The Perfection Through Baptism

 

Minku Chang

20 November 2025.

 

Baptism in the name of Jesus is death. The Scripture makes it clear. Paul writes in Romans chapter 6 verse 4 that “we were buried with Him through baptism into death.” A little later, he also says, “you also have died to the law” (Romans 7:4). Since he has been speaking about baptism from chapter 6 onward, the death he has in mind is the death that takes place in baptism.

The same idea appears in Colossians. Chapter 2 verse 12 says, “having been buried with Him in baptism,” and chapter 3 verse 3 says that the Colossian Christians “died.” In the context of the letter, that death points back to their baptism. Likewise, in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 14, when Paul says that “all died,” the most natural understanding is the same death into which believers were baptized.

Other verses support this. In Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, Paul says that he had been crucified with Christ—in other words, he died with Christ. Even though he does not mention baptism directly here, his writings in Romans and Colossians make it clear that the death with Christ happens in baptism. Therefore, the crucifixion he speaks of in Galatians fits the same pattern: the believer dies with Christ in baptism.

Baptism in the name of Jesus—which is death—brings two spiritual results to the person. One result is the remission of all sins he has committed up to that moment, and the other is being freed from sin. The first result is the forgiveness of sins, and that baptism is for the forgiveness of sins is apparent according to the scriptures, such as Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3, Acts 2:38, and 22:16.

The forgiveness of sins is not difficult to understand as a result of death with Christ in baptism because it comes from the redemption in Jesus Christ. We were dead in the sins we had committed, yet God sent His only begotten Son—who had no sin, no unrighteousness—and delivered Him up for us on the cross of Calvary. He was the propitiation that God set forth for sinners, so that anyone who receives the death of Jesus by faith, as the price for their sins, might have those sins forgiven (Romans 3:23–25).

The grace of the forgiveness of sins is great. Yet it is not the only result. There is one other effect—and it is even more amazing. This article is all about that result. It is a principle that Jesus established through His death on the cross. Unfortunately, far fewer brethren accept it than they do the forgiveness of sins. I want to make a case for the principle so that more people may accept the grace of God completely and enjoy fully God’s power, which was revealed in Jesus’ victory over sin and enclothed them in baptism. Let’s delve into the principle.

 

The Principle

The other spiritual change that happens through baptism is the death of the body of sin, so that the person is no longer a slave to sin. Romans chapter 6 verse 6 teaches this: “our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing.” Our old self was sinful. It was a self that pursued worldly desires and fleshly passions. These desires gave freedom to sin and blinded them to righteousness (Romans 6:20). The conscience that God had placed in them was clean, but it became defiled because they came under the control of sin instead of God.

However, when one accepted the gospel and was going to be baptized in the name of Jesus, his heart was filled with shame and guilt for the sins he had committed, but also with a deep, urgent longing for a new life. He was willing to die with Jesus for his sins and for his sinful, fleshly self. When he heard the gospel, he was glad to know that there was a way to be cleansed from all the sins he had committed and to be reborn as a new self. With this penitent heart and desire for new life, in extreme joy and hope, he died by being immersed in water. Spiritually, his old, sinful, fleshly, and worldly self died in baptism, bringing the remission of sins and the birth of a new self.

The death through baptism “brought the body of sin to nothing” (Romans 6:6). My body, which was full of worldly desires and sinful passions, died. The sin that had enslaved me and held control over me was condemned in the body, and the body had to die so that I might be freed from slavery to sin. Because the body of sin was destroyed to nothing, I became free from sinful passions in the flesh. I am no longer a slave to sin. Therefore, I am freed not only from the sins I had committed before baptism, but also from the slavery to sin, having been released from the bondage of sin.Yet my physical body is still alive. I have the same body, but it is living no longer to my worldly desires but to Jesus, who died on behalf of my sin and freed me from the slavery to sin. Therefore, my “body” that died in baptism was not a physical body; it was “the body of sin.” It was my sinful worldly heart, mind, and will—the old self—that belonged to the person I was. My body and conscience were defiled by sin, and they were filled with sinfulness. 

