Word of Salvation – Vol. 14 No. 36 – September 1968
The Flood Of Great Waters
Sermon by Rev. G. I. Williamson, B.A., B.D. on 1Peter 3:20,21
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Genesis 7; 1Peter 3:8-21
PSALTER HYMNAL: 192; 239; 270; 43:6,7; 43:10
One of the greatest events in all the history of the world was undoubtedly the flood that took place in Noah's days. For so great was the change effected by this flood that the Bible says, "the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished!" So the whole planet on which we live, in other words, was radically and permanently altered.
(1) From the purely physical point of view we could show that that world was, in many ways more wonderful than the one we now live in. Some men who are both careful and qualified scientists, and humble students of scripture, have written a very convincing book entitled, "The Genesis Flood," in which these facts are duly considered. But it certainly must have been a wonderful world, with a very favourable climate, in order to enable human beings to live for nearly a thousand years!
(2) However, from the spiritual point of view, it was a very bad world indeed. In fact, the Bible clearly teaches that it was a far more evil world in those days before the flood than it ever has been at any time since. For "the earth also was corrupt before God," says the scripture, "and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." And that, as you are well aware, is the reason that the Lord sent the "flood of great waters" upon the world.
Now it probably seldom occurs to us that such a far-off event should have anything to do with us. And we hardly ever imagine that it has any connection with Baptism! Yet here we see, in our text, that it most assuredly does. For the inspired Apostle informs us that the wonderful deliverance of Noah and his house, when that great flood came, is "the like figure whereunto... baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is gone into heaven.
So let us consider what happened in that great deliverance, as we ask the help of the Holy Spirit to enable us to understand the significance of this ordinance of Baptism that Christ has given to us,
I. THE MEANING·
And the first thing that we can clearly see from God's Word, is the fact that the flood was an expression of God's wrath against sin. Nothing could possibly be clearer than this. For there is no passage in all of the Bible that gives us a more vivid picture of man's complete depravity and God's wrath against sin.
"And it came to pass,” says the scripture, "when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men – that they were fair and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, my spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”
For a time, in that early history of the world, there had been some who had known the true and living God.
They were called then, as they are today, "the sons of God. But, as time went on, this "true religion" decayed. And there began to be an impatience with the great antithesis between truth and error, faith and unbelief.
For a while after that, God still pleads with men! There was a striving of the Holy Spirit to stem the tide of apostasy. And Noah himself was a preacher of righteousness for over a hundred years. But it was all to no avail. For "God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
So it finally came to such a desperate state that the Lord himself repented that he had made man on the earth. And then it was that he said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.... And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold I will destroy them with the earth."
Now we can clearly see from this, that the flood was certainly an expression of the righteous judgment of God. For the Bible goes on to tell us what a terrible event this really was. "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life," we read, "in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.... and the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth.... and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered... and the mountains were covered, and all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died."
Is it any wonder that the memory of this terrible event was long remembered by the whole human race? Is it any wonder that virtually every culture has preserved in some form at least the story of this flood? For this was indeed a terrible, and universal judgment.
But what – someone may ask – has this to do with Baptism? How is it really possible that this terrible event is "the like figure whereunto... baptism doth also now save us?" Well, the answer to that question is found in the words of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who said, "I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished.” We do not usually think of Baptism in this light, do we? And yet the fact is perfectly plain: our Lord was speaking about his coming suffering and death. That was the baptism with which he was to be baptized with, and it was the wrath and curse of God the righteous judgment of God against sin which he describes with this familiar term.
"Save me, O God," cries the Messiah in the 69th Psalm, "for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me... Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters, Let not the Waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me." But of course, the waters did overflow him, for he was accursed of God. For "now is the judgment of this world," said Jesus.
II. THE RECIPIENTS
The second thing that we can see, from the comparison that Peter makes, is the fact that the waters of the flood were of decisive importance to all men who lived at that time upon the earth. For some – in fact, for the vast majority of men – these waters expressed God's wrath and curse unto death and destruction, while for others – that is, to Noah and his house – these same waters expressed the amazing grace of God in deliverance unto life.
What would be your answer if you were asked why it was that Noah and his family were saved from that terrible destruction?
