Topical Bible: The Deluge of Baptism

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The concept of "The Deluge of Baptism" draws a parallel between the biblical account of the Great Flood, or Deluge, and the Christian sacrament of baptism. This analogy is rooted in the transformative and purifying nature of both events, as well as their significance in the narrative of salvation history.

Biblical Foundation

The Great Flood, as described in Genesis 6-9, was a divine judgment upon a world filled with violence and corruption. God instructed Noah, a righteous man, to build an ark to preserve his family and pairs of every living creature. The floodwaters cleansed the earth, allowing for a new beginning. Genesis 7:17 states, "For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased, they lifted the ark high above the earth."

In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter draws a direct connection between the Flood and baptism. In 1 Peter 3:20-21 , he writes, "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 clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Theological Significance

The Deluge of Baptism signifies a spiritual cleansing and rebirth. Just as the floodwaters washed away the sin and corruption of the old world, baptism symbolizes the washing away of sin and the beginning of a new life in Christ. This sacrament is an outward expression of an inward grace, marking the believer's identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:3-4 further elucidates this symbolism: "Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life."

Covenantal Aspect

The Deluge of Baptism also carries a covenantal aspect. In Genesis 9:11-13 , God establishes a covenant with Noah, promising never to destroy the earth with a flood again and setting the rainbow as a sign of this covenant. Similarly, baptism is a sign of the New Covenant in Christ, signifying the believer's entry into the community of faith and God's promise of eternal life.

Colossians 2:11-12 highlights this covenantal relationship: "In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands. And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead."

Practical Implications

The Deluge of Baptism calls believers to live a life of holiness and obedience, reflecting the transformative power of God's grace. It serves as a reminder of the believer's commitment to renounce sin and walk in the newness of life, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:5-6 underscores the regenerative work of baptism: "He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior."

In summary, The Deluge of Baptism is a profound theological concept that encapsulates the themes of judgment, cleansing, covenant, and new creation, all of which are central to the Christian faith.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Peter 3:20,21
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Of the Imposition of Hands. Types of the Deluge and the Dove.
... the typified ark. [8615] But the world returned unto sin; in which point
baptism would ill be compared to the deluge. And so it ...
/.../tertullian/on baptism/chapter viii of the imposition of.htm

Whether Three Kinds of Baptism are Fittingly Described ---viz. ...
... For instance, "the Deluge" was a figure of our Baptism, in respect of the salvation
of the faithful in the Church; since then "a few . . . ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether three kinds of baptism.htm

On Baptism
... Types of the Deluge and the Dove. Chapter IX.--Types of the Red Sea, and
the Water from the Rock. Chapter X.--Of John's Baptism. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/on baptism/

Concerning the Sacrament of Baptism
... But the one business of Bishops at the present day is to lead the people as far
as possible away from baptism and to plunge them all under the deluge of their ...
/.../first principles of the reformation/concerning the sacrament of baptism.htm

Whether the Eucharist is Necessary for Salvation?
... into salvation outside the Church, just as in the time of the deluge there was ... through
the desire of receiving it, just as he can before Baptism through the ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the eucharist is necessary.htm

Whether it is Fitting to Say that when Christ was Baptized the ...
... xii in Matth.), "at the Deluge this creature appeared bearing an olive branch, and ...
the whole world: and now again the dove appears at the baptism, pointing to ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether it is fitting to 2.htm

General Index
... 242 Character in Baptism, etc. . . . . ... 95 Deluge . . . . . ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/general index.htm

Fire on Earth
... but I have a baptism to be baptized with ... there is a conflagration"you cover over
your houses with incombustible felts or other materials, and deluge them with ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/fire on earth.htm

The Banquet of the Ten Virgins, or Concerning Chastity
... The Passage Explained; The Queens, the Holy Souls Before the Deluge; The Concubines ...
The Works of the Church, the Bringing Forth of Children in Baptism; The Moon ...
/.../methodius/the banquet of the ten virgins or concerning chastity/

A Treatise against the Heretic Novatian by an Anonymous Bishop.
... And by its mouth the sacrament of baptism which is provided for the salvation of
the ... forth from the ark, that is to say, in the time of the deluge, when all ...
/.../a treatise against the heretic.htm