The sinfulness was a second nature, which I was not born with or did not inherit from my ancestors. I acquired it myself as I became indulged in sinful passions. I presented my members as instruments for unrighteousness since sin made me obey sinful passions (cf. Romans 6:12-13). I became indulged in the passions and practiced sin continuously (cf. 1 John 3:8). Sin won my mortal body and enslaved me. My servitude to sin was developed and became a second nature. 

I was not obedient to the teaching of God’s Word because of sinfulness. I could not. Even if my mind, heart, and will had wanted to obey the law of God sometimes, my body did not do what I desired. It was not merely a matter of unwillingness to do right, but of my self being under the control of sin, as a slave. The old self had no power to overcome sinfulness. So even when it, in rare times, wanted to do what was right, what it actually did was always unrighteousness (cf. Romans 7:17-20).

This helplessness was not because of my heart, mind, and will but because of the sinfulness that had grown and spread within them. The grip of sin was so strong that they could not do what they sometimes intended to do rightly. Therefore, the person had to die so that the heart, mind, and will might be cleansed from this sinfulness. Only through death in baptism could the old self, once filled with sin, be released from its grip and regenerated into a newborn self. In this sense, our physical body does not die, but the body of sin died, and we were washed, regenerated, and renewed (cf. Titus 3:5).

Since our body of sin has been brought to nothing, “we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6). At first glance, this seems to suggest that we are freed only from the sins we committed before baptism. Yet a careful reading reveals more. The statement “the body of sin might be brought to nothing” indicates a completed event, while the phrase “would no longer be enslaved to sin” points to an ongoing reality. More importantly, the text shows that what enslaves a person is not merely individual acts of sin but sin itself. The singular noun “sin” functions as an abstract, representative term. It refers to the entire power, principle, and dominion of sin—regardless of whether a person commits a specific sinful act or not. With this understanding, the expression “we would no longer be enslaved to sin” means that we are permanently freed not only from our past sins but from the dominion of sin itself in all its forms.

Romans chapter 6 verse 7 declares this truth plainly: “One who has died has been set free from sin” (cf. Romans 6:18, 22). Although this verse employs the perfect tense, it does not alter the meaning; instead, it reinforces it. The perfect tense shows that the event took place at a definite moment in the past and its result continues permanently. In this way, the one who died with Christ is no longer under the dominion of sin but truly free from it. This ongoing reality is fully consistent with the broader message of Romans that sin no longer rules over the Christian.

Romans chapter 6 verses 12 and 14 reinforce this interpretation. Verse 12 says, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions.” This aligns exactly with the principle. The word “therefore” means that the one who was baptized into Jesus’ death has already been freed from sin’s reign. Based on the fact that the person has been freed from sin permanently, Paul commands not to return to that reign. Verse 14 again emphasizes the principle by assuming it for the conclusion, “sin will have no dominion over you.”

There is another reason the freedom through baptism cannot be restricted to only the sins committed before baptism. It is that such an interpretation does not fit the context of the New Testament. If past sins were forgiven at baptism—as all Christians agree—then being freed from those sins would already be obvious and would not need to be repeated so often. The Holy Spirit repeats this truth for a reason, and that reason concerns the believer’s new self and new life. Because this new reality is central to Christian living, repetition becomes necessary.

The remainder of Romans chapter 6, beginning in verse 15, confirms this by teaching the life of righteousness the believer must live after baptism—presenting the body to righteousness and not to sin. Before baptism, when a person had not yet died to sin, this was impossible because sinfulness still ruled within. Only after being freed from sin through baptism, does the believer become capable of presenting the body to righteousness without the hindrance of sinful passions. Without baptism, this ability does not exist. What a wonderful blessing it is that God has given us the way to be freed from the slavery of sin—baptism, our death with Jesus!