Well, the usual answer from our covenant children is that Noah was saved, along with his family, because Noah was such a good man. And it is surprising how often the same answer comes from those who are adult Christians! But one thing is certain: this idea never came from the Bible. For the Bible clearly says that "all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." Even after the flood we can see that Noah was a sinner. So it definitely is not true that Noah deserved to be saved. No, the truth of the matter is that Noah deserved to be destroyed, just as much as anyone else.
It is perfectly true, of course, that there was a difference between Noah and other men. "Noah was a just man and upright in his generation," and "Noah walked with God." But why was Noah different? Why was he an upright man? Well, the Bible says it is because "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." And grace is just another word for God's unmerited favour! That is also why the Lord called Noah and his house. "For thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation," we read. And you notice, it does not say that God found Noah righteous, or that God saw that he already was righteous. What it actually says is that God looked upon him in grace, and therefore regarded him as if he had never sinned.
The difference between Noah and the other men of his day was not that he was good while they were not. But, from the human point of view, it was simply this: they had two entirely different attitudes toward the warning Word of God. The Bible says that all men heard the warning Word of God, because the Lord Jesus Christ himself - by the agency of the Holy Spirit – and probably through the testimony of Noah, warned of the flood of great waters.
But while the rest of the human race made light of it all, Noah took that warning to heart. For "by faith Noah," says the New Testament, "being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. So, according to the attitude with which they looked upon the flood of great waters – of which God had warned in His Word – these waters became decisive in importance to all who were living on the earth. They were to some men, a means of death and destruction, while at the same time they were to other men, a means of deliverance unto life.
And so it will prove to be with the waters of Baptism as well. For it was none other than our Lord Jesus himself, who commanded all men everywhere to repent and to be baptized in his name. And "he that believeth and is baptized," says the scripture "shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." And we still see the same great division on account of these words. On the one hand, there are those who do not fear His Word. They say, "What have I to fear? for since the fathers fell asleep, things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." But the Bible says that they are willingly ignorant of this: "that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished, just as the heavens and the earth which are now in existence, are reserved unto fire against the day of judgment.” And so, the despised and rejected waters of baptism become, for these, an emblem of the judgment which awaits them on that great day. Whereas to others, as to Noah of old, there is a preparation for that great day in these same waters of baptism.
As Noah built the ark, in order that he might be safe in the flood of great waters, so these today find refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ. "Thou art my hiding place," cries the believer, with the Psalmist, "thou shalt preserve me from trouble." And when "the floods of great waters come," says the scripture, "they shall not come nigh unto him." So we see how the waters of the great flood and the waters of baptism today are indeed of decisive importance to all men on the earth.
III. THE METHOD
But how do the waters of baptism really save us? Well, says Peter, it certainly is "not the putting away of the filth of the flesh."
One of the greatest errors in the history of the Church is, of course, this very notion of the cleansing power of Baptism. And even though we say it a thousand times or more, there still seem to be some who fail to recognize the truth. For there still seem to be some who somehow imagine that, if you have received the water of baptism, this automatically means that you are going to be saved.
But if this were really the case, just think how impossible it would be for Peter to say that the flood of Noah was a "like figure whereunto... baptism doth also now save us!" For the fact of the matter is that every single human being on the face of the earth, in that time, except for Noah and his family, received the flood of great waters. Every single one of them was literally immersed in the water. And the only ones who really did not feel a single drop of that water, were those who were safely in the ark with Noah.
This certainly proves that immersion is not necessary to baptism. Baptism itself can never save!
If we go on to read what took place after the flood, we will even have to admit that it wasn't a guarantee of salvation to have a place in the ark. When God called Noah into the ark, he also commanded him to bring his children. And he did bring his children. And the whole family of Noah shared in the benefits of the ark. But what do we read in the history that followed thereafter? Well, we read that one of these three sons of Noah was cursed and condemned of God. So there is absolute proof that a person can have all the benefits of the covenant of grace and still not be saved. And that is exactly what Peter is talking about when he says that it is "not the putting away of the filth of the flesh" that really saves us, but only "the answer of a good conscience toward God."
