Does 1 Peter 3:21 Teach that We Are Saved by Our Baptism?

First Peter 321 teach that we are saved by our baptism. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's edition of core Christianity will have Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez. This is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. There's our phone number is 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 if you get our voicemail free to feel free to leave a message. We try to review our voicemails each day. You can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram or twitter account and you can always email us with your question at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to Phyllis who is calling in from Arkansas. Phyllis what your question for Israel. No doubt doing them come by family and household and he narrowed it down to the guilty person my going to want to need to just point out that and mile down what what else could you add to that. Why did he do all that Joshua yeah you some context is coming up. They know right after the fall of Jericho, so that's a story that that most people are many Christians might be more familiar with in in Joshua chapter 6 the fall of Jericho in one of the things that God warned his people in Joshua chapter 6 verse 18 is but you keep yourself from the things devoted to destruction less.

When you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it as you had the The Fall of Jericho. But what ended up happening is people there and Israel did not heed the. The exhortation there in Joshua chapter 6, verse 18. You had one individual named Aiken who did steal some things it items that had some value and he had them away in his tent and as a result of that, you had these these things devoted for destruction brought into the camp of Israel and God's judgment came upon the Israelites. Because of this, because of their disobedience to the sin of this one man Aiken began to have a negative effect on the entire community, which by the way, I think, teaches us something about sin, our individual sin. Your individual sin that you hide and try to try to keep you know it under the tent if you will does bring devastation upon the community of faith that we think it's just it is this individual thing, but no in. In actuality, our sin hurts the people around us� Pastoral moment right there providing some but that in terms of the specific is the specifics of your question Phyllis, why, why is it that they go through all the trouble of sort of narrowing it down to this one person Aiken in verse 16 it says Joshua chapter 7 rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe and the tribe of Judah was taken. It is probably through the casting of lots and then he brought near the clans of Judah and the clan of the vera Heights was taken and he brought near the clan of the Sarah Heights man by man and zapped. He was taken he brought near his household man by man, and Aiken, the son of Connery son of Xobni, son of Sarah of the tribe of Judah was taken and then that's when Joshua confronted agent saying my son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him and tell me now what you have done and do not hide from me and in a can can confesses and then experiences judgment will why not just point taken out right away.

I think it may not, of course were speculating here because the text doesn't tell us specifically one it was just the ordinary way that they would've gone about this process would have been through the casting of lots and so that there is that. But I think imagine the effect that that would've had Phyllis on on the Israelites coming there there trembling there shaking in their in their boots is that is it considering the fact okay this this judgment has just come upon us there something wrong, God is upset with us and now worse are going through this process try to figure what's what's the what's the what's the issue. Think of for example Jesus with his disciples in the upper room where he says one of you is going to betray me and all of them are asking is it medium in the fear of God has gripped their hearts.

And I think that's what's happening here for the whole camp of Israel. The fear of God is gripping them as their participating in this process and they see the judgment that falls upon Aiken and so I think it was his teaching moment for the Israelites there helping them, I think, to fear the Lord and to take his word seriously and and indeed that's that's what happened. And so Phyllis thank you for that question.

Getting us into a more obscure passage, but that's okay, really, really important text.

I think there in Joshua chapter 7 love it when we explore the Old Testament and we see some of the parallels to the new covenant, and you often do, that Israel so thanks for that. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez.

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Core, Christianity.com/offers again core Christianity.com/offers what here's a message a voicemail message we received from one of our listeners in Minneapolis, Minnesota � their atrial distance? I really appreciate your show. I appreciate also your recent comments about baptism.

I am curious how you would handle first Peter 321 that says baptism now saves you. How would you handle that in your understanding.

Thanks a lot, but hey Mark, thank you for your encouragement. Let me do this is such an interesting passage and usually when we when we get questions about this tax that the that this you know Paris could be if you will. There there focused on what it meat means or what what it meant when Peter talks about the spirits in prison having the. The gospel proclaims to them to read some of this passage beginning in verse 18 for Christ also suffered 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 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison because they formerly did not obey when God's patients 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 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 stop there first and meet one thing that's clear is he saying Peter is saying the flood narrative was a type of baptism. Baptism is this picture of salvation through judgment. We see this also with with the Israelites crossing through the Red Sea out of Egypt, their saved date. They come through the waters delivered by the Lord, the Israelites are the Egyptians were judged that the quote on quote baptismal waters killed them as is picture of salvation through judgment. Same with you know again what that that what Peter says here that the story of the flood that was a type of baptism if you will of the earth through which God delivered his people. Noah and his family and brought judgment upon the world. So baptism is like this. This double-edged sword I think is is one thing we can see here. Certainly, the idea of baptism being this picture of judgment is also clear from what Paul says in places like Romans chapter 6 were baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ. When Jesus speaks about his baptism, he speaks about it as is the judgment that he underwent on the cross so that that's one thing that were saying but I'm guessing that we we are focusing on specifically is what is language of baptism saving you and this gets us into the question of the efficacy of baptism. What does baptism do and I think there are a couple of things that we want to avoid.

