I Peter 3:18-22 - The Sign and the Thing Signified

I Peter 3:18-22 - 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; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 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. 21 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, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

Message: The Sign and the Thing Signified

Time: Peter wrote to a group of people that probably included Jews and Christians at the time of probably AD 64, as the persecution of Christians by Nero was ramping up. It is thought Peter spent his final years in Rome. Peter calls people to root themselves in the perseverance and presence of Christ. 

What the Lord is Saying: In the previous lesson, I saw that sacraments are signs that point to something else and convey promises of God. They are specific rites or acts that are performed or carried out to reveal truth and set people apart from those in the world. 

In a somewhat mysterious way, God works through them to accomplish His purposes. God has in His mercy in history shown mercy to a remnant of people. He bestows grace therefore on certain people. And this grace occurs through faith. We often express this in our services of the Lord's Supper when we state it is a time for believers to partake and those visiting or those who are not of the faith of Jesus as Savior and Lord of their lives are not to partake. 

Somewhat unlike the Lord's Supper, baptism has stronger language that gives the idea of it being salvific. There are verses in the Bible that seem to state that Baptism saves. In Acts there is frequent mention of this like in Acts 2:38 when Peter says to be "baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" and yet even in this verse I can see how someone could mean that baptism signifies or is the visible sign someone has received for having faith. We know countless other examples of salvation in which baptism is not mentioned. And then also here in these verses of I Peter 3:21 in which he says, "baptism now saves you." I must admit having struggled with these words as compared to the Body of Scripture on salvation. And that struggle has come most often in discussions with those that worship with the Church of Christ who hold that Baptism is the instrument that is needed by every person in order to be saved (In my conversations one thing I've heard from them is there are different ways God saved people - one way during Old Testament times, another way while Jesus walked this earth and then another way once Jesus ascended to heaven, the later being the time when Baptism was prescribed. This is where I struggle because I see all of scripture either pointing forward or back to Christ and I think in all situations God has asked us to receive Him by faith and then following this our faith responds with acts of obedience and I see baptism as one of those acts albeit a very important one that should follow faith soon after). 

In today's passage I focus on two possible contrasting thoughts - verse 18 states that Christ after dying for sinners brings us to God. So this is God choosing man for salvation, God through his life, death, and resurrection brings people to God by faith, making them alive by the Spirit. And then Peter speaks a lesson of God proclaiming to the spirits in prison, once disobedient, but then God brought them to safety through water and then Peter states that the water baptism saves. 

What Tabletalk explains is:

• Peter connects the salvation conferred in baptism with the salvation conferred to Noah's family in the flood.
• Not all of Noah's family experience salvation as Ham was later cursed by the Lord (Gen. 9:18-25; was he cursed by God or Noah?)
• So we can conclude that like the flood that saved people, not all people that receive baptism will be saved. 
• Yet the admonition that baptism saves you give the impression that grace is so closely connected to baptism.  

And maybe that is the point right now, that there is a close union between the sacraments and salvation and therefore we can conclude in their importance and as we observe them they have a special relation or union that helps confirm a person's life in Christ. 

The Westminster Confession of Faith 27.2 states, "There is, in every sacrament, a spiritual relation, or sacramental union, between the sign and the thing specified: whence it comes to pass, that the names and effects of the one are attributed to the other." 

Perhaps what is going on here is we can see salvation in a person through the act of baptism. We can't see into a person's heart, but baptism helps us see this in a person. 

Summary: There remains an importance in participating in the sacraments. And in this participation a union or relation between the sign and the thing signified. 

Promise: Scripture frequently describes the sacraments as accomplishing certain things without telling us how they do so. Yet, in this accomplishment we have careful rendering of those acts lest we fall into error. 

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for the Word of God. I admit God that at times it is a mystery to me in the relationship between me and the blessing in which you have conferred upon me. Lord, if one thing is clear it is my obedience and that I am to take seriously these acts in my life. Lord, help me be a person that upholds this and gets not so much focused on the language but on the results. Thank you for baptism and being able to witness it even yesterday in Andrew's life at church as well as the other people that were baptized. Thank you for the richness it yields and being able to see salvation itself through it. Keep shedding light into my life and thank you Spirit for always working in me.