There can be no greater blessing than this: that we have been freed from all sins. The blessing is so incredible that we may not even recognize it as something we have already received from God. Moreover, some may even feel startled or become hardened in heart by this teaching, thinking it is too great to be true. Yet it is true, and the truth is revealed in the Word of God.

This writing will present several passages to support the principle; although it cannot review every scripture related to it, the passages offered here will hopefully help readers understand the principle and lead them into deeper study. The review will begin with John’s writings, which contain one of the strongest declarations of why Jesus came into the world: “to take away the sin of the world” (John 1:29; cf. 1 John 3:5, 8). It will then move to the Book of Hebrews, especially chapters 9 and 10, because they explain the necessity of the new covenant and what Jesus accomplished to establish it. Surprisingly enough, this review will show that what Jesus did is precisely the principle this article is presenting. Finally, the review will conclude with 1 Peter 3:21 and the following verses, which offer the most powerful teaching on the principle, not only explaining it directly but also connecting it to baptism and salvation.

 

The Writings of John

In John 1:29, John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (cf. 1 John 3:5, 8). The phrase “takes away the sin of the world” raises an important question: Does “sin” refer only to the past sins a person committed until baptism, or does it refer to sin in general? As discussed earlier, it is undeniable that “the sin” includes the sins a person committed before baptism. But the broader meaning, sin in general, is not generally accepted.

Not many accept the principle that the blood of Jesus paid not only for a person’s past sins but also for the sinful passions that were alive and active in the old self. Many fail to recognize that this principle is fulfilled in baptism. Yet the phrase “the sin of the world” clearly refers to sin in general. The singular noun “sin” represents the whole entity, not merely individual acts of wrongdoing. John the Baptist deliberately used the singular to indicate that he was speaking not only of individual past sins but of the entire dominion of sin over humanity. He reinforced this by adding the phrase “of the world.” In introducing Jesus to his disciples and the surrounding people, John accurately proclaimed the primary purpose of Christ’s coming. In this verse, he did not describe Jesus as a lamb for only humanity’s past sins; rather, his words clearly convey his prophetic understanding of the Son of God and His mission, “to take away the sin of the world.”

On the other hand, the apostle John used the plural “sins” in 1 John 3:5, saying that Jesus “appeared to take away sins.” Yet the plural does not contradict the broader understanding. The plural can also function representatively, referring to the whole entity of sin. Moreover, as will be seen shortly, the context of 1 John clearly shows that the apostle John understood and assumes the principle as what Jesus accomplished.

John also assumes this principle in his teaching about the indwelling of the Father and the Son in the disciples. Jesus said to His disciples in John 14:23, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” I have a friend who was very humble and earnest before God. His case may give us a good illustration. He used to say about indwelling of the Holy Spirit, “How can I accept the indwelling of the Holy Spirit while I am a sinner?” He was right: God and Jesus would never make their home in someone who is not cleansed from sins and still lives as a slave to sin. For God and Jesus to dwell in a person, that person must be cleansed not only from past sins but also from sinfulness. He must be free from sin, no longer a slave to it.

In John 14:23, the love of Jesus and keeping His word means that the person has been cleansed and released from slavery to sin. Even if he has been forgiven for past sins, if he continues to live as a slave to sin, how could God and Jesus dwell in him (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1)?

1 John is also grounded on this principle. It first speaks of “fellowship” with God, and fellowship assumes that the person has been cleansed from both past sins and sinfulness (1 John 1:5, 7). John uses the metaphors of light and darkness to describe a person’s state in relation to sin and righteousness. Light represents righteousness, and darkness represents living in sin. The metaphor implies that a person in darkness cannot have fellowship with God, because “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

Being in darkness does not mean only carrying past sins but also harboring sinful passions that lead one to continue practicing sin. Even if a person is forgiven of past sins, if he remains enslaved to sin, he is living according to worldly, sinful desires rather than God’s will. Such a person cannot please God, for he is hostile to Him (cf. Romans 8:7-8). Fellowship with God is impossible under these conditions. To enter into fellowship, a person must be cleansed from all sin and freed from slavery to sin. Only this state, being cleansed and freed from sin, is being in the light. Only as a person walks in the light, as God is light, can he have fellowship with Him. Therefore, the principle of freedom from sin is assumed for anyone to enter the light, walk in it, and enjoy fellowship with God.

