Does Baptism Save Us?

Q. Taking specifically into consideration 1 Peter 3:21, how do we get away with saying that we are only saved by belief and repentance?

In order to understand the entire context of 1 Peter 3:21, one cannot just take into consideration that lone verse, rather the verses preceding and succeeding it must be considered as well.

Verses 18-22 state: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while [the] ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us–baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

Peter delineates any confusion right on the top end when he places the focus on the work of Christ, who suffered once to bring us to God. We don’t bring ourselves to God, rather He does the bringing. The Bible does not contradict itself. If it says one thing (that salvation comes from the work of Christ only), then it can’t say another also (that man can work for his own salvation). Baptism is a work, therefore it cannot be included within the salvation process. Mark 1:15 and Acts 20:21 clearly state that we are saved by repenting and believing solely.

But what about this passage? Well, if the context is understood properly, water is actually referred to here as an instrument of judgment, not salvation. God’s patience wore thin after 120 years of allowing man to change His ways during the days that Noah spent building the ark. When the rebellion perpetuated, God judged the earth through water. The point that Peter makes is that God save Noah from the water, not through it. Then Peter goes on to speak of baptism, which is used in other contexts than just water in Scripture (i.e. 1 Cor 12:13: For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…). Baptism means to be immersed. Just as we are immersed into the church by the Spirit as Paul tells us, Peter lets us know that through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we also are immersed into God’s family. Antitype is just a symbolic term used as an earthly expression for a heavenly reality. Peter is using symbolism. Basically, in no way is Peter saying baptism by water save us. He even clarifies by stating “not the removal of the filth of the flesh” (or through some act of cleansing by water), but by “the answer of a good conscience toward God.” Having a good conscience toward God cannot be accomplished by something that we do. It can only be accomplished through repentance and faith…from the working of Christ.

This passage can easily be deciphered when one uses a proper hermeneutic. Plainly stated, when we study the Bible, we must study it properly in order to be able to interpret it properly. If we look at the historical, grammatical, literary, and literal context, we can more easily identify with what the Biblical writers are saying.

This entry was posted on July 1, 2010 at July 1, 2010 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.