So here's here's from getting into. Might my answer to your your more specific question one we want to avoid a doctrine of baptism that says it just is just a meaningless it's kind of like an empty sign like this this picture that we get, but it's not a real genuine means of grace. The Holy Spirit is not really working through I and in baptisms, which I think is is the opposite of what we see in Scripture, God uses ordinary means. These ordinances that he gives to the church to communicate his grace. It's it's through these things is very creaturely things, water, bread, wine that the Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers of the children of God, as we should embrace these things.

Baptism as as a present true and real means of grace. These are places where God is at work in the midst of his people giving his promises, his gospel promises showering us with his gospel promises through these signs.

Now, does that mean that every person who is baptized is undoubtedly saved, undoubtedly regenerated on that. Just in the act of baptism that there made in that in that moment. Through the act of baptism.

The washing with water.

A child of God eternally saved and secure.

Never gonna fall out of the grace of God will know nobody know he actually believes that even those who embrace what's called baptismal regeneration would sale you can be made a child of God within you could still end up in perdition.

If you turn away from God refuse in a way that grace and so and so I would say baptism is a real means of grace, a sign and seal of God's gospel promises to his people, but we lay hold of the reality of those promises by faith and the, the, the grace of baptism if you will, is necessarily tied to the moment of its administration meeting a person can be baptized at one point and not experience the reality of the forgiveness of sins until a later time.

By faith, but that doesn't invalidate their baptism or me that it wasn't a real genuine baptism that God wasn't actually extending his promises including this individual in the visible community of faith and again I think I think that that that view this view.

My view does a good job of striking the balance between to work with nothing. That baptism is worthless. It doesn't do anything that is a sort of empty sign, but we also recognize it but it's not that the act of baptism by itself the washing with water in and of itself that saves it's the work of the Holy Spirit with faith using those means.

I think that's why Peter goes on to say right, 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. And so thank you for giving me an opportunity to get into that that text there in first Peter chapter 3 and for your encouragement Douglas you love talking about baptism.

I've noticed that you're really good that Israel any edge like talk about the Bible, built so and and the Bible talks about baptism so I like to get into it and appreciate those those questions real thoughtful questions your listing to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez we receive emails here and if you have a question you can email us anytime at questions at core, Christianity.com it will. Here's an email from one of our listeners named Alex. He says my wife and I are struggling with the Old Testament story of Lot offering his daughters to the mob of rapists. We have a daughter and that seems like the worst thing you could possibly do.

Obviously, God is against rape and want you to protect your family.

But when Hebrews says that lots was a righteous man, and the corruption of the city distressed and it's confusing to us. Why doesn't Hebrew say what was a terrible guy. Thank God he said that was actually it's not. It's not Hebrews the specifically that I think speaks to this. It's it's in second Peter where second Peter gives us a little bit of an interpretation on on lots life and there in second Peter chapter 2. Specifically, Peter's warning against false teachers, false prophets and highlighting how these false teachers use these false prophets, indulge in sensuality in the sexual immorality in a sort of loose view of God's law. Some people called antinomianism is the rejection of God's law and peers, highlighting the fact that God is in a bring his judgment on those people that we can just embrace lawlessness in sin and not expect to face the divine judgment of God. Second Peter chapter 2 verse four begins.

If God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness, to be kept until the judgment if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah Harold of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly, if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes. He condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly and if he rescued righteous Lot.

There is righteous Lot greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked for as that righteous man lived among them day after day he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard than the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Now here Peter gives us an interpretation of the life of Lot and he says that he was righteous, and as he lived there in almost the people of Sodom his soul.

His righteous soul was tormented day and night as he saw the wicked behavior of the people around them. But then you go to Genesis chapter 19 and it's very clear that Lot was a man of contradictions that that he was not sinless, certainly not an actually is is you note, he does things that are just absolutely unthinkable. Like when did the people of the city are coming and trying to violate his his guests.