John presents the path for a person to come into the light in 1 John 1:9, in relation to sin. He says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” What God does for the person who confesses his sins is twofold: first, He forgives the sins; second, He cleanses him from all unrighteousness. It is clear that God forgives the past sins of the person. But does this verse also affirm the principle?

The principle is affirmed if “unrighteousness” is understood as sin. John uses “unrighteousness” and “sin” interchangeably. In 1 John 5:17, he says, “All wrongdoing is sin.” The Greek word for “wrongdoing” is the same as the “unrighteousness” in 1 John 1:9. Therefore, the latter part of 1 John 1:9 can be understood as saying, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all [sin].” This perfectly expresses the principle: the blood of Jesus cleanses the sinner not only from the past sins he committed before baptism but also from the sin that enslaved him.

1 John 3:8–9 provides a clear explanation of this principle. First, by saying, “The reason the Son of God appeared is to destroy the works of the devil,” John clarifies that Jesus came not only to cleanse sinners from their past sins but also to deal with sin itself. That destruction signifies Jesus’ victory over sin, which has been the work of the devil from the beginning. The destruction came through the death of Jesus. Therefore, whoever dies through baptism with Jesus has overcome the evil one. He is no longer a slave to the devil, whose grip, that is, sin has been destroyed. So, “to destroy the works of the devil” is a variation of “to take away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The same idea is in the context because he used a similar phrase earlier in 1 John 3:5: “[Jesus] appeared in order to take away sins.” It is what Jesus came and accomplished, the principle.

John makes the principle even clearer in the following verse. In 1 John 3:9, he says, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.” Here, John uses the analogy of birth. The person is born of the seed of God. This birth is not physical but spiritual, and the seed of God is the source of this birth. Through this birth, the person becomes born of God, and the seed of God remains in him. Consequently, the life the person now lives is not merely his own but the life that the seed of God lives through his body (cf. Galatians 2:20). Since the seed is from God and must be free from sin, the person is born anew, free from sin. His nature no longer contains sinfulness because the nature, the seed is of God and sinless.

John made it clear that his writing of the letter was grounded on the principle. 1 John chapter 2 contains a poetic section in verses 12 through 14, following the reminder of the new commandment. In this passage, John explains why he is writing the new commandment to the recipients. The reason seems to be that the recipients have been enabled to carry out the commandment, and this ability presupposes the principle.

The first verse of the section says, “because your sins are forgiven” (1 John 2:12). This is what the death of Jesus has accomplished. The past sins of the person who dies with Jesus in baptism are cleansed by His blood. This is one of the results of dying with Jesus. The second statement in the next verse says, “because you have overcome the evil one” (1 John 2:13b). This resonates with Jesus’ destruction of the works of the devil in 1 John 3:8. This verse thus declares the principle: the person is cleansed not only from past sins but also from sinfulness. Freed from the sin that once enslaved him and made it impossible to carry out God’s commandment, he is now able to obey. John reminds the recipients of the new commandment because they are now able to keep it.

Many other passages in John’s writings support this principle. Even though this article cannot review them all, the passages we have examined make it clear that the principle is true according to the apostle John.

 

The Book of Hebrews

One of the most significant teachings of the book of Hebrews is the necessity of the new covenant. This necessity is rooted in the need to perfect the conscience of the worshipper (Hebrews 9:9). The perfection of the conscience is ultimately what the principle is about. In other words, the principle fulfills the need for the new covenant, which also caused the old covenant to vanish away. This underscores the profound significance of the principle. Hebrews, therefore, is the book that teaches this principle at a deep and foundational level.

