Disobedient Spirits.

Opening:

It is a beautiful thing to open the Word of God on the Lord’s Day.

Introduction of the Passage:

This morning we recited the Apostles Creed. Often, if we are not careful, we can become so familiar with something that we miss some of the theological depth of what we are saying. For example, have you ever noticed the phrase, “He descended into hell.”? Why is that phrase there? Well, there are several reasons. For one, the phrase can also be rendered “He descended into the earth.” This is to signify that Christ truly died and was buried. But beyond this, that phrase is there in part because of the passage we are studying this morning.

We are going to be continuing on in our study of 1 Peter. This morning we will be in 1 Peter 3:19-22. And this really is an interesting passage. Many have called this one of the most difficult and confusing passages in the Bible. And after studying this passage deeply over the past several weeks, I agree. This is a confusing and challenging passage. In this passage we see dialogue about spirits in bondage during the times of Noah, a confusing statement about baptism and more. This morning we are covering half of this passage. We will be dealing with this concept of disobedient spirits. Next week we will be covering what Peter says about baptism.

But what are we to do with confusing or unclear passages? We study them. We seek to understand what God is saying in His Word. And we do this by examining the context. We do not isolate these verses in order to twist them to make them say what we want. We look at them in the argument they are contained in, and in the larger scope of the Bible.

But the key is to look at what the Bible says as a whole, and then submit to the Word of God. So as we dive into this passage, we are going to get into some theological weeds. Now, I personally find these things incredibly interesting. I love going to God’s Word and seeing something confusing and then getting to study it and find answers. God has not left us floating in the dark. He has given us His Word. And yes, even in somewhat confusing passages, we find they are filled with hope and grace. So as we dive into the theological deep end of the pool, I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

So with this in mind, I would ask you to stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Reading of the Passage:

1 Peter 3:18–22“18 For 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, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because 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. 21 Baptism, 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, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”

The Word of God, let’s pray.

Prayer:

Our gracious Heavenly Father, we commit this time to you. We ask you to open our hearts and minds to the truths of your Word. May we grow in the knowledge of you and in holiness through this time in the Word. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Need:

Christ’s death and resurrection accomplished a true and eternal victory.

Text Idea:

This really is Peter’s central theme here. He is dealing with the idea of suffering well. And in handling this subject, he takes a brief break to proclaim the idea that Christ’s death and resurrection accomplished a real and true victory.

Sermon Idea:

And that is what we will see this morning. Even though we will have to be careful and study with wisdom, I pray you see this morning that Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension accomplished a true and eternal victory.

Transition:

But we must acknowledge that interpreting this text is far from easy. The thrust of this passage is clear, Christ has the victory. But the details are anything but clear. And this brings up many questions. So first, let’s wrestle with the questions.

1: The Questions.

Listen again to the passage. Specifically, verses 19-20. 1 Peter 3:19-20“19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because 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.

Explanation:

Specifically the issues come up in verse 19. And theologians have wrestled with this passage since Peter wrote it. And there is a reason. This text causes us issues. And one theologian set this up really well. He said this:

The issues are:

1. Who are the spirits in prison? - unbelievers who have died? - Old Testament believers who have died? - fallen angels?

2. What did Christ preach? - second chance for repentance? - completion of redemptive work? - final condemnation?

3. When did he preach? - in the days of Noah? - between his death and resurrection? - after his resurrection?

- Wayne A. Grudem.

That really is a good summery. Who are the Spirits? What did Christ preach? And When did He preach? These are the central things that cause us questions. Who are these spirits? Are they angels? Are they those who have died? What does it mean that Christ preached to these spirits? What was the message preached? And when did this preaching take place?

Argumentation:

And let me just say, many faithful theologians have disagreed on this passage. Many godly, faithful men have wrestled through this passage in an attempt to understand it and harmonize it with the rest of Scripture. And I want to be very clear; honest, faithful, godly men have disagreed on this. And that is okay.

Disagreement does not always equal heresy. Just because I may disagree with the late R.C. Sproul and he disagreed with Dr. MacArthur, and he disagreed with Bahnsen, and he disagreed with Calvin, and he disagreed with Luther, does not mean any of these men are heretics. These are aspects of theology where we can disagree and still maintain fellowship.

I break it down this way. There are primary, secondary, and tertiary issues. Let me break this down a little.

