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Presence Weekly: How Baptism Offers Hope in the Midst of Suffering

1 Peter 3:18-22 The Blessing of Difficult Passages (Part 2 of 3)

The administration of baptism to a dear friend who had recently professed faith in Christ and placed his hope in the promise of salvation.

[First Things]

  1. We return, well-rested, after a two-week respite and a study leave, ready for the continuing journey of whole-life discipleship.

  2. Please let us know if you are interested in joining an in-person Washington discipleship cohort or reading group, have a pastoral concern, or are interested in our resources for churches.

  3. Faithful Presence is looking for an intern for the summer. Please reach out to us if you are aware of someone who might fit well.

[The Devo] How Baptism offers Hope in the midst of Suffering.

For Christ also suffered once 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, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience 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. 21 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, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

1 Peter 3:18-22 

 The centrality of Christ as the source of living hope is one that Peter believes is central to his pastoral purpose: to equip those serving and leading in Asia Minor to flourish as they participate in Christ’s mission of making all things new. 

As we saw in the previous lesson, Peter is using this complex, but not confusing, passage to present Jesus as the proper source of hope in the midst of suffering because he has the authority to announce the truth of the gospel to the demons from the “days of Noah,” who were “in prison.” But that is not the only reason for hoping in Christ that Peter is providing in this passage. He also draws the line of salvation from Noah directly to Jesus.  

Noah as a Type of Christ 

In the days of Noah, God rightly and justly decided to judge the world for its sin. 

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:5–8.

Anyone and everyone who was not given a seat on that boat died in the flood. As a result, “ few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.” In the same way, Peter points out, anyone and everyone not possessing faith in Christ will die as a result of their sins. Just as God used Noah to make salvation possible through water, so Jesus makes salvation possible through water. 

Which raises the question, “What role does baptism play in salvation, and how does that have anything to do with how we engage in and for the public square?” 

Baptism as a practice

When I was young, my family was Catholic. I recall both my youngest brother’s baptism in 1977 and my sister’s baptism in 1979. However, I did not understand the meaning attached to what was happening. Shortly after her baptism, my sister passed away from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (Crib Death).  That afternoon, while my parents were having their lives torn apart by grief, the parish priest came to our home to comfort me. The only words I remember him saying were, “It’s a good thing your sister was baptized last Sunday, because now she is an angel with God.”  In that well-meaning attempt at providing hope in the midst of suffering, the priest misrepresented even-Catholic theology, conflated the action of baptism with the act of God’s free grace which “called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9),  and made a young boy very angry at God. 

Those who subscribe to “Believer’s Baptism” hold the view that baptism is an outward sign of an inner faith that is rightly administered only after someone has placed their faith in Christ. May in this camp also practice “Infant Dedication,” in which the parents pledge to raise their child in fear and admonition of the Lord, with the support of the church, and laying hold of the salvation promises of the God of steadfast love and faithfulness to call the children of believers “out of darkness into his marvelous light.” After their dedication, their children receive the benefits of growing up in the church and coming to understand the beauty of the gospel. 

Those who subscribe to “Infant Baptism”, as I do, hold the view that the baptism of children who have not yet professed fatih, initiated by parents, is a pledge to raise their child in fear and admonition of the Lord, with the support of the church, laying hold of the salvation promises of the God of steadfast love and faithfulness  to call the children of believers “out of darkness into his marvelous light.” After their baptism, their children receive the benefits of growing up in the church and coming to understand the beauty of the gospel. The reformed faith has the best understanding of baptism, a simple articulation of which is found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. 

Q91. How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?

A: The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that does administer them; but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them.

Q.94. What is baptism?

A. The sacrament of baptism is a washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which is a sign and seal that we are joined to Christ, that we receive the benefits of the covenant of grace, and that we are engaged to be the Lord’s.

This is also in line with what Peter was communicating. Regardless of which understanding you subscribe to, neither group asserts that baptism is the regenerating agent of salvation. 

Baptism as a Sign

Peter makes it clear that baptism into Christ is analogous to, but not the same as, getting into the boat with Noah. He does not say that baptism equals the role of the Ark in the flood; he says, “baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you.  So, how should we see the correspondence? 

First, both Noah and Jesus were commissioned by God of steadfast love and faithfulness, at his initiative, for their role in providing salvation from judgment for sin. Second, in the same way that Noah was the “mediator of salvation” in his role as builder, host, and captain of the Ark, so Christ is the “mediator of salvation” in his role as “the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). Third, anyone and everyone who was in the Ark with Noah was there by God’s grace, just as anyone and everyone who professes repentance and faith in Christ does so by God’s grace. 

This brings us to the final correspondence. Baptism is not the agent of regeneration in salvation; baptism unites us to Christ who suffered on our behalf, brings us into the church, and declares our hope in an act of God’s free grace. 