Hebrews chapters 9 and 10 present a logical case for the principle. Chapter 9 begins by describing the imperfection of the old covenant. Verses 9-10 explain that the sacrifices under the old covenant were unable to “perfect the conscience of the worshipper”; they only concerned “food, drink, and various washings.” To accomplish true perfection, “[Christ] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

The phrase “put away sin” in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 26 draws particular attention, as it closely resembles “take away sin” in John chapter 1 verse 29. Indeed, it conveys the same principle. The singular noun “sin” refers not only to the sins a person committed prior to baptism but also to the sinfulness that would otherwise keep him living in sin. With this understanding, it is fitting to say that Hebrews chapter 9 verse 26 declares the principle. This is what the blood of Jesus accomplished, something the blood of goats and bulls could never do (cf. Hebrews 10:4). After this declaration, the text elaborates on its significance.

First, the blood of Jesus cleansed the worshippers so that they would no longer have any consciousness of sin (Hebrews 10:2). Some might argue that this verse refers only to the cleansing of past sins. However, if that were the case, the scripture would not have said that they would no longer have any consciousness of sin, because one could not remain conscious of sins that had already been forgiven. Rather, the scripture implies that the consciousness of sin remained, driving a need for a better sacrifice even after the old sacrifices. In this sense, the “consciousness of sin” refers to the person’s recognition of the sinfulness that leads him to sin. To remove the consciousness of sin, there must be a sacrifice that cleanses one completely and frees him from sinfulness.

Unless a person is freed from the slavery to sin, even his hardest attempts to do God’s will cannot resist sin. He does not desire to sin but wants to do righteousness, yet he is helpless against the sinful passions that underlie his flesh. It is not truly he but sinfulness within him that causes him to sin. This is the same condition of everyone who has not yet been baptized in the name of Jesus to die with Him.

This is exactly what the apostle Paul describes in Romans chapter 7, verses 7 through 25. Even though he was a blameless law-keeper (cf. Philippians 3:6), he was not freed from sin, and the consciousness of sin followed him. Unless a person is cleansed by the blood of Jesus through baptism, he is not free from this consciousness of sin. Therefore, to be freed from it, he must be forgiven of past sins and also released from the slavery of sin, and sinfulness must be rooted out.

This was accomplished by the sacrifice of Jesus. He “has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). This perfection means release from the consciousness of sin. This perfection is the ultimate purpose for which Jesus came and what He accomplished by His sacrifice on the cross. Therefore, the perfection means the same as the principle.

Nevertheless, the perfection must be defined by the word of God, and it must not be mistaken to mean anything other than that. First, the perfection does not mean one, as mentioned above, that the person does not commit sin at all. Nevertheless, the sins he is still vulnerable to are not like the sins that he committed before baptism. The sins he used to commit before baptism were from slavery to sin or an evil conscience. Sinfulness was making him satisfy his sinful passions and worldly desires. The person now is no longer a slave to sin, and no evil is in him unless he deliberately chooses to go back to sin. The sins he is vulnerable to now are from weaknesses, shortcomings, and mistakes. They are not deliberate sins, committed with an evil intention.

The Scripture gives us the idea of this kind of sin that even Christians are vulnerable to. John calls it “a sin not leading to death” in contrast to “sin that leads to death” (1 John 5:16). James says, [All Christians] stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man” (James 3:1-2). So, he encourages to confess and pray for forgiveness of such sins (James 5:16).

Therefore, the perfection through baptism does not mean a perfection as good as God’s perfection in all areas. The perfection is one that Jesus commanded to have in Matthew chapter 5 verse 48, saying, “You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (cf. 19:21; James 1:4. Some translations use “mature” for the same word, such as 1 Corinthians 2:6; Philippians 3:15; Colossians 1:27, 4:12). The perfection, according to the context, is about the heart of the person. He who is perfect loves not only his neighbor who is kind to him, but also his enemy who persecutes him. He does not curse the enemy but instead blesses him (Matthew 5:43-47). Just as God’s mercy, grace, and love are open to everyone with no partiality, we have to be so. This is the perfection Christians have, who have been baptized in Christ Jesus. 