Primary:

Primary issues are issues at the heart of the gospel. Basically this means that if we disagree on a primary issue, then I fear you are not saved. For example, if someone were to say, “Jesus’ death on the cross was not enough to save me. I have to work and earn my salvation.” I would worry that person is not saved. The disagreement is at the heart of the gospel. If anyone disagrees on the core of the faith, it is a primary issue. If they deny salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, for the glory of God alone, then I am worried for their soul.

Secondary:

Secondary issues are issues that divide us. These are issues that are not salvific, but they do divide us. For example, take my conservative Lutheran brothers. Not the radical liberal Lutherans. The conservative, faithful Lutherans. I could not be a member in a Lutheran church because of serious theological issues. I do not believe in the physical presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. I do not believe in baptismal regeneration. Now, I do not doubt my brother’s faith. I trust they are saved. I love them and I care deeply for them. But those issues would make it almost impossible for me to be a member in good standing in their church. I would be barred from the Table. And I would happily debate them on these issues. But I am not saying they are not Christians. No, I believe them to be saved. But this secondary issue does actually divide us.

Tertiary:

Tertiary issues are issues that should never divide us. These are areas where we disagree, and those disagreements are real, but they should not divide us. And that is where this passage falls in. We may have disagreements on them, but these disagreements should not divide us. We can have real disagreements and maintain fellowship.

And that is how all these faithful men can disagree. These disagreements are important, but they do not divide us. Now any disagreement can be taken too far and become primary. And we will dive into that. But, I just want to stress that there are faithful men who disagree. There are various ways to answer the questions this passage brings up. And some are patently wrong and in disagreement to Scripture, while others are more clear and in agreement with Scripture that these faithful theologian hold to.

Transition:

So let’s dive into the various views and problems they hold.

2: The Various Views and Problems.

Explanation:

Again, how do we answer the issues? 1. Who are the spirits in prison? 2. What did Christ preach? 3. When did he preach? Well, there are various views throughout church history. Let’s look at just a few. And believe me, this is just a few. There are many views on this. I’ve selected the most common explanations I found.

A. Christ went and offered a second chance to unbelievers.

Some answer this by saying that Christ went to those who died and preached salvation to them offering them a second chance at redemption. Roman Catholics attempt to use this to justify their unbiblical view of purgatory. There is a place where souls go where they can have another chance at salvation. But we know this is not true. This is in direct contradiction to Hebrews 9:27“27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,”

So we can reject this interpretation.

B. Christ is preached by the Apostles to souls in bondage.

Some have attempted to answer this by saying that what Peter is saying is that the Apostles preached by the power of Christ to souls trapped in bondage to sin and death. Now, let me stress that this is true. Christ did empower the Apostles through the Holy Spirit. And the Apostles as well as all Christians preach the gospel to souls trapped in bondage to sin and death. But I think it is fairly obvious that this is not what Peter is saying here. Principally because this answer ignores Peter’s time frame, being the days of Noah. The Apostles did not preach Christ in the days of Noah, nor did they preach to spirits who were disobedient in the days of Noah.

So I think it is safe to say that is not the answer to this.

C. Christ pronounced His victory to the unbeliever’s souls of Noah’s time.

This view is much more reasonable, and does fit the text slightly better. This view states that Christ, either during the three days where His humanity was dead and buried, went in His deity into hell and declared His victory over death and the grave to those wicked unbelievers who rejected Noah’s gospel presentation.

Now like I said, this view does fit the text better. Who are the spirits in prison? They are the human souls of those who were utterly wicked and who hated God and rejected the message of Noah. What did Christ proclaim? He proclaimed His victory and pronounced judgement on this disobedient generation.

But there are still problems. For example the word spirits in the New Testament almost exclusively refers to angels or demons. Beyond this the phrase spirits in prison is really only used in Scripture for Satan and the demons. It is not used in reference to human souls. Revelation 20:7 says Satan is bound in prison. 2 Peter 2:4 says “4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;” And Jude 6 “6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—”

So there are still issues with this view that are hard to answer. And the fourth view does answer this better.

D. Christ preached through Noah to the unbelievers of Noah’s time.

This view is one of the most coherent views, although not THE most coherent view as we will see. This view says that Jesus, in His deity that is not bound by time or space, was the power behind Noah’s preaching. Peter calls Noah a herald of righteousness in 2 Peter 2:5 “5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;” And so this view holds that what Noah was heralding was empowered by Christ.

