Why Acts 2:38?

[jfrog]

Blume I think I just realized how baptism could be so important to the early church and yet not be salvational.

Baptism as a post salvational work wasn't done in order to obtain or even keep salvation. I think the early church viewed baptism as the first important work a new believer could do for the gospel that saved him. The act of new believers being baptized into Christ may have been just as important to the spread of Christianity as the preaching and miracles. Thus, to the church, baptism was evangelism and to the individual, baptism was the first work for Christ that they were doing in their new life as a believer. Since baptism was the first work for Christ they did then it would definently give them a good conscience toward God.