Puzzle Piece 2: Cleansed
When I hear the word cleansed, I don’t immediately think of baptism. However, baptism is an outward action that symbolizes our acceptance that Jesus alone can wash away our sins and make us righteous. The flood physically washed away the evil from the earth, BUT JESUS cleanses us spiritually and eternally.
Noah’s flood cleansed the earth of evil
Key Bible Reference: Genesis 3-11
About 1,500 years after Adam and Eve believed the lies of Satan, sin had corrupted the world so much that God physically cleansed the earth of sin by flooding the earth with rain. Noah found grace with God, so God made a covenant with Noah to save him and his family in an ark that Noah was instructed to build.
When the ark was finished, God led Noah and his family, along with the animals, into the ark. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights and water covered the earth, but more than a year passed before the earth was dry enough for them to leave the ark. The Ark landed on Mt. Ararat, and Noah sent out a dove that returned with an olive branch, a sign of new life. God vowed that He would never flood the earth again and created the rainbow so we could remember His promise.
JESUS’ baptism cleanses our hearts of evil
Key Bible Reference: Matthew 3, Luke 3
When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove on Jesus as a sign of new life. Jesus is our spiritual ark and everyone can freely choose to take refuge in Him and be cleansed by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Those who take refuge in Jesus, our spiritual Ark, are cleansed of sin and given a new life in Him! When we are baptized in water, we are in effect, taking part in the death and resurrection of Jesus. When we go under the water it is symbolic of His death and when we rise up out of the water it is symbolic of His resurrection.
Connecting the Old & New Testament
| Old Testament | LIFE | New Testament |
| Noah | WHO | Jesus |
| Flood-Cleansed Earth | WHAT | Baptism-Cleansed Heart |
| ~2344 BC | WHEN | AD 30 |
| Earth; Mt. Ararat | WHERE | Jordan River, Israel |
| Faith in Noah’s Ark | HOW | Faith in Jesus |
| Love via Grace for Noah | WHY | Love via Grace for All |
Cleansed by Flood vs Cleansed by Baptism
Noah found grace with God and by faith built an ark to save his family and the animals. Through 40 days and nights of rain the earth was cleansed of sinful people. Finally God gave Noah a sign of new life through a dove with an olive leaf in its mouth.
Jesus is our spiritual ark and we can freely choose to take refuge in Him and be cleansed by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). God gave us a sign of new life through the Holy Spirit who descended like a dove on Jesus at His baptism. Jesus then spent 40 days/nights preparing to cleanse humanity of sin by His sacrifice on the cross.
The Bible compares Noah’s flood with baptism in 1 Peter 3:18-22 and tells us that the flood waters cleansed the earth, but baptism is doesn’t wash you physically on the outside. Baptism is turning to God with a clear conscience which we can do because Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead. Let Jesus cleanse your heart and take refuge in Him.
1 Peter 3 (NIV)
18…Christ was put to death in the body
but made alive in the Spirit.
19 After being made alive, he went and
made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—
20 to those who were disobedient 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,
21 and this water symbolizes baptism…
the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.
It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who has gone into heaven and is at
God’s right hand—with angels, authorities
& powers in submission to Him.