Even such perfection sounds too high a goal to reach for a human being. That is why Scripture calls it a perfection. Such perfection cannot be accomplished by anything but God, nor be emulated by anything but the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. It is the mystery of baptism that a human being can be thusly perfected through it.

The perfection accomplished by Jesus’ sacrifice is the promise of God in the new covenant. Since salvation comes only through the perfection of the person, removing only past sins, leaving the conscience untouched, cannot be perfection. True perfection occurs when the conscience is completely cleansed and regenerated. Salvation is consummated when the conscience is renewed, and the person’s heart is filled with the law of God. Salvation through perfection is God’s promise for the new covenant (Hebrews 8:10).

The book of Hebrews explains and confirms that those who accept the death of Jesus are cleansed by His blood, not only from past sins but also from sinfulness, worldly passions, and the intent to sin. All of this concerns the new covenant, which God established through His Son. For all who accept the new covenant, the old self of sin is dead, and the new self is born and lives in Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17). The new self, living in fellowship with God, is the result of the perfection accomplished by the blood of Jesus. This was God’s promise for the new covenant. The book of Hebrews explains, confirms, and celebrates this reality: it is eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.

Also, the book clarifies the principle from another angle. If a person “goes on sinning deliberately” after having been sanctified by the blood of Jesus, he no longer has a sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:26–29; cf. 6:4–6). This does not mean that we are exempt from the guilt of sins we may commit. The principle never teaches that we gained the liberty to sin. Romans 6:1-2 makes it absolutely clear: “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Yet many misunderstand this in two different ways.

One misunderstanding belongs to those who are humble and honest before God. These are like my friend who could not accept the indwelling of the Holy Spirit because he believed he still had sinfulness. This mistake comes from confusion about the sins committed after baptism. Even Christians who were baptized in the name of Jesus to die to sin cannot avoid every sin. However, the sin they remain vulnerable to is not a sin that arises from their sinful desire or evil conscience. They are mistakes, shortcomings, and weaknesses. No human being is free from these, because no one is as perfect as God.

When they died to sin, they died to sinful passions, worldly desires, and evil conscience. The perfection given through baptism means perfection from these, but it does not mean that one becomes free from human flaws, weaknesses, or mistakes. So, the word of God does not condemn sins that come from such weaknesses (cf. 1 John 5:16). This is why the book of Hebrews is not addressing to Christians these kinds of sins, but sins committed deliberately (10:26). It is the same with the book of 1 John, which addresses sins committed continuously (1 John 3:8-9).

Another misunderstanding belongs to those who are still enslaved to sin, living according to worldly desires, sinful passions, and an evil conscience. Some of them are in the church, too, and let’s focus on them for now. The sins they commit come from the evil within them. They sin continuously and deliberately, yet they boldly claim that they are free from guilt because they are already freed from sin by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. They say that, since they have been saved by Christ, nothing, not even sin, can remove them from Him. Believing the falsity, they act like they have the liberty to sin and do not feel guilty.

Outwardly, their sins may not look very different from the sins of Christians, but spiritually, they belong to the sins condemned in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 26 and following and 1 John chapter 3 verses 8 and 9. For this reason, their belief is not merely a misunderstanding but a distortion of the word of God. Their conscience is seared, and they feel no guilt as they promote this distortion and teach others with falsity. It is truly a doctrine of the devil, deceiving many through their own sinfulness and pulling countless souls toward eternal destruction.

The principle is about the grace of God that, when a person is baptized in the name of Jesus, God cleanses not only the past sins but also sin itself. This is why God warns so sternly about returning to sin after baptism. Because He cleansed the person from past sins and freed him from the slavery of sin, He now expects that person to live for His will for the rest of his time on earth. And this cleansing and regeneration came at the cost of the death of His only begotten Son. Therefore, He will never forgive those who crucify His Son again and trample Him underfoot by returning deliberately to a sinful life (Hebrews 6:6; 10:29). For this reason, the stern warning is actually another way of emphasizing the principle. If the principle is not a truth, God would not have warned so sternly against apostasy.

