- First, there is correspondence to the flood in the time of Noah. The flood itself did not save Noah. On the contrary, the flood killed many people. Noah was only saved because he had the ark in the flood. In the same way, baptism does not save if it does not go together with faith.
- Second, Peter shows that baptism as an outward sign does not mean anything if it does not go together with an inner conviction. For not “removal of dirt from the body”, as happens when we take a bath, is what makes baptism effective, but “an appeal to God for a good conscience”. The exact meaning and correct translation of this phrase has been discussed a lot. But at least it is clear that it points towards a spiritual reality that goes together with baptism, and that it is not the ceremony itself that saves us.
Does baptism save?
Baptism does not save us. God saves us by grace through faith. But baptism is closely linked to that as a picture of it. In 1 Peter 3:21 we read: “Baptism, which corresponds to this (= the waters of the flood in Noah’s time), now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
This verse can easily lead to the thought that it is baptism that saves. However, there are two things that show that would be a misunderstanding.
Does baptism save?
Baptism does not save us. God saves us by grace through faith. But baptism is closely linked to that as a picture of it. In 1 Peter 3:21 we read: “Baptism, which corresponds to this (= the waters of the flood in Noah’s time), now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
This verse can easily lead to the thought that it is baptism that saves. However, there are two things that show that would be a misunderstanding.
- First, there is correspondence to the flood in the time of Noah. The flood itself did not save Noah. On the contrary, the flood killed many people. Noah was only saved because he had the ark in the flood. In the same way, baptism does not save if it does not go together with faith.
- Second, Peter shows that baptism as an outward sign does not mean anything if it does not go together with an inner conviction. For not “removal of dirt from the body”, as happens when we take a bath, is what makes baptism effective, but “an appeal to God for a good conscience”. The exact meaning and correct translation of this phrase has been discussed a lot. But at least it is clear that it points towards a spiritual reality that goes together with baptism, and that it is not the ceremony itself that saves us.