Baptism Which Saves You - 1 Peter 3:21


The Fallacy: 1 Pet 3:21 states "there is an 'antitype' which now saves us, namely baptism" (NKJV) or "this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also" (NIV). Therefore, baptism is necessary for salvation. Christians who have not been baptized, or have not been baptized 'correctly', may be in danger of hell.

The Argument: The verse is quite explicit: "baptism ... saves you", or "there is [something] which now saves us, namely baptism". So baptism saves us. Isn't that clear enough? Our first priority as believers should be baptism, so as to ensure our salvation. Or would we rather risk the wrath of God??

The Problem: This argument has completely failed to properly understand the verse. Clear minded Biblical Christians will know immediately the problem, even if they don't know how to correct it. Simply, it misrepresents the Biblical doctrine of salvation. The clear teaching throughout the New testament (and indeed throughout the Old) is "Sole Fides, Sole Gratis" - that our salvation is through Faith alone, by Grace alone. For scriptures showing this, refer to Ephesians 2:8,9 "We are saved by grace, through faith... not by works", or Romans 3:24 "[we] are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus", or John 3:16, or Acts 15:7-9, or any of dozens of similar scriptures. The overall teaching of scripture is that we escape from God's wrath because of the death of Jesus Christ, and we can receive this "salvation" only as an unearned and undeserved gift, through faith [trust] in Jesus Christ. The argument has distorted the Bible's teaching on "salvation", in particular, it is misrepresenting the meaning of the word "saved" as used in the verse in question. It does so by ignoring two statements given in the very verse itself.

Firstly: Peter did write "baptism... now saves us", but immediately after these words, he clarifies his meaning, and shoots down the argument. he says that this 'salvation' is "not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God". That is, he explicitly says that he is not talking about the removal of our sins! The act of Christian baptism is not performed by desperate unclean sinners hoping to escape God's anger! Rather, it is "the answer of a good conscience towards God" - an act performed by joyful redeemed saints responding to the wonderful love of their Savior and Lord.

Secondly: The verse states that when baptism "saves" us, it does so through (or by) the resurrection of the Lord, rather than, say, through His death. this is an important point, because Christ's resurrection is never associated in scripture with forgiveness of sins. In the sense of escaping from hell, Christ's resurrection does not "save" us. Instead, because Christ lives, so can we, in "newness of life" - in a new character, new joy, new peace, love and power. because Christ is alive, we too are "alive to God", that is, responsive and sensitive to Him. All this is taught in Romans 6:3-13, and it is in this sense that baptism "saves" us. Many Christians report that after their baptism, they experience a new power to live according to the character of God. Other passages also teach that because Christ has been raised, we can be sure that we also will be when Christ returns.

So What? What's The Big Problem?: The doctrine of salvation is extremely important to clearly understand, and the fallacy under examination severely muddies the waters. Of its many negative effects, the worst is that it encourages the preaching of a false gospel, a gospel of works: "You must be baptized to be saved". Galatians 1:8-9 shows that this is an extremely dangerous thing to do. In the epistles (Romans to Jude in the New testament), false teachers receive sharper criticism and condemnation than any other group. More than one entire letter is devoted to warning the saints to beware of such people!

Somewhat Less Seriously but still very serious, the fallacy will blur people's understanding of salvation. Forgiveness of sins is merely the first and foundational aspect of "salvation" - but it is not at all the whole! "Salvation" in its fullness encompasses freedom from sin, power for holy living, a renewed mind and even physical healing, in addition to forgiveness of sins and eventual reception into a heavenly home.

Final Notes: Let us by all means be baptized - but as a celebration of the fact that Christ has already made us a child of God. Let us also strive to grasp every aspect salvation, especially that of forgiveness of sins through faith in the blood of Christ. Let us pray that God will reveal to us more and more what Christ accomplished during the first Easter, and let us search the scripture, that He may use it to enlighten our hearts. And may we always be earnest contenders for the truth of the only gospel!

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