You stated:
“That verse alone shows us the great importance and why someone should never wait as if baptism is some ceremony, it is a proclamation of our identifying with Christ’s death and resurrection.”

My response:
God is not interested in outward professions such as this but is interested in inward renewal that produces outward profession by way of manifested fruits (love, peace, mercy, righteousness). This is the proclamation that will result when one is truly baptised in the Spirit and communing with Christ (eating His flesh and drinking His blood/abiding in the vine/walking in the spirit/crucifing the flesh daily). The fruits will proclaim for themselves. Afterall, anyone can orally profess Christ and then get water baptized.

You stated:
” I’m sure that he is not insinuating that baptism IS salvation but that it is certainly A VERY IMPORTANT component to it….maybe like a 1a and 1b??????????? I’m still wrestling with this, but I wanted to share my thoughts and get yours (whoever’s reading)…”

My response:
In this verse Peter is referring to the baptism of the Spirit of God not water baptism. He is simply relating the Spirit baptism with old testament types such as Noah and the flood and water baptism. Some people tend to get this confused when reading scriptures in the New Testament epistles that speak of baptism. Remember what John the Baptist and Jesus spoke of under the old covenant. They spoke of the coming baptism by Spirit/Fire which seems to have first started on the day of Pentecost. Water baptism is not necessary for salvation at all it was simply another old testament type/shadow of the coming reality which is now present with us.

Hope that helps to clear up some of the confusion.

That verse alone shows us the great importance and why someone should never wait as if baptism is some ceremony, it is a proclamation of our identifying with Christ’s death and resurrection.

I agree!

18For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Peter directly ties baptism to salvation and brings together the beautiful illustration of the Old Testament with that which Jesus accomplished in His own death. Peter says “baptism saves you…as an appeal to God for a good conscience.” I’m sure that he is not insinuating that baptism IS salvation but that it is certainly A VERY IMPORTANT component to it….maybe like a 1a and 1b??????????? I’m still wrestling with this, but I wanted to share my thoughts and get yours (whoever’s reading)…