Did Jesus Teach Water Baptism Saves? (Part 1)

On my water baptism discussion with a friend a scripture came up that many think proves water baptism saves. I think this scripture is very important to understand, so I am copying my reply here so more can see how to properly interpret this scripture:

Bob, one more point on that scripture you mentioned concerning water baptism, for your consideration, let’s first consider what the Apostle Peter taught and understood relating to this scripture:

NAS 1 Peter 3:21 And corresponding 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,

What Did Peter Say Brings Salvation?

Since Peter does not say it’s “𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫” baptism that saves, we would have to determine whether he means the O.T. water baptism that God called John the Baptist to bring in, or if it was the N.T. Spirit baptism that God called Jesus to bring in:

NAS John 1:33 “And I did not recognize Him, but 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭.’

^NAS Mark 1:8 “I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Now if Peter means it is a water baptism that saves us, that would contradict what he taught the Gentiles in Acts 10:43:

NAS Acts 10:43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞i𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬.”

Peter says all the prophets agree… that everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins.

And in the very next verses (Acts 10:44-45) God saves and fills these Gentiles with the Holy Spirit, and they had never been water baptized, so clearly a water immersion did not save them.

What Did Jesus Say Brings Salvation and Forgiveness?

Peter’s writings of course align perfectly with what the Lord Jesus taught multiple times, that salvation and forgiveness come by believing in him, not by a water rite. And below we see what the Lord Jesus himself taught brings salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life:

NAS John 3:15 that 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 may in Him have eternal life.

NAS John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

KJV John 3:36 𝐇𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

NAS John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐌𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 Him who sent Me, 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

NAS John 6:40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐦, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

NAS John 6:47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

The Lord Jesus never added “Oh, I almost forgot, it is actually the water baptism that brings salvation.”

So (in 1 Peter 3:21) Peter would not contradict what he taught in Acts 10:43, and also what he said “all the prophets” believed, and what the Lord Jesus himself taught, that salvation and forgiveness come by believing.

It is when one believes in Christ that they are born again (or as the original Greek reads, born/regenerated from above). That is when salvation and forgiveness comes, just as Jesus taught:

KJV 1 John 5:1 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐡 that Jesus is the Christ 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

That is the Spirit baptism that Jesus brought in, when one is born again, born from above.

God even filled the Gentiles in Acts 10:44 with His Holy Spirit, and no water baptism rite had been performed, because they were born from above and washed (Spirit baptized) when they believed, and then God filled them with His Holy Spirit.

If in 1 Peter 3:21 Peter means that salvation comes by a water baptism (and that verse does not say water), then the following would be true:

1. The shed blood of Jesus is not sufficient for forgiveness of sins (contradicting Revelation 1:5).

2. It would mean that believing in Jesus’ sacrifice is not sufficient for salvation; instead you need a man, to immerse you in water, and speak a phrase over you (such as “I now baptize you in Jesus name”). And this “phrase” has been hotly contested and debated, so new believers don’t really even know if they are saved, they have to trust what the man teaches is the correct phrase.

3. It would mean that salvation comes not by believing, but by having a man do the deed of water baptism, thus contradicting Titus 3:5, which we see below:

NAS Titus 3:5 He saved us, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and renewing 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭,

So Paul above is writing to Titus (the same Paul that thanked God he only water baptized a few people) saying that we are saved by God’s mercy, by the washing that happens at regeneration, when we are regenerated from above.

And of course the apostle Peter agrees with this, as he writes:

NAS 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 to a living hope 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢s𝐭 from the dead…

It is the Spirit Baptism That Saves

That is what Peter means also in 1 Peter 3:21, that we are born again (and saved by believing) because of the resurrection of Christ, and God thus accepting that sacrifice. The water is Old Testament; the water does not save.

NAS 1 Peter 3:21 And corresponding 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…

In the New Covenant, the water only removes dirt from the flesh…believing in Christ and his resurrection causes one to be born from above, and this Spirit washing is what brings forgiveness and makes us members in the spiritual body of Christ, as the great apostle wrote:

^NAS 1 Corinthians 12:12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Paul said it was the Spirit baptism that we were all baptized with; this is the true washing that makes us members in the spiritual body of Christ. This Spirit baptism is the one baptism (and only baptism) in the New Covenant, as Paul wrote:

^NAS Ephesians 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism…

In Part 2 of this series we will consider scriptures such as these below:

^NAS Mark 16:16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

^NAS Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

^NAS Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”