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 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. If Christ had died but had not been resurrected, His death would have been in vain. The effectiveness of Christ’s death is in the Spirit of resurrection. Christ died to take away our sin (John 1:29), and He died for our sins, bearing our sins away (1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 2:24). Christ’s death now keeps us free from sin (Rom. 6:7). But the effectiveness of this death is in Christ’s 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.
Baptism is a figure indicating that all negative things have been dissolved and buried in the water. But baptism also signifies the resurrection of Christ. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we have the reality of what is signified in baptism.
At this point, I would like to say a further word regarding the ark of Noah. It is commonly acknowledged that the ark of Noah typifies Christ. But many readers of the Bible are not clear in what way or in what aspect the ark of Noah is a type of Christ. The ark of Noah typifies the Christ in resurrection passing through death.
When Christ was living on earth, He, of course, was not yet resurrected, for He had not yet died. Nevertheless, in John 11:25 He said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” This reveals clearly that Christ, even before His death and resurrection, was both life and resurrection. He was always the Christ of resurrection. The ark of Noah, therefore, signifies this Christ of resurrection passing through death.
If the ark of Noah did not represent the Christ of resurrection, how could the ark pass through the water and come out safely? The very fact that the ark passed through the water and came out of the water signifies Christ in resurrection, since the ark itself is a type of Christ. How is it possible for Christ, and Christ alone, to enter into death and come out of it? Christ could come forth out of death in resurrection because He is resurrection and is of resurrection. Because Christ is the unique One of resurrection, He had the strength to pass through death. According to Acts 2:24, death could not hold Him. But when any other person enters into the realm of death, he is held there. It is not possible for anyone else to come out. Christ not only entered into death and passed through it, but He even deliberately stayed in the realm of death for three days. When those three days were over, He walked out of death. Because Christ is resurrection, He could simply walk out of death. This is signified by the ark of Noah, which entered into the death waters, stayed in the death waters, passed through the death waters, and came out of the death waters. This is a type of the Christ in resurrection.
In His resurrection Christ became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b) to come into us (John 20:22) and to impart His resurrection life to us. Now this resurrection life with the life-giving Spirit makes every aspect of Christ’s death real and effective to us in our experience.
In verse 22 Peter concludes this section by saying, “Who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being subjected to Him.” This additional word not only unveils to us further, as the glorious result of Christ’s suffering, His exaltation after resurrection and a high and honorable position He now holds in the heavens at the right hand of God, but also indicates how glorious and honorable is the organic union we have entered into with Him through baptism, for we have been baptized into Him (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27).
It is a characteristic of Peter’s writing to add in as many points as possible. We see this characteristic in verse 22. After referring in the previous verse to the resurrection of Christ, Peter goes on to show us that today the resurrected Christ is at the right hand of God. Christ has gone into heaven, and angels, authorities, and powers have all been subjected to Him. We have seen that through baptism we have been put into Christ, and now we have an organic union with Him. The Christ to whom we have been joined organically is not only the resurrected One, but also the ascended One. Therefore, through the organic union, we are brought not only into Christ’s resurrection but also into His ascension and exaltation. This means that, because we are in Christ, the angels, authorities, and powers are subject to us as well as to Him. Hallelujah, we are one with the crucified, resurrected, and exalted Christ!