 

1 Peter 3:21 and Following

It is striking that the perfection of the conscience of a person is what Jesus came for, and the perfection is salvation (Hebrews 10:14). This fact magnifies the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice, because only His blood can accomplish the perfection. 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 21 and the following affirm what we have discussed. It provides a final, declarative statement regarding Jesus’ sacrifice, baptism, and salvation. It begins with the firm declaration: “Baptism, corresponding to this, now saves you, … as an appeal to God for a good conscience.”

This verse connects baptism directly to the state of the person’s conscience, saying that baptism is “an appeal to God for a good conscience.” It also demonstrates the relationship between baptism, conscience, and salvation. This confirms what we have discussed: the perfection of the conscience of the worshipper is what Jesus accomplished and is salvation.

The perfection of the conscience happens only through the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood. This cleansing occurs in baptism, which is a participation in Jesus’ death. Therefore, the person preparing for baptism must have expected this perfection. He understood that his conscience was defiled by sin, and that the defiled conscience could never enable him to do righteousness, no matter how earnestly he wished or tried. Such a person is like the apostle Paul, who lamented, “Wretched man that I am” (Romans 7:24). Yet, he did not stop there. He sought salvation with all his heart, praying to God, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” He approached God with eager expectation, appealing with a sincere heart.

This must be the heart of the one who is about to be baptized in the name of Jesus. That heart is described in 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 21 as “an appeal to God for a good conscience.” Salvation is God’s response to the person who comes before Him with such a penitent and eager heart, so willing to follow Jesus that he submits himself to death with Jesus. It is this heart and obedience expressed in baptism that move God to pour out His mercy, love, and grace. In God’s grace and mercy, his sins are washed away, and his conscience is cleansed by the blood of Jesus. He is saved and now a new creature.

Baptism as an appeal for the perfection of conscience is far more than “a removal of dirt from the body” (1 Peter 3:21). First, because it is the response of a heart deeply touched by the gospel of Jesus. He has heard that Jesus died for sinners and that His death conquered sin for the whole world. He believed this and desired to follow Him fully, willing to die to sin in his flesh as well as the sins he had committed. His heart was filled with true repentance, and he was ready to follow Jesus even to the cross. Therefore, he had no hesitation to be immersed in water, knowing it represents a real death with Jesus. For him, baptism was not a mere ceremony, ritual, or symbol. It was a genuine death to sin and to his old self enslaved by sin. It was real and true participation in Jesus’ death.

Second, baptism is not a removal of dirt from the body because baptism is an act of hope and expectation for a new self. He believed in Jesus’ resurrection and trusted that, by dying with Him, God would raise him into the newness of life. His heart was filled with eager and genuine expectation, looking forward to the birth of the new self. His baptism was thus an appeal to God for the perfection of his inner being, a longing for the resurrection life of Jesus to begin in him.

Without such a sincere willingness to die to sin and a deep, hopeful appeal for rebirth, baptism is no more than a bath in water. Its power lies entirely in the faith, repentance, and hope of the heart in submission to God through Jesus’ death. True and genuine baptism comes from an appeal to God for a good conscience, accompanied by the willingness to die to sin with Jesus on the cross.

With this understanding of baptism, 1 Peter chapter 4 verses 1 and 2, which is a difficult passage to comprehend, can be rightly understood in the context of baptism. If my understanding of the passage is correct, it is a declaration of the principle. The key idea is that baptism is a participation in the suffering of Jesus when He died on the cross. In other words, baptism in the name of Jesus is not merely a religious ceremony but a real participation in Jesus’ suffering on the cruel cross, the final battle against sin and the evil one. 

