Peter says “Baptism … now saves you,” clarifying it is not the removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a good conscience (1 Peter 3:21). He connects this saving reality to the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21).
In 1 Peter 3:18–22, Peter ties together Christ’s suffering, his continuing triumph, and the meaning of baptism for believers under pressure. Christ suffered once in relation to sins, as the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous, with the aim of bringing “you” to God. This paragraph comes within Peter’s wider instruction on how believers should respond to mistreatment without returning harm for harm (3:8–17). Immediately before, Peter encourages readiness to explain their hope and to endure suffering for doing good rather than for wrongdoing (3:13–17).
Peter presents Christ’s suffering as purposeful and decisive: Christ suffered once in relation to sins, “the righteous for the unrighteous,” with the stated aim of bringing “you” to God (1 Peter 3:18).
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with 1 Peter 3:21, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
21This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you - not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,