If a person happens to be born in a family like that of Noah, just think for a moment of what a tremendous advantage it is! Ham knew the reality of the things of God. Quoting the words of the book of Hebrews, we can say that he was "enlightened," and that he "tasted of the heavenly gift," and that he was made a "partaker of the Holy Ghost," and that he "tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come." And so it certainly is also with all who are born in the covenant household of faith. They are, to put it in a word, within the ark of faith. They are within the happy circle of those who are bound for heaven. But that does not change the fact that, unless there is an inner work of the Holy Spirit accompanying these things unless there is a regeneration of the heart there is nothing more in baptism than a washing of the filth of the flesh. And without the answer of a good conscience toward God, even those who are baptized cannot be saved.
"Is then, the outward washing with water itself the washing away of sin?" asks the Heidelberg Catechism. "No," reads the answer, "for only the blood of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit cleanse us from all sins." And "why, then, does the Holy Spirit call baptism the washing of regeneration and the washing away of sins?" It is "only to teach us thereby that as the filthiness of the body is taken away by water, so our sins are removed by the blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ." And to all who believe the promise of God in Christ, there is also the assurance "by this divine pledge and sign that we are spiritually cleansed from our sins, as really as we are outwardly washed with water."
IV. THE BENEFIT.
From this we can also see the tremendous benefit of this ordinance. For if the great flood of waters is really "the like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us," it certainly will be evident that there is a wonderful benefit.
Just imagine, if you will, what an awe-inspiring experience this was to Noah and most of his family. When they went into the ark and looked out of that door for the last time, they saw a world that they would never see again. And when, at last, they opened that door again, they opened it upon a new world that they had never seen before. So the waters of the great flood were a truly momentous experience.
All the rest of his life, Noah must have pondered these things. He must have kept saying, all the rest of his life, "what a marvellous experience that was! And to think, that I should have been chosen by God to know this deliverance! Oh, what a glorious thing is this covenant favour of the Lord! For I was once a part of a lost world, doomed to wrath and destruction. But the very waters of judgment by which others perished, have brought me to a new world in which God has promised – see the rainbow yonder that I will never perish in such a judgment again.”
Well, that is exactly what you and I should say when we think of our baptism. And that is exactly what our baptism really means, when we not only have the outward ordinance in the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but also the inward grace of a good conscience toward God! For the Bible says, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death! Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." And every man who really has this experience of eternal salvation can truly say that he has passed from death unto life that he has passed from the old world of sin and death, unto the new world in which sin no longer has the dominion. For "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” And that is not all, "Behold, old things are passed away and all things are become new.”
In the Westminster Larger Catechism there is the question, "How is our baptism to be improved by us?" "The needful, but much neglected duty of improving our baptism," says the Catechism, "is to be performed by us all our life long, especially in the time of temptation, and when we are present at the administration of it to others," and then it goes on to tell us how we ought to "relive again," so to speak, the wonderful deliverance that comes to us in the free grace of Jesus Christ, of which it is a sign and seal. Just as Noah was to remember the great flood whenever he saw the sign of the rainbow so ought we to remember the great judgment of God from which we have been delivered by the saving work of Christ. And how our hearts should be filled with gratitude when we meditate upon these things.
For if we truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, what does our baptism really mean? Well, it means exactly the same thing to us that the rainbow meant to Noah. "The waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh," said the Lord. And I have mercy on thee, says the Lord thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, says the Lord that hath mercy on thee." For to all who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, the flood of great waters has already come and gone. But for all who do not belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, the hour will soon approach when that flood will take them all away.
And now in conclusion, let us ask how it is with our souls! Let us ask what our relationship is to the flood of great waters? We have been baptized. But has this only been "the putting away of the filth of the flesh?" Or has it also been "the answer of a good conscience toward God?" Well, the answer to that question is not as difficult as we might think. For again we find in the story of Noah the perfect answer to the question. "And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him... and Noah builded an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake." In other words, beloved, we see what Noah did in response to the Lord for his marvellous mercy to him. He worshipped God in sincerity. He manifested his faith in the promised saviour who was to come. And he lived in thankful gratitude for all these gifts of grace. But what more does God require of us? As we read in the 116th Psalm:
"I am, O Lord, Thy servant, bound yet free!
Thy handmaid's son, whose shackles Thou hast broken:
Redeemed by grace I'll render as a token
Of gratitude my constant praise to thee."
Amen.