Now this fits well. Who did Noah preach this Christ-empowered gospel message to? The wicked men of his age. And these wicked men were disobedient while God waited patiently. And these wicked men perished in the flood, and are now spirits bound in prison until judgement day.

And while this view is very coherent and I know many faithful men who hold to it. But the biggest problem I see with it, is that Peter says Christ went and preached to these disobedient spirits. Peter does not say Noah preached through Christ. It is a sort of unnatural fit. It does not seem to fit the context of Peter’s argument. No, I believe there is a more natural fit.

E. Christ declared His victory over the fallen angels who are in bondage.

To me, this is the clearest and easiest fit. This seems to fit the thrust of Peter’s argument. So how does this view answer our questions?

Well, 1. Who are the spirits in prison? They are the fallen angels who rebelled against God and enticed man to all kinds of evil, even breeding a race of unholy giants in the days of Noah. This passage fits with how Scripture seems to use the terms spirits and prison to refer to the bound fallen angels.

2. What did Christ preach? Christ proclaimed His victory over the powers of Satan and all evil schemes these fallen angels had devised.

3. When did he preach? He preached to them either in His divinity during the three days He was in the tomb, or after His ascension.

Argumentation:

And this seems to fit with the rest of Scripture as well. You see, Genesis 6 gives us an account of a horrible evil. Genesis 6:1–8“1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

You see, the thrust of this passage seems to say that angelic beings, the sons of God (a common Old Testament name for angelic beings) saw the daughters of men and had relations with them. This gave birth to what are called the Nephilim. Now Nephilim means giants. They were horrific and evil and massive. And there is some disagreement here. Some say that this passage is saying that the righteous people intermarried with unrighteous. But I personally don’t believe that is what this passage is saying. Whatever unholy union happened in this passage resulted in a race of giants who did horrific and evil things.

And these are the spirits I believe Peter is talking about. These demonic beings who fell and were disobedient to God. These beings who committed sexual immorality with human women and gave birth to some of the most wicked beings in the Old Testament. And this seems to be backed up all over in the Scripture.

Jude 6–7 says this; “6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” Now in verse seven Jude says “just as.” The sin of Sodom was just like the sins of these angels. What was the sin of Sodom? Horrific sexual immorality.

Peter himself says this in 2 Peter 2:4–5“4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;” Who did God lock in chains of gloomy darkness? Or some could say prison? These angels. And Peter against links this with the account of Noah.

So my view is that these fallen angels, demons, disobeyed God even mingling with human women producing grotesque giants. God then bound them in prison, in chains of gloomy darkness. And when Christ died and rose, He defeated the works of Satan, just as Scripture states. Christ triumphed over the grave, crushed the head of the serpent, and won a real victory. Then at some point, either during His time in the grave, or after His ascension He, in His Divinity, went and proclaimed His victory and Satan’s defeat to these spirits bound in prison who were disobedient in the days of Noah. Christ has crushed the works of the Devil, just as 1 John 3:8 says. “8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

Transition:

And this is the hope of this text.

3: The Hope This Text Contains.

Explanation:

We must remember that Peter is writing to encourage believers who are suffering. These believers are suffering persecution for their faith. And Peter is encouraging them. If you recall verse 18, Peter encouraged them that Christ suffered for their salvation. He suffered to make them right with God. And He accomplished this. We are made right with God through His death and resurrection.

But now I submit that Peter is expounding this. Not only did the death and resurrection of Christ make us right with God, but it also crushed Satan. It destroyed the power of the devil. Christ has fulfilled the prophesy of Genesis 3:15. The Seed of the woman (Christ) has crushed the head of the dragon.

Argumentation:

And this is a common theme in Scripture. Colossians 2:15 says “15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Christ has put these demonic rulers and authorities, a common phrase for demonic powers, to open shame. He has triumphed over them.

And we see this clearly in verse 22. 1 Peter 3:22 “22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” See, Peter wraps up this confusing passage by saying that angels, authorities, and powers are now subjected to Christ. This is a common phrase referring to all the demonic powers. Christ has disarmed them. He has put them to open shame, and He rules over their smoldering remains.

This is what Paul says in Ephesians 1:20–23...when he raised him (Christ) from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” And this is what I believe Peter is saying here. Christ has crushed the head of the dragon and He descended into Hell and proclaimed His victory over all the demonic beings. This could be either during His time in the grave when His human soul was in heaven, He could have gone in His divinity; or He could have done this after His ascension. But either way, He has crushed the power of the devil and the demons who fell and were in vile disobedience.

