1 Peter 3:21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Peter shifts the imagery of water from verse 20. In verse 20, “water” refers to the flood during Noah’s day. The water of verse 21 refers more to the cleansing that happens when our hearts are made pure by God. Water baptism is a sign of the conscience that is clear before God. This can only happen when one has been sanctified completely to God and by God. Baptism is an outward sign of the inward change God has made to us. Paul the Apostle states the same thing in Romans 6, where baptism appears to be connected to the act of entire sanctification. Baptism saves a person, not because of the physical act of getting the body wet, but because of the act of faith that is required for baptism to act at the symbol of the sanctification process. Baptism can be viewed as the beginning of the sanctifying work of God. It can also be interpreted as the symbol of the person who has come before God in completed consecration. This is required for the conscience to be cleared and there be no conviction of sin before God. The only way this can happen is because of the power of Jesus’ resurrection. He is victorious over the penalty of sin, which we experience through justification and forgiveness, and the power of sin, which we experience through sanctification and cleansing.
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