1Pet 3:21 Which water, as the antitype, also now saves you, that is, baptism, not a putting away of the filth of the flesh but the appeal of a good conscience unto God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1Cor 15: 45 ...the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.
Verse 21 ends with the words "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." Apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we could not have resurrection life, and we could not have the life-giving Spirit within us. Through faith and through baptism we all have been put into an organic union with the Triune God. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we are brought into the Triune God. Then we have an organic union with the Triune God. Now in the Triune God and with the Triune God we enjoy the divine life and the life-giving Spirit. Therefore, after we have been baptized, we have the divine life and the life-giving Spirit to make the figure of baptism real and living to us in our experience. Verse 21 emphasizes baptism in relation to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The reality of baptism can be 226 realized only by the divine life and the life-giving Spirit. Our basis for saying this is Peter's word "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." It was in His resurrection that Christ released the divine life so that it could be imparted into our spirit. It was also in resurrection that Christ became the life-giving Spirit to come into our spirit, dwell in our spirit, and exercise all the riches of His divine life. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we genuinely and with assurance experience the reality of what is figured in baptism. There are two aspects of baptism, the aspects of death and resurrection. Going down into the water and being immersed in the water signify death. Coming out of the water and walking away from the water signify resurrection. Therefore, in baptism we see not only the aspect of Christ's death, but also the aspect of Christ's resurrection. Christ's death can be prevailing and effective only in resurrection. The reality and effectiveness of the death of Christ are in the life-giving Spirit in resurrection. When the life-giving Spirit comes into us with resurrection life, this Spirit makes the death of Christ effective in our experience. Immediately and spontaneously, we are free from sin, and we enjoy the redemption accomplished by Christ on the cross. (c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of First Peter, pp. 225-226. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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