The whole thing is just setting up a silly opposition between the meritorious cause of our salvation (Christ's death and resurrection) and the instrumental cause (our baptism, by which Paul says we have "put on Christ"). There's no opposition; they work together because Christ set things up that way.
Peter is specifically saying that water baptism does NOT save you.
1 Peter 3:18-22For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
There is no meriting our salvation. There is NOTHING we can do to merit it as all our works of righteousness are as filthy rags in God's sight.
Here's is Paul's discourse on justification by faith alone.
Romans 4:1-25 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Amen. Nice explanation.
Whenever a discussion comes up on a phrase, it must be studied within context. “Baptism...now saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” is a correlated symbol of salvation (by Jesus) just as Noah’s ark was a symbol of God’s patient salvation through the judgment flood. We are to be baptised to make a visual public display of our salvation, just as Noah was doing as he built the ark and was prosecuted for it. It is not the means of our salvation.
There you go with that nuance stuff again.
Myself, I keep forgetting that some think Baptism is a “work.” Feels like a gift to me. I’ll have to remember to ask our neophytes if they thought they were working to merit salvation.
Kinda guessing not.
“Is the baptism which doesn’t save you the same as the baptism which 1 Pt 3:21 says very clearly does save you?”
But in what sense does it save? From sins?
1 Peter 3:21
There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
(Some translations use the word “figure” rather than “antitype,” which is a transliteration of the Greek. An antitype is something in the New Testament that is pictured by something in the Old Testament.)
Salvation is a process. Often evangelicals are guilty of treating salvation as merely the spiritual rebirth that takes place when a person first hears and believe the Gospel.
But now is our faith nearer than when we believed (according to Romans 13:11).
Paul told the Roman believers he desired to preach the Gospel to them also. (See Romans 1.) The Gospel is not just for saving the lost. It is for the believer to continue in the path of faith. Salvation requires continuing in the faith because there are many who profess faith but later depart from it.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
Salvation begins in faith and continues in faith. Baptism is the first commandment after the commands to repent and believe. Faith is the prerequisite of water baptism.
Acts 8:37a
Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may [be baptized].”
Peter explained that the baptisms of the Old Testament, specifically Noah’s flood, were pictures of New Testament baptism. How did the baptism of Noah save him? How did the baptism of Israel in the Red Sea save them?
None of these baptisms, including New Testament baptism, save us from sin or the wrath of God. In fact, it was the very waters which were God’s wrath and needed to be saved from. The flood waters of Noah separated Noah and his family from the fallen, corrupted world which remained in rebellion to God. The Red Sea separated Moses and Israel from Pharaoh and his wicked armies. New Testament baptism separates us from the unregenerate world and identifies us as God’s people.
Peter explains that baptism is the “answer of a good conscience toward God.” Answer here means legal demand. And by demand I do not mean that we demand anything from God in a disrespectful sense of the term. It is more like the way a check is a legal demand. We take it to the bank. And, if we have confidence in the person who wrote the check, we ask for the bank to give us the money, fully expecting them to do so. It is a legal demand.
Likewise, baptism is a legal demand, not for forgiveness or justification, but for a good conscience. When a person is baptized, they are separating themselves from the world and identifying as having become part of the church, which is the body of Christ.
We were dead in our sins. When we believe, God gives us new life. Baptism is figurative of this spiritual reality. Going into the water symbolizes burial. Coming out illustrates being given new life. These things are spiritual realities for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ because God places us into Him, making us part of His death, His resurrection, and His righteousness.
God does this through the baptism of the Holy Spirit who is given to all who believe. Water baptism is a picture of the baptism of the Spirit.
Baptism also is a mark of discipleship and public membership in the visible church. It is representative of our pledge to follow Christ, and God placing us into and making us members of the spiritual body of Christ, the church.
When were these people saved?
37Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:37-38 NASB
When was Cornelius saved?
44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47“Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days. Acts 10:44-48 NASB
Paul?
10Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” 13But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; 14and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” 15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 19and he took food and was strengthened. Acts 9:10-19
Again...context is your friend in understanding this passage.
I produce for all to read.
18For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
21Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
Bible-bangers are a scream. They never remember the numerous verses that contradict the claim they are making at the moment.
It can be proved that baptism it does not save you with two words. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. OK 3 words.
Both groups practice immersion baptism yet no Trinitarian anywhere believes they are saved at all.
Now, that concept is just plain silly.
The context of the Bible, including verse 20 and the whole of Genesis 7 and 8 shows that everything baptized by the flood died; but staying in the Ark and out of the water, floating on and above it, is how the eight souls and lots of the terrestrial animal kingdom were kept alive.
You need to mend your interpretation of what 1 Pet. 3:20-21 means.
Try equating this with baptism in the Spirit. 1 Cor. 12:13.