by Dave Brown
Ye often hear it said ...
Baptism is a work and we cannot be saved by works ...
but Peter said (I Peter 3:21):
" baptism now saves you "
Lest we be accused of taking this out of context, please read the context, in which a reference was being made to the days of Noah. The comparison is made as follows: "... 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. 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 ..." (1 Pet 3:20-21). Those who would discount the apparent meaning here must honestly give an interpretation for what they feel the words "baptism now saves you" means if it does not mean that baptism now saves you.
There is nothing magic in the water. It is just that God has chosen this way for you to become a member of His body, His church (Rom. 6:3). Men have invented all kinds of other ways, but they all fall short of God's way. Read all of the detailed cases of conversion, and see if they do not all end in the convert being baptized (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 8:38; 9:18; 10:48; 16:15,33; 19:5).