1 Peter 3:21–22 (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, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels,
authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
NOTE: Just as Noah
and his family were rescued by passing through the waters in the ark, so we as
believers in Jesus Christ are saved by baptism, a both physical and spiritual
process. The physical aspect of baptism does not save us, but it is commanded by
the Lord Jesus and is a picture of the spiritual aspect of baptism. When we put
our faith in Jesus, our sins are buried with him, our current spiritual bodies
are raised again with an indwelling Holy Spirit, and our future bodies will be
raised from the grave to an imperishable shape. Belief in Jesus is our
spiritual baptism where we are reborn by the spirit, with a promise of a future
rebirth of our physical bodies as well. Jesus death also gained us access to
God, pictured by the tearing down of the curtain, which separated the people
from the ark of the covenant. We are no longer separated from the ark. Jesus is
our ark who carries us away from death and judgment because he took our place
in court and paid our penalty for our sin. God did this all for us, and it was
not because we deserved, because we didn't, but because he loved us. How
amazing!
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