Does baptism saves really mean baptism saves in 1 Peter 3:21?

Ways folks try to get around the words “baptism that now saves us” in 1 Peter 3:21.

1) They say the text says the water symbolizes baptism that now saves us, so they use that as “proof” that water baptism is symbolic of Spirit baptism (that is waterless in their view) that now saves us. But verse 20 shows that the water is Noah’s floodwater that verse 21 says is symbolic of baptism that now saves us.

2) They say that baptism saves not by removal of dirt from the body, but it is answer of good conscience so somehow that undo the part of baptism saving us. But no one argues by water in itself nor say that removing dirt from the body is what saves us. So erecting strawman doesn’t help their case, but undermines it. And where does the appeal of good conscience come from? According to the text, the resurrection of Christ. So the reason baptism saves us because by the resurrection of Christ done for us, it is answer of good conscience as God’s word and grace  to us, in Christ, not our word and work to God.

See Hebrews 10:22 which speaks of us having our hearts sprinkled from a guilty conscience at the moment our physical bodies are washed with pure water. Or Ephesians 5:26 saying Christ washes us with water through the Word, meaning it is His word of salvation that washes away our sins (see Acts 22:16), with water providing the visible means at that moment. Baptism isn’t water alone but God’s word of promise to save us in Christ alone joined to the water.  It is outward means of the Gospel of Christ alone to save us offered unto us, by grace which faith receives.

3) They say that baptism is a work we do to give answer of good conscience, and our work don’t save us, so there pit the text against itself since the first half of it says baptism now saves us. Also, in trying to preserve justification by faith alone in their own minds, they actually undermine it with that argument, since no amount of good work we do can ever give us a good conscience before God. They can only come from God (again see Hebrews 10:22). Justification by faith alone is predicated on the idea that we can’t make ourselves right with God by anything we do. By making baptism something we do for answer of good conscience, they unwittingly undermine that. The text stands. Baptism saves. It comes from God entirely. It doesn’t undermine faith alone to say that, but backs it.

Here we stand.