Day 31 Wednesday - Mar 29, 2023; Mar 20, 2024; Apr 9, 2025
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
We’ve danced around the interplay of thoughts in this passage, now let us look at them directly. There are three distinct elements: the power of baptism to save, the inward response of the Christian, and the source of baptism’s graces in the resurrection of Jesus.
You might think of it like ordering a pizza: the pizza is made at the restaurant, but brought to you by the delivery boy, to be enjoyed by you as you eat it. There is a source for this pizza, a means by which it gets to you, and ultimately a use on your part.
So it is with grace: Christ is its source, baptism the means, and faith the use. Peter says it is through the resurrection of Christ (source) that baptism saves (means) when it becomes an appeal for us to have a good conscience (use). Without any of these three something fundamental is missing in our message about baptism. Sometimes we forget to make it about Christ, as if the pastor had some magic power to save you. Sometimes we empty baptism of its power, as if Christ had not put his saving grace into it. And other times still we act like all we need to do is “get it over with”, like baptism is a one and done thing apart from faith. But of course, like the rest of the ways we share the gospel, that is not the case. The gospel is of Jesus Christ’s work for you. The church exists to share it with you. And its message is only received by faith.
So now that baptism has delivered the saving goods of Jesus to you, all that’s left to do is enjoy it…
Because of your good news on Easter morning, what good news to be baptized, Jesus. Give me therefore a good conscience that would trust in your salvation and happily serve you today. Amen.
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