1 Peter 3:21
And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
And this water
The phrase "this water" refers back to the floodwaters in the time of Noah, as mentioned in the preceding verses. In the Greek, the word for water is "hydōr," which is a common term for water but here symbolizes a deeper spiritual truth. The floodwaters were both a means of judgment and salvation—judgment for the wicked and salvation for Noah and his family. This duality is crucial in understanding the typology of baptism as both a cleansing and a saving act.

symbolizes the baptism
The Greek word for "symbolizes" is "antitupos," meaning a corresponding type or figure. Baptism is not merely a ritualistic act but a profound spiritual reality that corresponds to the salvation experienced by Noah. It is a type of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which believers participate in through faith. This typology underscores the continuity of God's redemptive plan from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

that now saves you also
The phrase emphasizes the present and active role of baptism in the believer's salvation. The Greek word "sōzō" for "saves" indicates deliverance and preservation. In a conservative Christian perspective, this does not imply that the act of baptism itself is salvific apart from faith, but rather that it is an outward expression of an inward grace, a means by which God imparts His saving grace to the believer.

not the removal of dirt from the body
This clarifies that baptism is not a mere physical cleansing. The Greek word "apothesis" for "removal" suggests a putting away or laying aside. The act of baptism transcends the physical act of washing; it is not about external purification but an internal transformation. This distinction is vital in understanding the sacramental nature of baptism as more than a ritualistic practice.

but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God
The word "pledge" in Greek is "eperōtēma," which can mean a response or appeal. This indicates that baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience, a sincere commitment to live in accordance with His will. The "clear conscience" signifies a state of being free from guilt and shame, made possible through the atoning work of Christ. This highlights the relational aspect of baptism as a covenantal act between the believer and God.

It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
The phrase underscores the foundational Christian belief that salvation is made possible through the resurrection of Jesus. The Greek word "anastasis" for "resurrection" signifies a rising up, a new life. Baptism is efficacious because it unites the believer with Christ in His death and resurrection, symbolizing the believer's own death to sin and new life in Christ. This is the cornerstone of Christian hope and the assurance of eternal life.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Peter
The apostle and author of the epistle, writing to encourage and instruct believers in Asia Minor.

2. Noah
Mentioned in the preceding verses, his account is used as an analogy for salvation through water.

3. Jesus Christ
Central to the passage, His resurrection is the means by which baptism saves.

4. Baptism
A Christian sacrament symbolizing purification and admission to the faith, discussed here as a pledge of a good conscience.

5. The Flood
The event in Noah's time, symbolizing judgment and salvation through water.
Teaching Points
Symbolism of Baptism
Baptism is not merely a physical act of washing but a spiritual pledge of a good conscience toward God.

It represents an inward transformation and commitment to follow Christ.

Salvation through Resurrection
The power of baptism lies in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which assures believers of their new life.

Our hope and salvation are anchored in Christ's victory over death.

Conscience and Commitment
Baptism is a public declaration of faith and a commitment to live with a clear conscience before God.

It calls believers to a life of integrity and obedience to God's will.

Connection to Old Testament
Just as Noah was saved through water, baptism symbolizes our salvation and deliverance from sin.

It serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness and judgment.

Practical Faith
Baptism is an outward expression of an inward faith, encouraging believers to live out their faith in daily life.

It challenges us to continually seek a deeper relationship with God and align our actions with His teachings.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the symbolism of water in Noah's account enhance our understanding of baptism in 1 Peter 3:21?

2. In what ways does the resurrection of Jesus Christ empower the act of baptism, according to this passage?

3. How can we maintain a "clear conscience toward God" in our daily lives, as described in 1 Peter 3:21?

4. What are some practical ways to live out the commitment made in baptism, as seen in other New Testament teachings?

5. How does understanding the connection between baptism and the resurrection influence your perspective on salvation and Christian living?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Romans 6:3-4
Discusses baptism as a symbol of dying and rising with Christ, emphasizing the transformative power of His resurrection.

Colossians 2:12
Connects baptism with faith in the working of God, who raised Jesus from the dead.

