彼得前书3:21/01

作者：谢德华 (©By Edward Short)

1 Peter 3:21/01

©By Edward Short

洗澡既舒服又健康！谁不喜欢洗澡呢？但是，许多人认为，基督教所说的“洗礼”只不过好像洗澡一样。也许他们认为洗礼不可能是神施恩于人之时。虽然张三在一个池子里受洗，并不表示他的洗礼不重要或不带给他任何福分。《圣经》教导我们有关洗礼的重要和洗礼所带给我们的福分。

耶稣十二使徒中有一位名叫彼得。彼得解释洗礼如下：“这水所表明的洗礼，现在藉着耶稣基督复活也拯救你们；这洗礼本不在乎除掉肉体的污秽，只求在神面前有无亏的良心”[彼得前书3:21]。

在此经文，彼得说洗礼不像洗澡。洗礼的目的并“不在乎除掉肉体的污秽”。洗礼是肉体上的动作，但它有属灵上的意义。洗礼是具体的行动，但它的意义来自不受时间和空间约束的耶稣的死亡和复活。

“洗礼到底是什么意思？”，也许您要问我。

请让使徒彼得回答您的问题吧。请记住我刚才读的那句话：“这水所表明的洗礼，现在藉着耶稣基督复活也拯救你们；这洗礼本不在乎除掉肉体的污秽，只求在神面前有无亏的良心”。在此经文里，彼得说洗礼的意义有二，第1）“...洗礼，现在藉着耶稣基督复活也拯救你们…”。第2）：“...求在神面前有无亏的良心”。

基督徒都知道只有神的恩典藉着耶稣十字架上的宝血（包括他的复活）能够拯救我们。但是，我们必须让耶稣的宝血来到我们的身上和内心。神没有命令我们爬上峨眉山就找到耶稣的宝血；神没有要求我们走遍塔克拉玛干沙漠才得到神的恩典。神没有规定我们用黄金英镑买来救恩。事实上，我们不能“做”任何事情获得神的恩典和耶稣的赦免。但是我们必须按照神的吩咐获得和接受神的爱，神的恩典，耶稣基督的宝血。在《圣经》里，其他的经文，神表示我们要相信他，相信《圣经》是他的话，相信耶稣是他所差遣的救主，相信耶稣从死里复活了。另外，《圣经》再三地劝我们，神的爱使得我们悔改我们的过犯和罪孽。但是，我们相信和悔改还不表示我们已经沐浴过在耶稣的宝血之下。在今天所读的彼得前书的此句话里，彼得告诉我们一个人什么时候沐浴在耶稣的宝血之下，什么时候参与耶稣的复活，就是在他受洗的时候。

请再次听听彼得的话：“...洗礼，现在藉着耶稣基督复活也拯救你们…”。彼得的意思并不是说洗礼的水本身有能力拯救我们；他说神采用洗礼的水让我们获得耶稣宝血的能力。因此彼得说：“...洗礼，现在藉着耶稣基督复活也拯救你们…”。

这样看来，当李四说“我每周都要前往教堂做礼拜，但是我还没有受洗”，他的意思是他还没有沐浴在耶稣的宝血里，他还没有伸出双手接受神的恩典，他还没有让耶稣基督拯救他。换句话说，他还没成为基督徒。

朋友，现在您比他人更明白《圣经》所说的“洗礼”的意义。请您快一点来接受耶稣，受洗，因为，“...洗礼，现在藉着耶稣基督复活也拯救你…”。

“Splish-Splash, I was taking a bath, long about a Saturday night.  Rub-a-dub, just a splashing in the tub, thinking everything was alright…” is the opening line of a rock-‘n-roll song recorded by Bobby Darin in 1958.  Perhaps you enjoy a bath as much as the song depicts; I certainly do! 

Some people believe that the Christian term “baptism” means about the same as bathing and so they assume that baptism would not be the time when God imparts his grace to someone.  A person is usually baptized in a small pool, but that in no way indicates that his baptism is unimportant or that it gives him no special blessing.  The Bible teaches us how important baptism is and what blessings a person receives when he is baptized.

One of the twelve disciples of Jesus was named Peter. Peter explains baptism:  “and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.  It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21 NIV). 

In this Scripture, Peter explains that baptism is not like taking a bath.  The purpose of baptism is not “the removal of dirt from the body.” Baptism is a physical act that has spiritual meaning.  Baptism takes place within time and space but receives its meaning from the timeless death and resurrection of Jesus.

“What then is the meaning of baptism?”

Allow the apostle Peter to answer this question.  Remember that Peter said:  “and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.  It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  In this Scripture, Peter explains two details about baptism:  1) “baptism that now saves you… by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” and 2) “the pledge of a good conscience toward God.” 

All Christians know that the only way we can be saved is by God’s grace as extended to us through the crucifixion (and resurrection) of Jesus.  However, we must allow the blood of Jesus to contact us.  God hasn’t instructed us to climb Mt. Everest for the blood of Jesus and he hasn’t asked us to walk across the Gobi Dessert to merit his grace.  God hasn’t set the price for salvation in gold bullion or English Sterling.  The fact is that we can’t “do” anything to merit God’s grace and Jesus’ forgiveness.  However we must receive God’s love, God’s grace and the precious blood of Jesus Christ according to the way God specifies.  In other Scriptures, God indicates that we must believe in him and in his word the Bible.  We must believe that Jesus is the Savior sent by God and that Jesus was raised from the dead.  Additionally, over and over the Bible teaches us that God’s love causes us to repent of our wrong doing, our sins.  Having faith and repenting of sin, however, doesn’t mean that we’ve already been washed in the blood of Jesus.  From the verse in First Peter that we are discussing now, Peter tells us exactly at what point in time a person is washed in the blood of Jesus and contacts the resurrection.  It’s when he is baptized.

Read again what Peter says:  “…baptism that now saves you also…  It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  Peter does not mean that the physical water of baptism itself has any power to save; he says that God uses the water of baptism to enable us to obtain the power of the blood of Jesus.  And so Peter says, “…baptism that now saves you also…  It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 

In view of the above, whenever someone says that he goes to the church building each week to worship but that he has not yet been baptized, what he’s really saying is that he hasn’t yet been washed in the blood of Jesus, hasn’t yet extended his hands to God and received God’s grace, and he hasn’t yet allowed Jesus Christ to save him.  In other words, he hasn’t yet become a Christian. 

You now understand more about baptism than many other people.  I hope you will decide to receive Jesus Christ and be baptized, because “…baptism… now saves you also…  It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”