Baptism Now Saves You...Or Not??

The Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:21 that “baptism now saves you.” But Paul mentions grace alone through faith alone (not baptism) as the path towards salvation. So, which is it? Is the Bible wrong? Does baptism now save us?

Let’s start with navigating a difference between Western and Eastern theological thought concerning salvation (technical word is “soteriology”). The Eastern Church is mostly comprised of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Contrary to the Western Church, the Eastern Church primarily views salvation in therapeutic terms. In other words, salvation is the process of God restoring us to the image of God. God heals us from the sickness of sin that has distorted our nature.

Notice the emphasis on process in this view. “Salvation” represents a process of healing, of becoming whole once again. We might say that, in the Eastern view, salvation is mostly viewed as sanctification.

The Western Church, on the other hand, primarily views salvation in judicial terms. “Salvation” in this framework speaks more of a state of being. “Are you saved?” “Let me tell you about when I got saved.” “God saved me from sin!” These are all statements made within a judicial understanding of salvation.

The judicial references a court-like scenario. A judge might declare someone righteous or unrighteous. That declaration inscribes an identity, a state of being, onto the one receiving the declaration. We might say that, in the Western view, salvation is mostly viewed as justification.

So, which is right? Well, the Bible supports both views. As usual in Wesleyan theology, we must maintain a balance in two ideas that appear contrary. But they do not need to be contrary.

What does this have to do with Baptism?

What in the world does this have to do with baptism? Quite a bit, actually.

Peter writes, “…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. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of the dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” (NASB, 1 Pet. 3:20-21, emphasis added).

• Baptism now saves you

• An appeal to God for a good conscience

• Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

1 - Baptism now Saves You

What if we apply the balanced view of salvation (both judicial and therapeutic) to these statements of baptism now saving us? The judicial view would encourage us to affirm a change in identity, but the therapeutic view would caution not to get ahead of the process. Baptism on its own cannot do with God’s grace alone through faith alone achieves (neither in justification nor in sanctification). But baptism can and does salvifically supply a sacramental means of grace to set us on the way to salvation.

In other words, Peter says that baptism has a salvific grace attached to it. Baptism helps heal us, just like how the flood waters that Noah and his family went through (delivered by God’s grace and through faith expressed in the ark) helped put human history more in line with healing and wholeness. The flood did not declare humanity or creation finally saved from sin. Rather, the flood imparted God’s grace to realign creation towards healing.

2 - An Appeal to God for a Good Conscience

Peter clarifies that baptism is “not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience.” Baptism does not finally remove sin, the filth of the flesh. Rather, baptism restores our ability to relationally interact with God. Baptism enlightens the core of our being so that we might respond to God’s grace more fully. Baptism is, in other words, sacramental.

As a Wesleyan theologian, I do not view baptism as a mere memorial. Baptism is not just an outward statement to the community of a decision that an individual has made internally. Baptism is an outward statement, but it is not primarily this kind of memorial.

Instead, baptism is a sacrament whereby we truly encounter God’s grace. God literally meets us in the baptismal waters and imparts to us, in some mysterious way, a deeper grace than we had before, increasing our ability to respond to God’s Light (though we can always still reject our baptism).

This enhances our entire reading of Peter’s statements. For instance, baptism does save us (in a certain way). Baptism heals our conscience so that we might relationally interact with God.

It does not “save” us in the judicial sense. We are not finally free from sin, nor does baptism finally declare our position as a child of God. This type of justification and sanctification can only come because of the love of the Father, the work of Christ, and the awakening of the Holy Spirit. In other words, salvation (both justification and sanctification) can only come by grace through faith and the continuation of faith. But baptism does impart a salvific grace that heals us and brings us along in the process of salvation.

3 - Through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

And, as Peter says, all of this salvific grace is made possible by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Notice that the grace given at baptism does not come from the cross, but rather from the resurrection. Why?

The cross restores our ability to respond to God while the resurrection restores our ability to relate to God.

Paul states in 1 Corinthians that without the resurrection, we might as well throw in the towel: “…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinth. 15:17). But because of the resurrection, death and its root, sin, do not have the final say on those found in Christ. Christ overcame death when He came back to life! He came back to life because of His victory over sin in the Holy Spirit—death literally had no argument against Christ.

And what does Paul state in Romans? “How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life…Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:2-4, 11).

Our responsible participation in baptism by grace through faith incorporates us into the life of God and the family of faith. We are made alive to God and dead to sin. Just as Christ raised from the dead, our lives, hidden with Christ through baptism into death, become raised with Christ to the newness of life.

“…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” (1 Pet. 3:21).

May we remember our baptism and be thankful. That is, may we live into this baptismal reality of our new life and identity in Christ—and may we all praise God for it over and over again!