What is the meaning of 1 Peter 3:21?

The main point here is that water is only a symbol and has NO POWER to cleanse us from sins. It’s just water.

1 Peter‬ 3‬:21‬ “And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, NOT by removing dirt from your body, but AS A RESPONSE TO GOD FROM A CLEAN CONSCIENCE. IT IS EFFECTIVE BECAUSE OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST.”

• The worldwide flood during Noah’s times was a SYMBOL of water baptism. God removed wickedness from the face of the earth.

We are required to do water baptism TO SHOW THE WORLD that we have repented from our sins; turned to Christ to remove wickedness from our hearts, and that we now FOLLOW Him. Pay attention: past tense! Not “I will repent one day,” or “I’m getting baptized to be saved while I keep on sinning,” but “I’m done with sin – for good!‘

Water on its own can only clean a physical body, but it CANNOT clean the conscience by removing sins – there is no magic in the water. It’s a symbolic demonstration presenting spiritual change that has already taken place.

Only Jesus Christ has the power to clean conscience and remove sins. This is possible because He overcame sin and death by His victory when He rose to life on the 3rd day. By that, He proved to be MORE POWERFUL than sin and death. No one else proved to be that powerful because no one else is God. There’s only one.

• If He hadn’t done that, we would not have the Savior to remove sins and make us righteous in His eyes. Those who want to be saved MUST confess, repent, and have their conscience cleaned (sins removed) – NOT by water, but by Christ Himself.

A clean conscience is the evidence that God took away all our sins. A person with a clean conscience, KEEPS IT CLEAN. Committing sins again would defile their conscience again.

1 Timothy 1:19 “Cling to your faith in Christ, and KEEP YOUR CONSCIENCE CLEAR. For some people have DELIBERATELY VIOLATED THEIR CONSCIENCES; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.”

A dirty conscience makes a person feel guilty and ashamed. It’s a sign forgiveness didn’t take place; a person has not repented, doesn’t believe, believes in wrong ideas, or holds onto grudges. Some have gone so far into sins that they no longer have a conscience (they don’t know right from wrong).

1 Timothy 4:1–2 “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are DEAD.”

Hebrews 10:19–22 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with CHRIST’S BLOOD TO MAKE US CLEAN, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

• FIRST faith, repentance and forgiveness. THEN water demonstration (to show the “FIRST” happened.)

Learn more: Baptisms