the water, how can it be said that the water saved Noah? I suggest the biblical context provides some clues.

Genesis 7:7 states that Noah’s family entered the ark “because of the water of the flood”. This provides some insight into the thinking behind 1Peter 3:21-22, leading us to look at why God sent the flood in the first place. Genesis 6:13 says that mankind’s fixation on evil resulted in the whole Earth being “filled with violence”. Noah, a peaceful man, was, of course, vulnerable to widespread violence. As the number of the faithful dwindled, the situation for Noah’s family became increasingly desperate. Psalm 11:3 asks, “When the foundations [Ie, rule of law, social institutions] are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Noah can be said to have been rescued from suffering at the hands of tyrants through God demonstrating his justice on a global scale. While the wooden ark offered relative safety by itself, the flood was the occasion for the ark to serve its purpose in effectively delivering Noah according to God’s promise.

Why is Peter mentioning this in his letter to the churches? It is known that his first-century audience experienced persecution under violent Roman emperors. In chapter one, Peter describes his audience as living like “scattered aliens” enduring “fiery trials” as God’s chosen people. Sounds a little like Noah’s family. Notice in 1Peter 1:5 they are “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” In 1:7, the apostle says the goal is for them to be found faithful “at the revelation of Jesus Christ”. Peter is comforting his audience by reminding them of the second coming of the Lord. In 2Peter 3:10-12, he indicates the physical universe will be destroyed with intense heat from roaring fire. The Lord’s return at the end of history is described similarly in 2Thess 1:7 as an arrival in “fiery vengeance against those that do not obey the gospel.” God will deliver those “in Christ” at the end and execute his enemies in perfect justice on a universal scale.

The apostles taught that there’s nothing magical about the water itself. Paul in Col 2:11-12 clarifies that it is God who performs the regenerative work when a repentant believer is immersed. This agrees perfectly with the resurrection power being the focal point of 1Peter 3:22. Notice again in 1Peter 1:3 the apostle explains God has caused us to be “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Baptism can be said to save in the sense that it is the point in time at which you are transferred by God out of the kingdom of this world and into his “ark”. In the baptismal floodwaters, the world and one’s old self are condemned to death while a new creation occurs.

“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world…” Heb 11:7

British Bible scholar George Beasley-Murray’s landmark work, Baptism in The New Testament, concludes chapter four by noting “the chief lesson of 1Peter 3:21-22 is the emphatic denial that external elements of baptism constitute either its essence or its power.” Baptism is also when the Lord makes his resurrection “effective for the individual” coming to him.

Rom 6:4-5 reads, “having 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 the newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.”

Peter’s message is still valid today. Be saved like Noah was from the coming destructive judgment of God by being baptized into the body of Christ. Abide in Christ until the end (John 15:4-6).