Verse 21 ends with the words “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” This indicates that baptism as an appeal to God for a good conscience is through the resurrection of Christ, that is, by Christ in resurrection as the Spirit of life, without whom as the reality baptism by water is only an empty and dead ritual. We appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrected Christ as the reality of baptism.
Apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we could not have resurrection life, and we could not have the life-giving Spirit within us. Through faith and baptism we have an organic union with the Triune God. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we are brought into the Triune God to have an organic union with Him. Now in the Triune God and with the Triune God we enjoy the divine life and the life-giving Spirit. Therefore, after we have been baptized, we have the divine life and the life-giving Spirit to make the figure of baptism real and living to us in our experience.
Verse 21 emphasizes baptism in relation to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The reality of baptism can be realized only by the divine life and the life-giving Spirit. Our basis for saying this is Peter’s word “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” It was in His resurrection that Christ released the divine life so that it could be imparted into our spirit. It was also in resurrection that Christ became the life-giving Spirit to come into our spirit, dwell in our spirit, and exercise all the riches of His divine life. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we genuinely and with assurance experience the reality of what is figured in baptism.
Baptism with water and with the Holy Spirit, as a symbol, a counterpart, of the believers’ belief in all the accomplishments of Christ, is also a testimony, witnessing that between the baptized and God there is no more problem. Baptism with water and with the Holy Spirit is a symbol, and this symbol is a counterpart of our belief. We may say that our belief is the “husband” and that baptism is the “wife” to match the husband. As the counterpart of our belief in the accomplishments of Christ, baptism testifies that between us, the baptized ones, and God there are no problems.
A proper baptism will always bring the baptized one into a situation of appealing to God for a conscience that is good and pure. Before we believed in the Lord Jesus and were baptized, we were sinners. But when we were enlightened through the preaching of the gospel, we came to realize that we were very sinful. Both toward God and toward man we have had many transgressions, trespasses and offenses, and we had a great deal of guilt. Then we repented, believed in the Lord Jesus, received His forgiveness, and were saved. But our repentance and believing needed an outward expression. This expression is baptism. Therefore, baptism and our believing are two aspects of one thing. For this reason, the New Testament speaks of believing and being baptized (Mark 16:16). Believing and being baptized can be compared to using our two feet to take a single step. First we believe, and our believing can be compared to the half-step forward of one foot. Then we are baptized. Our baptism can be compared to the completion of the step with the other foot. Together, believing and baptism make one complete step. Therefore, baptism is the counterpart to our believing in Christ.