What is the the "filth" of the flesh? (1 Pet. 3:21)

1 Peter 3:21 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:

This verse has long been used by the "Church of Christ" and Roman Catholics to teach baptismal regeneration. They isolate "baptism doth also now save us" from the rest of the verse and then create a "private interpretation" (2 Pet. 1:20). The verse in context says that baptism saves you in a "like figure", figurative salvation is not real salvation. Do you know what a "figure" is? Nothing.

Then there is the portion of the verse in parenthesis. It says that water baptism is "not the putting away of the filth of the flesh". That is an obvious reference to your sins. Water baptism does not put away your sins, it is only a figure of it. This could not be any clearer.

However, the "Church of Christ" says that the filth of the flesh in 1 Peter 3:21 is a reference to physical dirt and not sins. They say that what Peter is saying is that water baptism does not save you by washing dirt of your body. --that makes no sense whatsoever. Who would possibly think that washing dirt off your body would save you? If that is what Peter meant, he certainly would be Captain Obvious.

How can you know what "the filth of the flesh is? Well let's look at every reference to "filth" in the Bible and see what it means.

2 Chronicles 29:5-6 And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. (SINS)

Ezra 6:21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat, (SINS)

Ezra 9:11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. (SINS)

Job 15:16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? (SINS)

Psalms 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (SINS)

Psalms 53:3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (SINS)

Proverbs 30:12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. (SINS)

Isaiah 4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. (SINS)

Isaiah 28:7-8 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. (BOTH PHYSICAL FILTH AND SINS)

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (SINS)

Lamentations 1:8-9 Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward. Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself. (SINS)

Ezekiel 16:36 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; (SINS)

Ezekiel 22:15 And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee. (SINS)

Ezekiel 24:11-13 Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. (SINS)

Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. (SINS)

Nahum 3:6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. (GOD'S JUDGMENT ON SINS)

Zepheniah 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! (SINS)

Zechariah 3:3-4 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. (PHYSICAL DIRT)

Out of 21 references to filth in the Old Testament, only one or two meant physical dirt rather than sins.

Now let's look at the New Testament usage.

1 Corinthians 4:13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. (PHYSICAL DIRT)

2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (SINS)

Ephesians 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. (SINS)

Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (SINS)

1 Timothy 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; (SINS)

1 Timothy 3:8  Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; (SINS)

Titus 1:7  For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; (SINS)

Titus 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. (SINS)

James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (SINS)

1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (SINS)

2 Peter 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (SINS)

Jude 1:8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. (SINS)

Revelation 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: (SINS)

Revelation 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (SINS)

In the New Testament, only ONE reference out of SIXTEEN references to "filth" did it mean physical dirt. The "Church of Christ" is obviously giving you a "private interpretation" (2 Pet. 1:20) when they say that the filth of the flesh in 1 Peter 3:21 is a reference to physical dirt rather than sins. Their interpretation does not even made sense nor does it fit the context.

1 Peter 3:21 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:

Peter's point is clearly that water baptism was only FIGURATIVE and NOT the putting away of the filth of the flesh. 

--Eli Caldwell