Acts 2:38
Peter's sermon at Pentecost, where he calls for repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 28:19-20
The Great Commission, where Jesus commands His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 10:22
Speaks of drawing near to God with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience.
Injunctions to AllR. Finlayson 1 Peter 3:8-22
The Remembrance of Our Lord's Atonement a Help to Persecuted ChristiansC. New 1 Peter 3:18-22
The Crucified Savior Quickened in Spirit Preaching to the Spirits in PrisonC. New 1 Peter 3:19, 21
People
Christians, Noah, Peter, Sara, Sarah
Places
Asia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Galatia, Pontus
Topics
TRUE, Appeal, Baptism, Body, Christ, Clean, Clear, Conscience, Conscience-through, Corresponding, Corresponds, Craving, Dead, Defilement, Demand, Dirt, Figure, Filth, Flesh, Free, Gives, Image, Interrogation, Likeness, Making, Material, Pledge, Putting, Question, Regard, Removal, Resurrection, Rising, Salvation, Save, Saves, Sense, Sin, Symbol, Towards, Washing, Whereunto, You-not
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Peter 3:21

     1670   symbols
     2324   Christ, as Saviour
     2560   Christ, resurrection
     5009   conscience, nature of
     5329   guarantee
     5444   pledges
     6029   sin, forgiveness
     6151   dirt
     6617   atonement, in NT
     7028   church, life of
     7328   ceremonies
     7908   baptism, significance
     7957   sacraments

1 Peter 3:18-21

     6678   justification, Christ's work

1 Peter 3:18-22

     2530   Christ, death of
     7756   preaching, content

1 Peter 3:20-21

     1680   types
     7203   ark, Noah's

1 Peter 3:20-22

     4293   water

1 Peter 3:21-22

     2336   Christ, exaltation
     2414   cross, centrality
     5396   lordship, of Christ
     7342   cleanliness

Library
Good Days
Eversley, 1867. Westminster, Sept. 27, 1872. 1 Peter iii. 8-12. "Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

Fifth Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to the Fruits of Faith.
Text: 1 Peter 3, 8-15. 8 Finally, be ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded: 9 not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For, He that would love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: 11 And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Hallowing Christ
'Be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.'--1 Peter iii. 14, 15. These words are a quotation from the prophet Isaiah, with some very significant variations. As originally spoken, they come from a period of the prophet's life when he was surrounded by conspirators against him, eager to destroy, and when he had been giving utterance to threatening prophecies as to the coming up of the King of Assyria, and the voice of God encouraged him and his
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

April the Ninteenth Union in Harmony
"Be ye all of one mind." --1 PETER iii. 8-17. But this is not unison: it is harmony. When an orchestra produces some great musical masterpiece, the instruments are all of one mind, but each makes its own individual contribution. There is variety with concordance: each one serves every other, and the result is glorious harmony. "By love serve one another." It is love that converts membership into fraternity: it is love that binds sons and daughters into a family. Look at a field of wild-flowers.
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Mothers, Daughters, and Wives in Israel
In order accurately to understand the position of woman in Israel, it is only necessary carefully to peruse the New Testament. The picture of social life there presented gives a full view of the place which she held in private and in public life. Here we do not find that separation, so common among Orientals at all times, but a woman mingles freely with others both at home and abroad. So far from suffering under social inferiority, she takes influential and often leading part in all movements, specially
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Faith of Abraham.
"By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God. By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Power of the Holy Ghost
We shall look at the power of the Holy Ghost in three ways this morning. First, the outward and visible displays of it; second, the inward and spiritual manifestations of it; and third, the future and expected works thereof. The power of the Spirit will thus, I trust, be made clearly present to your souls. I. First, then, we are to view the power of the Spirit in the OUTWARD AND VISIBLE DISPLAYS OF IT. The power of the Sprit has not been dormant; it has exerted itself. Much has been done by the Spirit
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855

Consecration: what is It?
The second step that must needs be taken by those of us who have been living without the Fullness, before it can be obtained, is Consecration, a word that is very common and popular; much more common and popular, it is feared, than the thing itself. In order to be filled with the Holy Ghost one must first be "cleansed," and then one must be "consecrated". Consecration follows cleansing, and not vice versa. Intelligent apprehension of what consecration is, and of what it involves, is necessary to
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life

The Holy Spirit in the Glorified Christ.
"Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."--Rom. i. 4. From the foregoing studies it appears that the Holy Spirit performed a work in the human nature of Christ as He descended the several steps of His humiliation to the death of the cross. The question now arises, whether He had also a work in the several steps of Christ's exaltation to the excellent glory, i.e., in His resurrection, ascension, royal dignity, and second coming.
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Of Baptism.
1. Baptism defined. Its primary object. This consists of three things. 1. To attest the forgiveness of sins. 2. Passages of Scripture proving the forgiveness of sins. 3. Forgiveness not only of past but also of future sins. This no encouragement to license in sin. 4 Refutation of those who share forgiveness between Baptism and Repentance. 5 Second thing in Baptism--viz. to teach that we are ingrafted into Christ for mortification and newness of life. 6. Third thing in Baptism--viz. to teach us that
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Authenticity and Credibility of the Pentateuch.
1. The historic truth of the Pentateuch is everywhere assumed by the writers of the New Testament in the most absolute and unqualified manner. They do not simply allude to it and make quotations from it, as one might do in the case of Homer's poems, but they build upon the facts which it records arguments of the weightiest character, and pertaining to the essential doctrines and duties of religion. This is alike true of the Mosaic laws and of the narratives that precede them or are interwoven
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

