Baptism, Deliverance, and a Good Conscience

17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,

1 Peter 2:11 (ESV)

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

If you are a Christian the Bible says you are an exile! How are you an exile?

How do we live as exiles? How do we live with honorable conduct in the midst of an unsaved and evil world system?

How do we do that especially if God allows us to suffer? And even more stringent what if God allows us to suffer for righteousness sake?

1 Peter 3:13–16 (ESV)

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?

14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

Why is it to your advantage to suffer for righteousness sake? What is it to your advantage to have a good conscience?

1 Peter 3:17 (ESV)

17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

Keeping a good conscience before God is to your advantage even if that means suffering, harm, slander, or reviling. Why? Because it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

You have two choices

Choice #1: Do evil now and escape the suffering and harm of this present evil age

But ultimately later on you will have to face the judgement of God.

Choice #2: Do good now and potentially face suffering from this present evil age

But ultimately escape God’s judgment and instead participate in the full measure of His blessing.

Which choice is better? Doing good or doing evil? Escaping suffering for the moment, or maintaining a good conscience and suffering for righteousness’ sake?

The answer that God wants you understand, believe, and live out is to do good! It is better to suffer for doing good!

Why is it better? And how do we do that? How do we maintain a good conscience in this present evil age?

Why is suffering for doing good better?

Because Jesus suffered for doing good and He was blessed beyond measure

1 Peter 3:17 ESV

17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

Why?

1 Peter 3:18 ESV

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Why is it better to suffer for doing good? Because Christ also suffered once for sin! Because we have the testimony and example of Jesus Christ! Think about Jesus’ example of suffering.

What did the suffering of Jesus result in?

1. A way for our sins to be forgiven

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

What suffering is Peter talking about? Of course it was the death of Jesus Christ on a cross. Jesus Christ, the Son of God was put to death on a wooden device of torment we call a cross. He shed his blood and gave up his life. Why did He do that?

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Jesus shed his blood on the cross for our sins so that we might have a relationship with almighty God. Only those who have their sins forgiven and washed away can have a relationship with God. God is holy and without sin and cannot even look upon sin. If you want to spend eternity with God one day after this life is over, you must have your sins forgiven.

Jesus has made a way for us to have our sins forgiven by suffering once for our sins. And Jesus was the only one who could suffer for our sins! Did you know that? No one else could have done it? Why?

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Jesus was fully righteous. That means He was without sins of His own. He was perfect. No other human has every lived a fully righteous life. The Bible says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But, not Jesus. He was fully righteous because Jesus is God. He is the Son of God made flesh. So he could die for our sins since he did not have any sins of his own. He suffered once for sins, not his own sins, but your sins and mine.

So the suffering of Jesus on the cross resulted in salvation for those who believe.

What else did the suffering of Jesus result in?

2. The full measure of God’s blessing

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Yes Hes was put to death in the flesh. He died. Then He was buried, and in three days he was made alive!

1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

In other words, Jesus suffered for doing good (the righteous died for the unrighteous), but then Jesus was made alive by means of the Holy Spirit.

Why is it better to suffer for doing good? Yes you may have to suffer in this lifetime because we live in an evil age, but ultimately you will experience God’s blessing and that blessing will be beyond compare! Just as Jesus did.

1 Peter 3:13 ESV

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?

1 Peter 3:14 ESV

14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,

Just look at the example of Jesus. Jesus suffered for doing good, but was blessed beyond measure.

1 Peter 3:22 ESV

22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

If you will follow the example of Jesus, if you will be willing to suffer for doing good, you too can look forward to the full measure of God’s blessing.

How do we do that? How do we maintain a good conscience in this present evil age?

One of the ways we maintain a good conscience is through water baptism

1 Peter 3:18–19 NKJV

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,

Difficult verses- this is the way I understand the passage.

Jesus was put to death in the flesh (he actually died physically), but after three days He was made alive by means of the Holy Spirit.

And also by means of the Holy Spirit He went and preached to the spirits who are now in prison.

What spirits are we talking about?

1 Peter 3:20 ESV

20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

In the days of Noah- What Peter is saying is that the same Holy Spirit that made Jesus alive from the dead, is the same Holy Spirit that enabled Jesus to preach to the ungodly people of Noah’s day. Now those people are dead and their spirits are in prison— that is they are in hell.

When they were alive in Noah’s day, Jesus preached to them by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of Noah.

Why are these spirits now in prison?

1 Peter 3:20 (ESV)

20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

Why is it better to suffer for doing good than for evil?

Did Noah suffer for doing good when he built the ark? He was mocked and ridiculed and rejected by every person on earth except his family.

But because he endure suffering for righteousness sake what happened? He and his family were brought safely through water.

What happened to the people who mocked Noah? Their spirits are now in prison- They are in Hell!

Did Noah and his family escape hell because they built an ark? No

Hebrews 11:7 ESV

7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

It was the faith of Noah that made his an heir of righteousness. Again let me pause here. This is primary. This is of first importance. You must have faith like Noah. You must believe in Jesus Christ, in his death on the cross. If you do not, if you reject God and you reject Jesus and His message you will end up like the people of Noah’s day- spirits in prison. The immaterial part of you, when you die, will be sent to hell to await God’s final judgment day.

