SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:21
¶ A la figura de la cual el bautismo que ahora corresponde nos salva (no quitando las inmundicias de la carne, mas dando testimonio de una buena conciencia delante de Dios,) por la resurreccin de Jess, el Cristo,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Peter 3:21
Verse 21. The like figure whereunto, &c.] Dr. Macknight has translated this verse so as to make the meaning more clear: By which (water) the antitype baptism (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God) now saveth us also, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He remarks that the relative w being in the neuter gender, its antecedent cannot be kibwtov, the ark, which is feminine, but udwr, water, which is neuter.
There are many difficulties in this verse; but the simple meaning of the place may be easily apprehended. Noah believed in God; walked uprightly before him, and found grace in his sight; he obeyed him in building the ark, and God made it the means of his salvation from the waters of the deluge.
Baptism implies a consecration and dedication of the soul and body to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He who is faithful to his baptismal covenant, taking God through Christ, by the eternal Spirit, for his portion, is saved here from his sins; and through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, has the well-grounded hope of eternal glory. This is all plain; but was it the deluge, itself, or the ark, or the being saved by that ark from the deluge, that was the antitype of which St. Peter speaks? Noah and his family were saved by water; i.e. it was the instrument of their being saved through the good providence of God. So the water of baptism, typifying the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit, is the means of salvation to all those who receive this Holy Spirit in its quickening, cleansing efficacy.
Now as the waters of the flood could not have saved Noah and his family, had they not made use of the ark; so the water of baptism saves no man, but as it is the means of his getting his heart purified by the Holy Spirit, and typifying to him that purification. The ark was not immersed in the water; had it been so they must all have perished; but it was borne up on the water, and sprinkled with the rain that fell from heaven. This text, as far as I can see, says nothing in behalf of immersion in baptism; but is rather, from the circumstance mentioned above, in favour of sprinkling. In either case, it is not the sprinkling, washing, or cleansing the body, that can be of any avail to the salvation of the soul, but the answer of a good conscience towards God - the internal evidence and external proof that the soul is purified in the laver of regeneration, and the person enabled to walk in newness of life. We are therefore strongly cautioned here, not to rest in the letter, but to look for the substance.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 21. The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now save us , etc.] The ark, and deliverance by it, as it was a type of Christ, and salvation by him, so it was a figure of baptism, and baptism was the antitype of that; or there is something in these which correspond, and answer to, and bear a resemblance to each other: as the ark was God's ordinance, and not man's invention, so is baptism, it is of heaven, and not of men; and as the ark, while it was preparing, was the scorn and derision of men, so is this ordinance of the Gospel; it was rejected with disdain by the Scribes and Pharisees, as it still is by many; and as the ark, when Noah and his family were shut up in it by God, represented a burial, and they seemed, as it were, to be buried in it, it was a lively emblem of baptism, which is expressed by a burial, ( Romans 6:4 Colossians 2:12) and as they in the ark had the great deep broke up under them, and the windows of heaven opened over them, pouring out waters upon them, they were, as it were, immersed in, and were covered with water, this fitly figured baptism by immersion; nor were there any but adult persons that entered into the ark, nor should any be baptized but believers; to which may be added, that as the one saved by water, so does the other; for it is water baptism which is here designed, which John practised, Christ gave a commission for, and his disciples administered: it saves not as a cause, for it has no causal influence on, nor is it essential to salvation. Christ only is the cause and author of eternal salvation; and as those only that were in the ark were saved by water, so those only that are in Christ, and that are baptized into Christ, and into his death, are saved by baptism; not everyone that is baptized, but he that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved, ( Mark 16:16), for baptism is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh ; the design of it is not to take off the sordid flesh, as circumcision did; or in a ceremonious way, outwardly, to sanctify to the purifying of the flesh, as the Jewish baptisms did; (see Hebrews 9:10,13), or to take away either original or actual sin; this only the blood of Christ can do; and it is not a mere external cleansing of the body: but the answer of a good conscience towards God ; the Vulgate Latin renders it, the interrogation of a good conscience; referring, it may be, to the interrogations that used to be put to those who desired baptism; as, dost thou renounce Satan? dost thou believe in Christ? (see Acts 8:36,37), others render it, the stipulation of a good conscience; alluding also to the ancient custom of obliging those that were baptized to covenant and agree to live an holy life and conversation, to renounce the devil and all his works, and the pomps and vanities of this world; and baptism does certainly lay an obligation on men to walk in newness of life; (see Romans 6:4,5), the Ethiopic version renders it, confession of God; and to this the Syriac version agrees, rendering it, confessing God with a pure conscience; for, to baptism, profession of faith in Christ, and of the doctrine of Christ in a pure conscience, is requisite; and in baptism persons make a public confession of God, and openly put on Christ before men: the sense seems plainly this; that then is baptism rightly performed, and its end answered, when a person, conscious