This 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,
4.    The flood destroyed (cleansed) the old world and allowed Noah and his family to emerge into a new clean life. The water of Christian baptism washes away the sins of the obedient (Acts 22:16) and delivers us into a new world where old things are passed away and all are new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Peter, himself, points out that whereas it was actual filth that was washed away by the flood, it is moral and spiritual filth (sins) that is washed away in baptism (1 Peter 3:21; Acts 22:16).