1 Peter 3:18-22
Entering a story bigger than yourself
The NT knows nothing of an unbaptized Christian
Noah rather than the Exodus
What do we know about Noah?
Parallels between Noah and the readers of 1 Peter
1. Noah was a minority
2. Noah was surrounded by unbelief
3. Noah witnessed boldly
4. Noah promised that judgment was coming soon
5. Christ preached through Noah
7. A few were saved
Water=chaos
Gen. 1:2, Ps. 18:4, Ps. 69:1-2, Ps. 88:7, Ps. 144:7
In the Noah story, the water separated the wicked from the saved
When the waters subsided, Noah and his family entered a new world
Romans 6:3-5
A person is baptized into death
And raised with Christ
A pledge or an appeal
For God to cleanse the deepest inner-most part because of the work of Jesus
Not magic
Resurrection is not something you can do, neither is baptism
Flee to the ark (Jesus), pass through the waters (baptism), set our lives on the rock (the Cross and the Empty Tomb) rise to a new world (discipleship to the Risen Lord)
Not just about you.
That’s good news.
5 threads
1. Participation in Jesus (Identity)
2 Cor. 5:16-21
Becoming Weak
Eph. 2:1-10, Col. 2:8-15
2. Washing of Sin (Hope)
Repent
“Your baptism is nothing less than grace clutching you by the throat: a grace-full throttling, by which your sin in submerged in order that you may remain under grace. Come thus to your baptism. Give yourself up to be drowned in baptism and killed by the mercy of God, saying, ‘Drown me and throttle me, dear Lord, for henceforth I will gladly die to sin with your Son.”—Martin Luther
Acts 2:38, 1 Cor. 6:11
3. Gifts of the Spirit (Ministry)
NT emphasizes a connection here
Engulfed in the Spirit
Surrender to God like Jesus
Eph. 1:13-14 & 4:5, 1 Cor. 12:13
The purpose of gifts
4. Becoming part of the people of God (Community)
Union with Christ and His people
Born into a new family
5. Initiation into God’s kingdom (Ethics)
A Pledge of Allegiance
“Baptism was and is nothing less than a declaration of allegiance to God’s transcendent kingdom and a rejection of this present age.”
The Anabaptists
Gal. 3:27-28
Baptism requires us to question our pronouns
Ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status
A New Humanity
A Prayer For The Baptized