to himself of its being an ordinance of Christ, and of his duty to submit to it, does do so upon profession of his faith in Christ, in obedience to his command, and with a view to his glory; in doing which he discharges a good conscience towards God: and being thus performed, it saves, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ ; being a means of leading the faith of the baptized person, as to the blood of Christ, for pardon and cleansing, so to the resurrection of Christ, to justification; (see Acts 2:38 22:16 Romans 4:25), moreover, the sense of the passage may be this, that baptism is a like figure as the ark of Noah was; that as the entrance of Noah and his family into the ark was an emblem of a burial, so their coming out of it was a figure of the resurrection; and just such a figure is baptism, performed by immersion, both of the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and of the resurrection of saints to walk in newness of life. The Arabic version renders the whole verse thus; of which thing baptism is now a type saving us, not by removing the filth of the flesh only, but by exhilarating a good conscience towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 14-22 - We sanctify God before others, when our conduct invites and encourage them to glorify and honour him. What was the ground and reason of their hope? We should be able to defend our religion with meekness, in the fear of God. There is no room for any other fears where this great fea is; it disturbs not. The conscience is good, when it does its offic well. That person is in a sad condition on whom sin and suffering meet sin makes suffering extreme, comfortless, and destructive. Surely it is better to suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing, whatever ou natural impatience at times may suggest. The example of Christ is a argument for patience under sufferings. In the case of our Lord' suffering, he that knew no sin, suffered instead of those who knew n righteousness. The blessed end and design of our Lord's suffering were, to reconcile us to God, and to bring us to eternal glory. He wa put to death in respect of his human nature, but was quickened an raised by the power of the Holy Spirit. If Christ could not be free from sufferings, why should Christians think to be so? God takes exac notice of the means and advantages people in all ages have had. As to the old world, Christ sent his Spirit; gave warning by Noah. But thoug the patience of God waits long, it will cease at last. And the spirit of disobedient sinners, as soon as they are out of their bodies, ar committed to the prison of hell, where those that despised Noah' warning now are, and from whence there is no redemption. Noah' salvation in the ark upon the water, which carried him above the floods, set forth the salvation of all true believers. That tempora salvation by the ark was a type of the eternal salvation of believer by baptism of the Holy Spirit. To prevent mistakes, the apostl declares what he means by saving baptism; not the outward ceremony of washing with water, which, in itself, does no more than put away the filth of the flesh, but that baptism, of which the baptismal wate formed the sign. Not the outward ordinance, but when a man, by the regeneration of the Spirit, was enabled to repent and profess faith and purpose a new life, uprightly, and as in the presence of God. Le us beware that we rest not upon outward forms. Let us learn to look of the ordinances of God spiritually, and to inquire after the spiritual effect and working of them on our consciences. We would willingly have all religion reduced to outward things. But many who were baptized, an constantly attended the ordinances, have remained without Christ, die in their sins, and are now past recovery. Rest not then till thou ar cleansed by the Spirit of Christ and the blood of Christ. Hi resurrection from the dead is that whereby we are assured of purifyin and peace __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
{1: ο 3739 } {2: ω 3739 } και 2532 ημας 2248 αντιτυπον 499 νυν 3568 σωζει 4982 5719 βαπτισμα 908 ου 3756 σαρκος 4561 αποθεσις 595 ρυπου 4509 αλλα 235 συνειδησεως 4893 αγαθης 18 επερωτημα 1906 εις 1519 θεον 2316 δι 1223 αναστασεως 386 ιησου 2424 χριστου 5547
Vincent's NT Word Studies
21. The like figure whereunto. Following a rejected reading, w, to which; so that the literal rendering would be the antitype to which. Read o ajntitupon, which, the antitype or as an antitype; i.e., which water, being the antitype of that water of the flood, doth now save you, even baptism. Rev., which, after a true likeness doth now, etc. 'Antitupon, figure, or antitype, is from ajnti, over against, and tupov, a blow. Hence, originally, repelling a blow: a blow against a blow; a counterblow. So of an echo or of the reflection of light; then a correspondence, as of a stamp to the die, as here. The word occurs only once elsewhere, Heb. ix. 24: "the figures of the true."
Putting away (apoqesiv). Peculiar to Peter. Here and 2 Pet. i. 14. Filth (rupou). Only here in New Testament. In classical Greek signifying especially dry dirt, as on the person.
Answer (eperwthma). Only here in New Testament. In classical Greek the word means a question and nothing else. The meaning here is much disputed, and can hardly be settled satisfactorily. The rendering answer has no warrant. The meaning seems to be (as Alford), "the seeking after God of a good and pure conscience, which is the aim and end of the Christian baptismal life." So Lange: "The thing asked may be conceived as follows: 'How shall I rid myself of an evil conscience? Wilt thou, most holy God, again accept me, a sinner? Wilt thou, Lord Jesus, grant me the communion of thy death and life? Wilt thou, O Holy Spirit, assure me of grace and adoption, and dwell in my heart?' To these questions the triune Jehovah answers in baptism, 'Yea!' Now is laid the solid foundation for a good conscience. The conscience is not only purified from its guilt, but it receives new vital power by means of the resurrection of Jesus Christ." This is the sense of ejperwtan eijv, in the only place where it occurs in scripture, 2 Sam. xi. 7 (Sept.): "David asked of him how Joab did (eperwthsen eiv eirhnhn Iwab)." Lit., with reference to the peace of Joab. Rev. renders, the interrogation, and puts inquiry, appeal, in margin.
