[Baptism is] A Flood,
namely because the Flood [German: “sin-flood”], through which the world was punished
in Ge. 6, 7, [and] 8, was a type of this Sacrament. For just as all sinful
flesh on earth was annihilated in the Flood, and only godly Noah—along with a
few others—was preserved in the ark, so also the sinful flesh in man is subdued
and killed in holy Baptism. Conversely, in the inner new man is born and
preserved to eternal life. . . .
Psa. 46:5 – Yet the
city of God shall remain exquisitely cheerful with its foundation; there are
the holy dwellings of the most High. (Within this City of God, the fountain
of the Christian Church is also holy Baptism, through which we are washed from
sin’s filth.)
Psa. 103:5 – Who makes
your mouth happy, and you become young again like an eagle. (We become
young again and obtain new strength through rebirth, so that we rise up like
eagles, Isa. 40:31. But then, holy Baptism is the bath of rebirth and renewal,
Tit. 3:5.)
Isa. 44:3-4 – Thus
says the Lord: I will pour water upon the thirsty and streams upon the dry. I
will pour My Spirit upon your seed and My blessing upon your descendants, so
that they may grow like grass, like the willows in the water brooks. (In
holy Baptism the Spirit of God is poured upon us, Tit. 3:5, which makes us
fruitful for every good [work].)
Isa. 49:22 – They (the
people) will bring your sons here, and carry your daughters upon their shoulders.
(As with the Israelite children, this occurs in holy Baptism; the children
are brought to Jesus through it, Mat. 19:13, Mark 10:13, Luke 18:15.)
Isa. 52:15 - My
servant will sprinkle many Gentiles. (This sprinkling occurs also in holy
Baptism through Christ’s blood because we are washed [clean] from sin through
it.)
Isa. 61:10 – He (the
Lord) has put on me garments of salvation and clothed me with the Robe of
Righteousness (Gal. 3:27: For as many of you who are baptized, you have
put on Christ).
Eze. 16:9 – I bathed
you with water and washed away your blood. (Through the water of holy
Baptism, we are washed [clean] of our blood-red guilt of sin, Eph. 5:26.)
Eze. 36:25-26 – I will
sprinkle pure water over you, so that you become cleansed of all your
uncleanness; And, I will give you a new heart and a new spirit, and take away from
your flesh the stony heart and give you a heart of flesh (Baptism is a Bath
of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Tit. 3:5).
Eze. 47:1, 5, 8, 9 – a
water flowed from under the threshold of the Temple. . . . The water was too
high and a man could not touch the ground . . . When the water comes into the
sea, the same will become healthy . . . Yes, wherever it streams flow, all that
moves and lives in it will live . . . and all to whom this stream comes, shall
become well and live. (Just as the angel came down from heaven to Bethesda’s
pool in Jerusalem and stirred the water so that the first one to step in become
healed from whatever epidemic plagued him, John 5:4, in the same way the living
water, the Holy Spirit, John 7:38-39, sinks His power into the water of Baptism
so that it serves us to our soul’s health and life. Rev. 4:6 – Before the
throne there was a glassy sea like crystal. Chap. 2:1-2 – and he showed
me a stream of living water, clear as crystal, which flowed from the throne of
God and the Lamb, down the center of its narrow pathway.)
Joel 3:23 [sic, v.
18] – A spring will flow out of the house of the Lord, the stream of which
will water the acacias (holy Baptism waters and brings to life dried-up
souls).
Mic. 7:19 – The Lord
will hurl all our sins into the depths of the ocean. (This sea-of-grace is
holy Baptism, Rev. 4:6, into which all sins are thrown and sunk.)
Zec. 13:1 – At that
time the house of David and the citizens of Jerusalem will have a free, open
fountain against sin and uncleanness.
The types of holy
Baptism are drawn over to holy Baptism in the New Testament partly by the Holy
Spirit Himself. To some extent, one can conclude that they can appropriately be
compared to holy Baptism under some circumstances, even though these very same
types are not all immediately transparent and clear.
Gen. 7 describes the
Flood [German: “Sin-flood”], through which all flesh on earth perished. It is a
type o Baptism, as perceived from Psa. 29:10. . . . Gen. 8 reveals that Noah,
along with a few others, was preserved in the ark during the time of the Flood.
Also, [it reveals] how he let a raven fly out, which never returned;
contrarily, a little dove returned to the box with an olive branch (v. 8). This
is a type of holy Baptism.
(Johann Gerhard, A
Comprehensive Explanation of Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper [1860;
repr., Malone, Tex.: Repristination Press, 2014], 22, 25-27)
Further Reading
"Born of Water and of the Spirit": The Biblical Evidence for Baptismal Regeneration (2021) (if anyone wants a free PDF copy, drop me an email at ScripturalMormonismATgmailDOTcom)
