Resolved: That baptism which "saves us now," written by the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3:21, is water baptism according to the Bible.

1. The context within 1 Peter 3:21, "not the putting away of the filth of the flesh," points to water baptism, because a person’s being immersed in water could be interpreted as taking a bath for body cleaning. If Holy Spirit baptism is the "baptism which ‘saves us now,’" there was no reason for Peter’s speaking of "putting away the filth of the flesh."

2. The word "saves" in 1 Peter 3:21 is the same as in Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," which has to be water baptism, the only baptism that men can administer. Only Christ could administer Holy Spirit baptism (Matthew3:11).

3. The word "saves" in 1 Peter 3:21 is the same as in Acts 2:40, "Save yourselves" by repenting and being baptized (Acts 2:38), something about 3000 souls did, but not by praying for Holy Spirit baptism.

4. Though Paul always "lived in all good conscience before God" (Acts 23:1), he would not have had the "good conscience" of 1 Peter 3:21 if he had refused to "be baptized to wash away" his "sins" (Acts 22:16). The fact that in his baptism he was "buried" (Romans 6:4) in "the washing of water" (Ephesians 5:26) shows his was water baptism.

5. Since there is only "one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5) for "all nations" to "the end of the world" (Matthew 28:19-20), a baptism only administered by men, the baptism of 1 Peter 3:21 has to be water baptism, the only kind that men can administer, when "our bodies" are "washed in pure water" (Hebrews 10:22) in the "washing of regeneration" (Titus 3:5).

6. Something is wrong with a man’s preaching "Jesus" (Acts 8:35) and a new believer does not ask, "What hinders my being baptized?" (Acts 8:36).

7. But if a new believer asks, "What hinders my being baptized?" (Acts 8:36), today’s preacher is likely to say, "Don’t be so eager. Baptism does not save you. If you want to be baptized, let’s wait until Easter.

8. The same Peter who wrote that "baptism now saves us" asked, "Who can forbid water that these should not be baptized?" (Acts 10:47), thus testifying that water baptism, the only kind a man can administer, saves. This evidence is so strong Mr. Climaco Solis has said that Peter did not mean "literal" water. But he has not told us what is non-literal water.

9. No preacher today can be "a man sent from God" (John 1:6) who refuses to say "I baptize you in water" for "the remission of sins (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3).

10. A preacher today who minimizes water baptism should listen to Jesus, explaining his baptism, "it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15).

11. A preacher today who minimizes water baptism is of no mind to walk some 70 miles as Jesus did to be baptized (Matthew 3:13).

12. A preacher today who minimizes water baptism is imitating "the Pharisees and the lawyers" who "rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized" by John (Luke 7:30).

13. A preacher today who minimizes water baptism would criticize the first baptizer, who searched for places to preach where there were "many waters" (John 3:23).

14. A preacher today who does not come up "out of the water" after his baptism is not following Jesus (Matthew 3:16).

15. A preacher today, after his own baptism, who does not "make and baptize" disciples in water is not following Jesus (John 4:11).