These angelic beings Lot offers his daughters to them.

Now of course his daughters don't get get taken by this mob.

This lustful violent mob and the Angels were there end up rescuing Lot and his daughters everyone everywhere there in the other thing is crazy about this is them the these these these messengers from God warned Lila judgment is coming on this city as morning Don, we read in Genesis chapter 19 verse 15. The Angels urge Lot, saying up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city, but he lingered so the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him.

That's the answer right there. God being merciful to lot lot made a lot of mistakes. A lot of foolish mistakes. Lot here in this story is as I said a man of contradiction. A man who has sin, he isn't sinless. It's only the mercy of God that saves him, and that's our hope to that that when we stand before God justified through the blood of Jesus. Not that we were sinless. It's not that we didn't do terrible things in our lives at various points make make terrible decisions and and and whatnot lot certainly did.

It's that we cling to the grace of God and it's that were rescued redeemed by his mercy, and so Lot had lied. Faith is as much of you know man of contradiction as he was, and for all of his sins.

He experienced the mercy of God and was as a result, delivered by God and may God deliver you and all of us by faith in the name of his son Jesus from the temptations that surround us and from compromising with those temptations and again it's only the mercy of God that we cling to great explanation. Thanks for that intro.

This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, just a reminder we have that great resource on marriage available to you. It's called why would anyone get married a case for the beauty and goodness of marriage. You can find that by going to our website at core, Christianity.com/offers again core Christianity.com/offers would love to get that to you for donation of any amount you can also find some of the other great resources that we have at our website. Just browse around for awhile@corechristianity.com will you receive voicemails here at the core and there's one that came in from one of our listeners earlier this week to buy or mark baseball. In the last day that I thought is thank you for that question. Advice for being faithful in these last days. I guess a question I would have for you now. If anyone wants it to know this. This is the answer to this question is what's your diet look like and by diet. What I mean is, what are you filling your spiritual belly with. I think it's so important for us right now in the days that were in to be shaped first and foremost by the holy Scriptures by the word of Christ dwell in our hearts richly so that we might be filled by her filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit.

There is so much information that is out there right now so many voices that are speaking to us vying for our attention via media and social media and often times I find that Christians who are primarily shaped by those channels of communication, whether it's Twitter or Facebook or the daily news cycle and that's what were just drinking deeply of and then maybe God's word. Meno is getting in there a little bit somewhere here and there but primarily were focused on is the sort of broader discussions and and that's what it's all about presses is that there's this real spiritual malnutrition that begins to set in and edit any good and it creates problems and so I would say in terms of faithfulness to God. Really, in all ages and at all times.

We want to make sure that we are filling ourselves up with those things that are edifying that are going to help us be faithful to Jesus and certainly a deeper understanding of his word is one of those things.

And of course we always emphasize the importance of being a part of a good church here not being plugged into a solid community that believes and preaches the truth where you're to be encouraged in your walk with the Lord, we are to be continually pointed to what Jesus says about life, about about our own identity. You know in him about how to live rightly there is discipleship going all the world and make disciples. Baptizing in the name of the father and of the son of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I've commanded you. And so we need it. We need to fill our day with those kinds of voices when you have a steady diet of the word of God of Christian community so that we might be able to engage the people around us in a way that is faithful and in good I think of and just to give you a passage of Scripture to go to that you can read first Peter chapter 4 verse seven the end of all things that hand.

Peter said therefore be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling as each is received a gift use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's very grace whoever speaks, is one who speaks the oracles of God. Whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Were in the end, Peter says the end of all things is at hand.

The Lord is at hand.

So what should we do be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your person ever to be a person is committed to prayer to bring everything before the Lord including people who need prayer. Be committed to prayer, and above all, Peter says, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins as it was when he committed a prayer we want to be committed to lovely want to be committed to hospitality show hospitality to one another without grumbling as of this is they read. It is a panic, or in the end you unit panicky to move to, you know, is some other place and and and hunkered down while the judgment is coming, that of the noises keep them people in your home. You know be hospitable, be full of love. Be a person of prayer and be rooted in the word of God and so I would say look, if you if you want to be faithful that's that's we need me that steady diet of Christ speech to us the truth of the gospel steady understanding of God's word, sound doctrine, theology, whom I love the people around us as God calls us to love them be lights for Jesus in the world thanks thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers and the menu or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us.

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