I Peter 3:21 Says Baptism Saves

When God said in I Peter 3:21 “baptism doth also now save us,” He meant what He said. We have to be baptized to be saved. I Peter 3:21 does not mean we merit our salvation by being baptized. First, that would contradict the “salvation is not by works” passages (like II Tim 1:9). And second, the blood of Christ is what actually earns our salvation. But I Peter 3:21 does mean we have to be baptized in order to be saved. The salvation provided for by the death of Christ is conditional, and God has a right to place any conditions on that salvation that He wants to, doesn’t He?

Some say baptism only saves figuratively because that word is found in the verse. But I Peter 3:21 does not say baptism is a figure. The figure is Noah and his family’s salvation thru water. Baptism is the real or antitype (defined by The Random House College Dictionary as "something that is foreshadowed by a type or symbol, as a NT event prefigured in the OT"). The following shows as much:

· NKJV translation – There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism

· New Testament in Modern Speech – And, corresponding to that figure, baptism now saves you

· Thayer defines the word as, "a thing resembling another, its counterpart; something in the Messianic times which answers to the type prefiguring it in the Old Testament, as baptism corresponds to the deluge.”

· Vincent’s Word Studies says it is to be read as "which, the antitype or as an antitype; i.e., which water, being the antitype of that water of the flood, doth now save you, even baptism."

· Arndt and Gingrich’s Lexicon – Thus in I Peter 3:21 … means baptism, which is a fulfillment (of the type), now saves you, i.e., the saving of Noah from the flood is a …, or ‘foreshadowing’ …, and baptism corresponds to it.

· NIV – "and this water symbolized baptism that now saves you also" (baptism is not the symbol, but is what is being symbolized, the real).

If baptism is the type/figure, then the eight souls being saved thru water would have to be the antitype/real, which is absurd. The NASB translates the phrase, "And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you." That should be easy enough to understand.

The former is a figure of the latter in that both involve water and both involve a salvation. The first involves a physical salvation (from drowning) while the second involves a spiritual salvation (from sin). Notice the latter part of verse 21 lets us know water baptism does not provide physical cleansing (“not the putting away of the filth of the flesh”) but spiritual cleansing (“an appeal to God for a good conscience” – NASB).

Many have in effect changed the word “now” to “not” so the phrase would mean “baptism doth also not save us.” But isn’t that just like Satan adding “not” to God’s words telling Eve in Genesis 3:4 that if she ate of the forbidden fruit “Ye shall not surely die”? Throw off any preconceived ideas on every Bible subject and accept what the scriptural texts plainly say!

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