Conclusion:

And this is the message of hope. Christ has won. Christ is victorious. Indeed the ancient Christians were right to call Christ, “Christus Victor.” Christ the victor. You see Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension was successful. He has made us right with God and He has crushed Satan and all the demons. He has put them to open shame.

No longer do we need to fear the works of satan. He has been crushed. Indeed the words of “A Mighty Fortress” are true. “Lo, his doom is sure. One little Word shall fell him.” Satan has been defanged. His doom is sure. Christ has declared victory over satan.

This is why Paul can confidently say in Romans 8:38–39“38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Satan cannot steal away this salvation won for us on the cross.

Visualization:

You see the most evil act in history was the death of Christ. Christ was truly innocent. The Son of God was hung on a cross and died. The creator of the universe was subjected to truly unjust treatment. And in that moment, the armies of hell likely thought they had won. Christ had died. But lo, their victory was turned to their defeat. In the death of Christ the head of the serpent was crushed. The evil demons and false gods were dethroned and put to open shame.

Reiteration:

Christ’s death and resurrection won for us freedom from all the power of the devil. We are right with God and freed from the power of satan by the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension accomplished a true and eternal victory.

Application:

And that is what I hope you walk away with this morning. I pray you know these things.

Know This:

1: Christ’s Death and Resurrection Succeeded.

Know that Christ succeeded. His has the victory. It is finished. The death blow has been dealt. Now this does not mean that we no longer have to fight. No, we know that until Christ returns, there are still enemies to be placed under Christ’s feat. 1 Corinthians 15:25“25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”

But the enemy has lost. The war has been decided. The cosmic battle was won by Christ. The enemy is now merely in his death throes. Christ has severed the head of the snake. And now his body is writhing on the ground. We need no longer fear the power of satan. We must, as Christians, live in the confidence that Christ is victorious. He has won.

And this is proved out in the second thing I want you to know.

2: Christ is Seated Over All Authority.

We must always keep it before our eyes that Christ has all authority. Remember Matthew 28:18–20“18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” Christ does not have some authority. He is Lord of all. His work on the cross won Him the victory. He is now ruling over all. He Lord of heaven and earth.

Remember where Christ is seated. Ephesians 1:21–22 “21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,”

Never forget Peter’s words that close this section. 1 Peter 3:22 “22 (Christ) who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”

As Christians we must remember who we serve. The Lord of all is Christ. He won a real and eternal victory. Christ is Lord.

But finally, I want you to see the hope of this. I want you to leave here knowing the beautiful hope we have in this.

3: We Can Have Hope in the Salvation Christ Accomplished.

Christ did not fail. Christ accomplished the work. All other kingdoms fail and die. All other rulers falter. But the Kingdom of God endures. Where is Babylon? Where are the Pharaohs? They are dead and buried. Where are the Caesars? They have died. Where is Alexander the great? Where is the kingdom of the Assyrians? Where are the great giants of ages past? Where, oh where is Lucifer, that serpent of old? Where are the evil spirits who gloated and schemed? They have been crushed. Their plans stand in ruins. They are scattered as the dust. They have been defeated.

But where is Christ? Christ is alive. He who died has risen again. He has ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father ruling over all. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He has laid waste to all plans of evil. He is reigning forever. Of His Kingdom there shall be no end! It stands forever! Not one stone of His walls shall crumble. Not one diamond shall ever dull in His crown. He is ruling in heaven and no power or authority, no demonic force nor king of man shall ever hinder His rule. Christ reigns forever. And He shall return and set all to right.

He is our life, our salvation. He is our Lord and our liberator. He is our ransom and our King. He is our God and our hope. Hail to the King who Kingdom stands forever! In Him we have hope, come what may. We need fear no man. No ruler of earth can frighten us. No power of hell shall cause us dread. We are His forevermore, and He is ours. Hail to the King of glory who has trampled down the enemy. Hail to the King of kings who is Lord of all. Hail to the King who has won us the victory. Amen.

Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer:

Offering:

Offertory Prayer:

Benediction:

Romans 8:38–39“38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Go now in the peace and freedom won for you by the victorious death and resurrection of Christ who reigns forever and ever, amen.