彼得前书3:21/02

作者：谢德华 (©By Edward Short)

1 Peter 3:21 /02

©By Edward Short

古代中国传说故事描述一位大禹治水的故事。我们基督徒所研读的《圣经》记载古代的确有全球性的洪水。一位名叫挪亚和他全家的人平安地度过那时的水灾。数百年后，耶稣基督十二位使徒当中的一位是彼得。彼得写了一封书信给第一世纪的基督徒，提到洪水，挪亚及挪亚所建造的方舟。彼得写道：“就是那从前在挪亚预备方舟，神容忍等待的时候，不信从的人。当时进入方舟，藉着水得救的不多，只有八个人。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”。

请问，在此，彼得告诉我们，挪亚藉着什么得了救？毫无疑问地，挪亚藉着神的恩典及挪亚自己的信心得了救。挪亚也藉着方舟得了救。但是，在此经文里，彼得强调的是另外一点，那就是水。彼得说：“藉着水得救”。

什么能力让挪亚一家“藉着水得救”？当然是神。神早告诉挪亚要建造方舟。因此可以说神救了挪亚一家八口。挪亚顺服了神，制作了方舟以及住在方舟里度过洪水，所以说挪亚拯救了自己，也没有错。但是，彼得并不强调这两点。彼得的焦点是水。挪亚的方舟漂在水面上，使得彼得说，挪亚“藉着水得救”。

当时，如果神没有施恩告诉挪亚要制造方舟，挪亚一家就会淹死；他们得不了救。神的恩典拯救了挪亚。如果挪亚没有相信神的话，制造了方舟，同样，等到洪水来时，他一家人会淹死。挪亚的信心和顺服拯救了他们。虽然如此，彼得描述挪亚得救的情况，彼得把集中力摆在水上面，说挪亚“藉着水得救”。

谁加给水拯救挪亚的能力呢？当然是上帝。

下面，彼得把挪亚得救的情形应用在基督徒的身上，说：“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”。

在这里，彼得仍然强调水。水怎么样让挪亚获得神的恩典和拯救，使得他保持自己及家人的生命，水也使得张三获得神的恩典，“藉着水得救”。

难道，水有能力拯救人吗？当然没有！彼得说，“这水所表明的洗礼，现在藉着耶稣基督复活也拯救你们”。耶稣的宝血拯救我们；耶稣的复活拯救我们。但是，就如挪亚藉着水得到神的恩典，张三也藉着水获得耶稣的复活。神藉着洪水施恩给于挪亚；神也藉着洗礼的水把耶稣复活所带来的救恩加在张三，李四，您和我的身上及心理。

人不能拯救人。水也不能拯救人。神的恩典和耶稣的复活才会拯救人。但是，等到挪亚顺服了神，神才让洪水做成他得救的工具。同样，等到张三李四，您我顺服神时，神才让耶稣的复活拯救我们。彼得前书三章21节强调，洗礼是我们顺服神得救，必须作的一部分。在这个经文，最突出的一点是洗礼。彼得说：“这水所表明的洗礼，现在藉着耶稣基督复活也拯救你们”。“这水”所表明的就是洗礼。

朋友，如果您相信耶稣是上帝的儿子，如果您已经悔改了过犯转向耶稣，请您快一点决定受洗接受上帝的恩典，因为，“这水所表明的洗礼，现在藉着耶稣基督复活也拯救你…”。

There is an old story in China, handed down from ancient times, about a person named Da Yu who brought a great flood under control.  The Bible, which is read by Christians, records that indeed there was a world-wide flood in ancient times.  A man named Noah, and his family, survived the flood in safety.  Centuries later, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ was Peter.  Peter wrote a letter to some first-century Christians, and in the letter he mentioned the flood and Noah and the boat that Noah built.  Peter said, “…long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.  In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 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 3:20-21 NIV). 

Consider now, what does Peter say saved Noah?  That Noah was saved by the grace of God, and by his faith in God, is undeniable.  Noah was also saved by the ark.  In this particular Scripture, however, Peter emphasizes yet something else, and that is water.  Peter says, “saved through water.” 

What power enabled Noah to be “saved through water”?  God, of course.  God had already told Noah to build the ark, so we can say that God saved Noah and his family, a total of eight people.  Noah obeyed God, built the ark and lived in the ark throughout the flood, and so it is not inaccurate to say also that Noah saved himself.  Peter however does not place emphasis on these facts.  Peter focuses on the water.  Noah’s ark floated atop water, a fact which caused Peter to say that Noah was “saved through water.”

If God had not extended his grace to Noah and instructed him to build the ark, Noah and his family would have drowned in the flood; they would not have been saved.  Noah was saved by God’s grace.  If Noah had not believed God and built the ark, the same thing would have been true—Noah and his family would have perished in the flood.  Noah and his family were saved by Noah’s faith and obedience.  In spite of these facts, when Peter described the situation surrounding Noah’s salvation from the flood, Peter concentrated his attention on water and said that Noah was “saved through water.”

Who gave water the power to save Noah?  God, of course.

Next, Peter takes the situation of Noah being saved and applies it to Christians.  Peter says, “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.”

Here again, Peter continues to emphasize water.  In the same way that water enabled Noah to receive the grace and salvation of God, which protected him and his family, so too water enables a person to receive God’s grace and thus be “saved through water.” 

Does this mean that water has the power to save someone?  Of course not!  Peter says, “this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also… by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  We are saved by God’s grace and we are saved by the resurrection of Jesus.  However, just as water enabled Noah to receive God’s grace, water also enables a person today to contact Jesus’ resurrection.  God extended his grace to Noah through the flood; today, through water, God extends to all people the salvation that is brought about by the resurrection of Jesus.

Man cannot save himself.  Water cannot save.  Only God’s grace and the resurrection of Jesus can save mankind.  However, the flood was used as God’s “tool” of salvation only when Noah obeyed God.  In the same way, only when we obey God does God allow the resurrection of Jesus to save us.  1 Peter 3:21 emphasizes how baptism is an essential part of our obedience to God; this Scripture highlights baptism, as Peter says, “this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also… by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  That which is symbolized by “this water” is baptism.

If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, if you’ve repented of your sins and turned toward Jesus, I urge you to make the decision to be baptized and thus receive God’s grace.  I say this because “this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you…  It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”