Noah’s obedience did save him from something though. It saved himself and his family from God’s judgement! It saved them from the flood.

This example is helpful for us when we think about baptism. How?

1 Peter 3:20–21 ESV

20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

How does Baptism correspond to Noah and the flood?

There are three parallel thoughts or ideas in this text and I have highlighted them for you.

Noah preparing the ark = baptism

were brought safely = now saves you

through water = through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

Here are the three ways that Baptism corresponds to Noah and the flood. And you have to understand these three points or you will miss the whole point.

Noah preparing the ark = baptism

Notice it was not the ark itself, but the act of Noah preparing the ark that corresponds to baptism.

The emphasis is on Noah’s obedience to God is building the ark.

Hebrews 11:7 ESV

Noah’s act of obedience is what saved himself and his household from the flood.

In the same way baptism as an act of obedience will save us.

were brought safely = now saves you

We especially have to be careful here to see the meaning of safely and saves you in this context. What does it mean that Noah was brought safely through the flood? They escaped God’s earthly temporal judgment.

This is not talking about eternal judgment. The only thing that saves a person from eternal judgment (ending up as spirits in prison) is faith in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11:7 ESV

We have to keep this definition in mind or we end up in doctrinal error.

1 Peter 3:21 (ESV)

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

If you understand this as saving you from eternal judgement you end up with false doctrine. You end up with the doctrine that teaches that water baptism somehow saves you from your sin and a saves your from eternal judgement.

But Peter is very careful to make sure this error in thinking does not take place.

1 Peter 3:21 (ESV)

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

1 Peter 3:21 (HCSB)

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The word translated body or flesh is the Greek word sarks / sarkos. It is most normally translated as flesh and not body. And I think that is the preferred translation here.

Peter tells us that Baptism saves us, not at all meaning that water baptism can remove or wash away the filth of our flesh. What is our flesh. It is our corrupted sin nature. Peter is telling us that there is no power in mere water to wash away the filth of our sin. Water cannot cleanse us of our sins.

What is the only thing powerful enough to wash away our sins?

1 John 1:7 (ESV)

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Only the blood of Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse from ALL SIN!

Perhaps you are sitting here this morning and you believe in your heart that your sins are forgiven because you were baptized as a child. Listen to the plain words of Scripture. Only the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

Perhaps you are trusting in your good works, or the church you are a member of, or the number of times you have recited a prayer to wash away your sins. Listen to the plain words of God- only the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

Let me invite you again, if you have never trusted in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins, you can do that today. Turn away from your wrong thinking, turn away from the error of your ways, and turn to Jesus. Put your trust in Him alone to wash you of all sin. Call out to him, ask him to save you. And you will be born again.

Coming back to our text:

If Baptist cannot remove the filth of our flesh, then what good is it?

1 Peter 3:21 (ESV)

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

What benefit does water baptism have in the life of a believer?

Notice I said water baptism. Clearly that is what Peter is referring to here. Some people only think you need to be baptized by the Spirit. For those people I don’t know how you honestly interpret this text. The correspondence of water from the flood and the clarification that baptism cannot wash or remove the filth of our flesh leave no doubt that God wants believers to be baptized by water.

So what benefit does water baptism have in the life of a believer?

It is an appeal or a pledge to God for a good conscience. Water baptism is a pledge to God. What is a pledge?

pledge (commitment) n. — a binding commitment to do something.

When a believer gets baptized what are they pledging to God? They are making a binding commitment that they are going to be obedient disciples of Jesus Christ. That is one of the very important aspects of baptism. It is our pledge to God for a good conscience. We can have a good conscience because we are following a very important command of Jesus to be baptized, and it is a commitment to continue to follow Jesus as His disciple.

Principle: You can be a Christian without being baptized, but you will never be more than a disobedient Christian.

Believer, have you followed the Lord in baptism? Have you made your pledge to God for a good conscience? What are you waiting for?

through water = through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

1 Peter 3:21 ESV

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ corresponds to through water of the flood.

1 Peter 3:20 ESV

20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

How were Noah and his family brought safely through water? Noah was delivered from suffering at the hands of the wicked through the water of the flood. He and his family were delivered while the wicked perished.

1 Peter 3:21 ESV

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

You may be facing suffering for righteousness sake. You may be suffering at the hands of the wicked for good and not for evil. You too, if you will be like Noah, if you will make a pledge of obedience to God through baptism, you will be delivered from the from suffering not through water, but through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

You have the certainty of being resurrected one day. And the idea of the resurrection and assertion in the next verse naturally leads to the second coming of Jesus.

1 Peter 3:22 ESV

22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Right now Jesus is at the right hand of the Father in heaven waiting until all his enemies have been made his footstool. And then what will happen? Jesus is going to come again. He is going to establish His kingdom. What will be the fate of the wicked when that happens? They will perish?

What will be the fate of those who are obedient like Noah? They will experience the full measure of God’s blessing.

Truly:

1 Peter 3:17 ESV

17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

Friends

1). Are you a Christian? Have you been saved? Have your sins been washed away?

2). Do you have a good conscience? Have you followed Jesus and made a pledge of a good conscience through water baptism? What are you waiting for?

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