Consider a previous passage where Peter presents Christ as the true source of hope in the midst of suffering: 

17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1 Peter 1:17–21.

Baptism as a Seal

In its role as a seal, baptism acts as the visual and honorary marker of the covenant arrangement between man and God in the same way a ring does between an engaged couple. However, the now largely discarded term betrothal may come closer in meaning, since it carried civil obligations. We have all known individuals who were baptized after professing belief, who are no longer walking with the Lord. So too, there are those who were baptized as infants who are not living life as Christians. Does that mean God is not faithful? As Paul would say in Romans, “By no means!”  

Instead, baptism is the appropriate concluding act (seal) of the covenant ceremony in which individuals, parents, and their children lay claim to the promises of God to provide salvation by and through his grace made manifest in Christ. 

Thus, Peter says it is an “appeal to God for a good conscience.” Meaning that in baptism we are asking God, through his Word and the church, to give us knowledge of God and teach us “to obey all that he has commanded” (Matthew 29:18-20).

Baptism for the Public Square

As we have discussed in previous lessons, life and success in Washington are often determined by associations, credentials, accomplishments, and perceived potential for future successes. Appointments to Cabinet agencies are made through a mix of what you know and who you know. The same is true for offices on the Hill, not to mention the ability to win an election. 

In Washington, people work hard to stay in the “electable” category and avoid making associations or taking actions that could result in their “exile.” Choices are faced and made daily with the hope that those decisions will result in victory and/or vindication. Yet, while making strategically wise moves vocationally is appropriate and not necessarily bad, they do not provide the true hope that we need to sustain us through the suffering that comes from living differently on the weak end of power differentials that exist within the public square. 

The public square routinely provides an opportunity to align ourselves with Christ or to walk away from him and his promises and place our trust and hope elsewhere, specifically in associations and actions we can control. In doing so, we are choosing the perishable, fragile, and fading value of our own efforts to earn our place “on the boat,” rather than clinging to the covenant promises that come by grace, through our baptism, which now saves us. In these moments of decision, remembering our baptism reminds us of where our hope ultimately rests. 

 

Application questions

Question: What aspects of this passage make it clear that actual salvation from sin is not conveyed at baptism?

Question: What are your thoughts on the two views of baptism, “believer’s” and “covenantal?”

Question: How could remembering your baptism help you navigate the various types of suffering that come from operating in the public square?

[Faithful Prayer] 

  • Cabinet Agency:  The servants and leaders at the Civil Rights Division (Justice) who work “to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all persons in the United States, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status, national origin, and citizenship status.”

  • Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: The Alliance Defending Freedom as they “advance every person’s God-given right to live and speak the truth; and contend for the truth in law, policy, and the public square, and equip the alliance to do the same.”

  • Weekly delegation: For the servants and leaders from the congressional delegation of Minnesota, as they deal with the horrific assassination of their public officials last week.

  • Agency News: For the servants and leaders at NASA, as they recalibrate following the President’s withdrawal of Jared Isaacman to serve as NASA administrator, and navigate the short and long-term implications for the agency.

  • Personal requests: For someone celebrating an important birthday this week. For a senior agency staffer dealing with vocational uncertainty following some leadership changes last week. For a senior-level administration official and their family on vacation with children. For two Senate staff members playing key roles in the budget reconciliation.  For two State Department officials working on high-impact international diplomacy matters.  For a policy advocate who recently turned down an invitation to join a high-profile, non-profit board due to the implications of living differently as an elect exile. For the staff of Faithful Presence who are exhibiting at a national church conference this week in Detroit.  

[The Page, The Pod & The Stack]

[What’s Happening]

This Week 

Next Week

  • Monday, June 23, 10:30 am EDT - 12:00 pm EDT, The Brookings Institution presents a hybrid event, A road map for growth: How a quarter century of African development can prepare us for the future. The event will assess the state of Africa’s political, economic, and social development in 2025, reflecting on lessons learned with an eye to future development and growth. 

  • Wednesday, June 25, 9:00 am - 10:00 am EDT, The Aspen Institute presents an online forum, How to Tell Governments What You Think. This program will teach you broad principles for communicating to policymakers, as well as specific tips for sharing your opinions with Congress, executive branch officials, and even the courts.

  • Wednesday, June 25, 7:00 pm EDT, The National Press Club presents the 2025 Press & Politicians Spelling Bee, for a fun and friendly competition as lawmakers and reporters compete in the uproariously entertaining annual event.  

  • Thursday, June 26, The Cato Institute, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT, hosts an in-person event, Hill Briefing: US Immigration Policy in 2025, to discuss the most active immigration policy in American history, issuing unprecedented executive orders, attempting to deport one million people a year, and imposing new restrictions on legal immigration.

[Two Thumbs Up] For vacations!

[Last Things]

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