Bible Text: 1 Peter 3:18-4:6 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: 1 Peter, Living for the Will of God

There are three lessons we can deduce from Peter’s mention of Noah and the flood.

-God is patient, waiting 120 years, before judging the earth of Noah’s day (Peter explains why in 2 Peter 2:4-9; 3:9).

-God patience has an end, followed by judgment, when the end comes it comes suddenly and decisively.

-God operates on a longer time-table than we are often comfortable with, in this case decades not days.

The Ark showed Noah’s trust in God, his willingness to do the will of God, and his willingness to endure ridicule. It showed his break with the world, even as baptism does that for us. The waters of the flood symbolized the cleansing of the ancient world, even as baptism for the believer symbolized cleansing form the old life and entrance into the new life.
Baptism is important as a symbol of a person’s identification with Jesus Christ and break with the old life. It is a sign to unbelievers of our commitment to Christ and if likely to attract suffering (as is the case of Peter’s readers).
Water baptism is important in the New Testament because:

-It is a part of the Great Commission to the church in Matthew 28:19,20.

-It is the pattern of the NT that those who trusted Christ as Savior followed with water baptism ((the Philippian jailer and his family (Acts 16) and the Ethiopian official (Acts 8).

-It is a picture of our identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Romans 6)

-It is a testimony to the change that has come into our lives.

Baptism does not save a person or add to a person’s salvation. “Baptism is the symbol of what has already occurred in the heart and life of one who has trusted Christ as Savior.” (Roger Raymer)