by Jonathan Bennett
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, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine
longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that
is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism
(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels
and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. (1 Peter 3:18-22) This passage
speaks volumes in bringing what happened in Genesis chapter six to light in that it was not an
event that happened and then forgotten. Peter brings to light how it is the pre-incarnate Christ who
preached to those living prior to the flood through Noah. Noah (pre-incarnate Christ) preached to
those who were living in the bondage of sin, during the antediluvian period, in a concerted effort
to save them from the impending doom that was coming. Yet, during the entire one hundred twenty
years of preaching none of the world, save Noah, his wife, sons and daughters-in-law, ever made
themselves right with Jehovah God. God the Father is seen as being extremely patient and not
executing immediate judgement on the world but allowing Noah to fulfill the task of preaching,
all the while building the ark. Keep in mind that until the flood there had never been rain upon the
earth and the ark was being constructed on dry land. The world around Noah and his family must
have thought he was insane for building such a structure, plus imagine the discouragement Noah
must have felt in preaching for one hundred twenty years while no one acknowledged Jehovah as
the true God.
In all this, Noah continually found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8) which allowed
him and his family to avoid the judgement which was to be executed against all of humanity.
Beginning in Genesis 7:13 we see that Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives went into the ark
and on the same day the deluge began that would shortly destroy the earth, except the ark and its
occupants. There was only one door on the ark (inference of Christ being the only way to the Father
(John 3:17)) and the water saved the ark by floating it, all the while destroying the earth from
which it came. 1 Peter 3:20-21 reminds us of this all the while reaffirming the reality that baptism
now saves us. The flood of Noah purged the sin and iniquity of humanity from the earth, saved
Noah and his family, and in like manner baptism purges the sin and iniquity from the souls of men
today. “…baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience
toward God) …” (1 Peter 3:21b) serves as a stark reminder that immersion for the forgiveness of
sins is a spiritual cleansing (Acts 22:16) and has nothing to do with physical cleansing or healing.
When we are baptized, we are contacting the saving blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7) and are
emulating His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:1-5).
Therefore, when we read about the flood in Scripture it is not just some historical event
that happened by chance but rather serves a significant purpose, not only throughout the Old
Testament but also into the New Testament and Christian age. As mentioned above, Noah found
grace in the eyes of the Lord, which raises the question “What is YOUR spiritual status this day?”
If you were to stand before the judgement seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) would you find grace
in the eyes of the Lord? We must realize that the world around us may never react in a positive
manner to the saving message of Christ, but just as the ark saved Noah, baptism will cleanse us
from sin and place us in the church bought and paid for by Jesus Christ. Jesus is eternal (Hebrews
13:8) and is reigning as Lord of lords and King of kings (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16)
at the right hand of the throne of God. Whether it was the pre-incarnate Christ preaching through
Noah or the New Testament being proclaimed today, all will answer for the things done in this
life. “Someday you’ll stand at the bar on high, someday your record you’ll see; Someday you’ll
answer the question of life, What will your answer be?”
