EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Peter 3:21
21That shows how God now saves you. It is like a picture of baptism. The water of baptism does not wash dirt from a person's body. Instead, it shows that a person has decided to obey God. He is choosing to do what is right. That saves you, because Jesus Christ became alive again after his death.
1 Peter 3:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
- New International Version (NIV)and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
- English Standard Version (ESV)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,
- New King James Version (NKJV)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,
Context of 1 Peter 3:21
19Like this, he went to the spirits who were in prison. He told them God's true message. 20Those were the spirits of people who had refused to obey God long ago. At that time God waited patiently for them to turn to him while Noah was building a large ship. But only a few people agreed to go into that ship. God saved only eight people when the ship sailed on the deep water. That shows how God now saves you. It is like a picture of baptism. The water of baptism does not wash dirt from a person's body. Instead, it shows that a person has decided to obey God. He is choosing to do what is right. That saves you, because Jesus Christ became alive again after his death. 22After that, Jesus went into heaven. Now he is sitting at God's right side. He rules over angels and over everything that has authority and power.
Read all of 1 Peter 31 Peter 3:21 word by word
ὃ καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀντίτυπον νῦν σῴζει βάπτισμα, οὐ σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσις ῥύπου, ἀλλὰ συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς ἐπερώτημα εἰς θεόν, δι᾽ ἀναστάσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The like figureἀντίτυποςantitupon · representationG499
- whereuntoὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- baptismβάπτισμαbaptisma · baptismG908
- dothσῴζωsōzō · to saveG4982
- alsoκαίkai · andG2532
- nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
- usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- notοὐou · noG3756
- the putting awayἀπόθεσιςapothesis · removalG595
- of the filthῥύποςrhupos · filthG4509
- of the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
- butἀλλάalla · butG235
- the answerἐπερώτημαeperōtēma · pledgeG1906
- of a goodἀγαθόςagathos · goodG18
- conscienceσυνείδησιςsuneidēsis · conscienceG4893
- towardεἰςeis · towardG1519
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- the resurrectionἀνάστασιςanastasis · resurrectionG386
- of JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
- ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
Cross-references for 1 Peter 3:21
- Romans 5:14But still death ruled all people, from the time when Adam lived until the time when Moses lived. Everyone died, even those who did not fail in the same way that Adam failed. Adam shows us something about God's special Messiah who would come at a future time.
- 1 Corinthians 4:6My Christian friends, I want to help you to understand these things. That is why I have used Apollos and myself as examples. You should learn from us what this means: ‘Obey what is written in the Bible.’ None of you should be proud of one leader and not respect another leader.
- Hebrews 9:24Christ did not go into a holy place that people had made on earth. A place like that is only a picture of the true place in heaven. No, Christ went into heaven itself, where God is. Now he is there with God and he speaks to God on our behalf.
- Hebrews 11:19But Abraham was sure that, if Isaac died, God could raise Isaac to life again. We could even say that is a picture of what really happened. It was like Abraham did receive Isaac back from death.
- Matthew 28:19So you must go to people in every country of the world. Teach them how to become my disciples. Baptize them by the authority of God the Father, his Son and the Holy Spirit.
- Mark 16:16If a person believes in me, then you should baptize that person. And God will save that person. But if a person does not believe, God will judge that person to be guilty.
- Acts 2:38Peter said to them, ‘Each of you must stop doing wrong things. You must change how you live. If you believe in Jesus Christ, then we will baptize you. God will forgive you for the wrong things that you have done. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to you.
- Acts 22:16So now you do not need to wait any longer. Stand up and I will baptize you. Believe in the Lord Jesus so that God will forgive you for your sins.”
- Romans 6:3Remember what your baptism shows: When they baptized you, it shows that you are united with Christ Jesus. It also shows that, because Christ died, your old life also died.
- 1 Corinthians 12:13When they baptized us, we all became parts of one body. It was the one Spirit who brought us together. It made no difference whether we were Jews or Gentiles. It made no difference whether we were slaves or free people. God poured his one Spirit into all of us.
- Galatians 3:27They baptized you as believers in Christ. That means that you have put on Christ, like someone who puts on new clothes.
- Ephesians 5:26He did that to make us completely clean, as the people of God. It was like he washed us with water, as he brought God's message to us.
- Colossians 2:12When they baptized you, it was like God buried you with Christ. And God also raised you to a new life with Christ. You believed that God has great power to do that. You believed that God raised Jesus to life after he died. Because you believed, God raised you to have a new life.
- Ezekiel 36:25You will become pure, as if I splash you with clean water. I will remove all the things that make you unclean. I will take away the idols that you worship.
- Zechariah 13:1‘On that day, water will start to pour from a fountain for King David's descendants and Jerusalem's people. It will make them clean from their sins and the dirty things that they have done.’
- 2 Corinthians 7:1So, my friends, God has promised these things to us. So we must keep ourselves clean from everything that makes our bodies or our spirits unclean. We must respect and obey God. Then we will become more and more like him.
Commentaries on 1 Peter 3:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21The like figure whereunto, etc. - 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 ̔ͅ being in the neuter gender, its antecedent cannot be , the ark, which is feminine, but ̔, water, which is neuter…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21The like figure whereunto, even baptism, doth also now save us - There are some various readings here in the Greek text, but the sense is not essentially varied. Some have proposed to read ( ͂ͅ hō) to which instead of ( ̔́ ho) which, so as to make the sense “the antitype to which baptism now also saves us.” The antecedent to the relative, whichever word is used, is clearly not the ark, but water; and the idea is, that as Noah was saved by water, so there…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-22Verses 14-22 We sanctify God before others, when our conduct invites and encourages 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 fear is; it disturbs not. The conscience is good, when it does its office well. That person is in a sad condition on whom sin and suffering meet: sin makes suffering…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21symbolizes the baptism: Peter might mean that, just as the water lifted the boat that saved Noah and his family, baptism brings believers into salvation. Or he may mean that, just as Noah and his family passed through water to reach safety, Christians pass through the waters of baptism as part of their salvation. A third possibility is that, just as the water in Noah’s day judged sin, the water of baptism shows the washing away of sin for Christians…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. whereunto--The oldest manuscripts read, "which": literally, "which (namely, water, in general; being) the antitype (of the water of the flood) is now saving (the salvation being not yet fully realized by us, compare 1Co 10:1, 2, 5; Jude 5; puts into a state of salvation) us also (two oldest manuscripts read 'you' for 'us': You also, as well as Noah and his party), to wit, baptism." Water saved Noah not of itself, but by sustaining the ark built in…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Peter 3:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Peter 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
EasyEnglish Bible 2018 — Copyright © MissionAssist 2018
Commentaries