1 Peter 3:13-22

13-17

Peter is overly concerned with the necessity of godly behavior in the face of hostile opposition.

Why would Peter be so concerned with this?

He had seen his own shortcomings in this are

18-19

1. Spirits of humans who have died physically

This is likely not the case as the greek word used for “spirits” has never been used to describe those who have lived and then died

2. Spirits of those who rebelled while Noah was building the ark

In this theory Jesus would have stepped out of time and appeared to those rebelling in the days of Noah as the 2nd person of the Trinity

3. Fallen angels in prison since the flood

Genesis 6:1–5

20

1st century people would have been able to identify with what Peter is saying here

The fewness in their numbers

Noah’s family was persecuted

God setting Noah apart

21-22

Hebrews–Revelation Comment

Peter immediately qualifies the sense in which baptism saves us: it is not by the physical action itself, in which dirt is removed from the body. In other words, the physical action of baptism has no intrinsic saving power. There is no mechanical relationship between being immersed in water and being forgiven. The only sense in which baptism saves, says Peter, is insofar as it provides the occasion for an “appeal to God for a good conscience.