And not Without Just Cause a Doubt is Raised...
14. And not without just cause a doubt is raised, whether he said this of all married women, or of such as so many are, as that nearly all may be thought so to be. For neither doth that, which he saith of unmarried women, "She, that is unmarried, thinkest of the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit:" [1973] pertain unto all unmarried women: whereas there are certain widows who are dead, who live in delights. However, so far as regards a certain distinction and, as it were, character
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

Concerning Peaceableness
Blessed are the peacemakers. Matthew 5:9 This is the seventh step of the golden ladder which leads to blessedness. The name of peace is sweet, and the work of peace is a blessed work. Blessed are the peacemakers'. Observe the connection. The Scripture links these two together, pureness of heart and peaceableness of spirit. The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable' (James 3:17). Follow peace and holiness' (Hebrews 12:14). And here Christ joins them together pure in heart, and peacemakers',
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Its Nature
Justification, strictly speaking, consists in God's imputing to His elect the righteousness of Christ, that alone being the meritorious cause or formal ground on which He pronounces them righteous: the righteousness of Christ is that to which God has respect when He pardons and accepts the sinner. By the nature of justification we have reference to the constituent elements of the same, which are enjoyed by the believer. These are, the non-imputation of guilt or the remission of sins, and second,
Arthur W. Pink—The Doctrine of Justification

Exhortations to Christians as they are Children of God
1 There is a bill of indictment against those who declare to the world they are not the children of God: all profane persons. These have damnation written upon their forehead. Scoffers at religion. It were blasphemy to call these the children of God. Will a true child jeer at his Father's picture? Drunkards, who drown reason and stupefy conscience. These declare their sin as Sodom. They are children indeed, but cursed children' (2 Peter 2:14). 2 Exhortation, which consists of two branches. (i) Let
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Sanctification
'For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.' I Thess 4:4. The word sanctification signifies to consecrate and set apart to a holy use: thus they are sanctified persons who are separated from the world, and set apart for God's service. Sanctification has a privative and a positive part. I. A privative part, which lies in the purging out of sin. Sin is compared to leaven, which sours; and to leprosy, which defiles. Sanctification purges out the old leaven.' I Cor 5:5. Though it takes not
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Concerning the Sacrament of Baptism
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to the riches of His mercy has at least preserved this one sacrament in His Church uninjured and uncontaminated by the devices of men, and has made it free to all nations and to men of every class. He has not suffered it to be overwhelmed with the foul and impious monstrosities of avarice and superstition; doubtless having this purpose, that He would have little children, incapable of avarice and superstition, to be initiated into
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

Differences in Judgment About Water Baptism, no Bar to Communion: Or, to Communicate with Saints, as Saints, Proved Lawful.
IN ANSWER TO A BOOK WRITTEN BY THE BAPTISTS, AND PUBLISHED BY MR. T. PAUL AND MR. W. KIFFIN, ENTITLED, 'SOME SERIOUS REFLECTIONS ON THAT PART OF MR BUNYAN'S CONFESSION OF FAITH, TOUCHING CHURCH COMMUNION WITH UNBAPTIZED BELIEVERS.' WHEREIN THEIR OBJECTIONS AND ARGUMENTS ARE ANSWERED, AND THE DOCTRINE OF COMMUNION STILL ASSERTED AND VINDICATED. HERE IS ALSO MR. HENRY JESSE'S JUDGMENT IN THE CASE, FULLY DECLARING THE DOCTRINE I HAVE ASSERTED. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'Should not the multitude of words be answered?
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Greatness of the Soul,
AND UNSPEAKABLENESS 0F THE LOSS THEREOF; WITH THE CAUSES OF THE LOSING IT. FIRST PREACHED AT PINNER'S HALL and now ENLARGED AND PUBLISHED FOR GOOD. By JOHN BUNYAN, London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682 Faithfully reprinted from the Author's First Edition. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Our curiosity is naturally excited to discover what a poor, unlettered mechanic, whose book-learning had been limited to the contents of one volume, could by possibility know
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

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