Because the baptized person has suffered with Jesus to death on the cross, he died to sin and began a new life shaped by brotherly love (1 Peter 1:22). He no longer lives in sin or in worldly desires but in the will of God, which is ultimately fulfilled in loving one another. Through this lens, 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 1 and 2 affirms the principle: baptism unites the person with Christ’s death, cleanses the conscience, frees from slavery to sin, and empowers him to live for God. Therefore, baptism is the way for the principle, perfection of the conscience, and ultimately salvation.

 

Final Words

As we have seen in the passages, baptism as death with Jesus has two results: the forgiveness of past sins and the freedom from slavery to sin. The one is a great blessing. Yet, if that were the only result, the Word of God would not have said, “Baptism … saves you” (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism not only cleanses the person from the sins he has committed, but it also perfects him, meaning that he is freed from slavery to sin. This is a biblical principle, for it is exactly what God intended to accomplish through the sacrifice of His own Son. There is no greater blessing on earth and in heaven than the complete freedom from sin. It is what God planned from the beginning (Genesis 3:15), what Jesus accomplished as God’s only Son through His sacrifice, and what the risen Lord continues to do among those who are called. Yet many hesitate to believe it.

For those who struggle with this hesitation, consider the underlying idea in the parable of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15. When the son realized his sin, he became penitent and was willing to forfeit his sonship. With that willingness, he was ready to be a servant in his father’s house. This willingness can be compared to a person’s willingness to die with Jesus’ death. Yet, note this: the father did not leave the son as a hired servant. Instead, he fully restored his sonship, giving him everything worthy of a true son. Had the father only accepted him as a servant, the story would fail to convey the fullness of God’s grace. The restoration to sonship is parallel to the perfection through baptism.

The other son in the parable may be compared to those who hesitate to accept the principle. He already had everything but did not recognize the glory his father had given him, complaining as if he had been deprived. How could God, who gave up His Son on the cross for us, spare the removal of our sinfulness? Truly, we must “see what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God” so that, “when [Jesus] appears, we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:1, 2).

The principle is the result of Jesus’ sacrifice. And the results of that sacrifice come to all who die with Jesus. A person dies with Him when he is baptized in the name of Jesus. Therefore, the results of Jesus’ death are also the results of baptism. In other words, Christian baptism is not only for the forgiveness of sins, as John the Baptist’s baptism aimed for, but also for release from sin itself. It is a baptism of the Holy Spirit.

John baptized with water for repentance and forgiveness. But he prophesied that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. The difference in Jesus’ baptism is the perfection of the person in relation to sin, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit. Only baptism in the name of Jesus can bring this perfection. That is why the Scripture says, “Baptism saves you” (1 Peter 3:21). In this sense, the teaching on baptism must not be limited to forgiveness alone but must include the perfection of the person.

Just as this article has reviewed several scriptures that teach this principle, it is not an exaggeration to say that the whole New Testament is about the grace revealed through this principle. This is not strange at all, because the New Testament is entirely about what Jesus did for our salvation, and this principle is the heart of it. What this also means is that if we miss the principle in teaching the New Testament, we miss its core. Therefore, Christians should study the New Testament again and affirm this principle. When a Christian truly realizes the power the principle, he will never overlook it.

The forgiveness of sins is good news, but the perfection of the person is even greater news. If the forgiveness of past sins was so great as to draw countless people to repentance, how tremendous people will the principle of perfection lead to baptism? For it is the victory of Jesus, and our victory through Him. Jesus accomplished the victory God had foretold from the beginning (cf. Genesis 3:15). By dying with Jesus through baptism, we also have won the battle against the devil (1 John 2:13–14). Now we are more than conquerors in all things (Romans 8:37). There is no one or nothing that condemns us (Romans 8:1).

We are participating in the “divine nature” since we became free from slavery to sin (2 Peter 1:4). Would there be any stronger power than the power that the victory gave us? Would there be any greater joy than that for the perfection God granted us? All thanks be to the Lord Jesus, who died for us, and to God, who gave Him up for us. To Him be glory forever. Amen.