1 Peter 3:18-22, Christ’s Triumph Through Suffering

Introduction

As we turn our attention to worship together through the reading and preaching of God’s Word I invite you to open your Bible with me to 1 Peter 3. We are continuing our verse by verse study of this wonderful letter written by the apostle Peter under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It has provided us with a lot of relevant instruction for our life and ministry together as the people of God. This morning we will look at verses 18-22. I’ve been excited to preach this passage as I’ve had the joy of digging into it over the course of this past week.

I will first read the passage for us and then pray and ask the LORD to help us faithfully understand and apply His Word to our life and ministry together. Please follow along as I read 1 Peter 3:13-22.

READ 1 PETER 3:13-22

[Matthew 4:4 Responsive Reading - “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”]

PRAY

This is widely agreed to be one of the most challenging passages in all of Scripture. In fact, even Martin Luther, the great Reformer, once said of it “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” The difficulty of the text has unfortunately caused some to misinterpret and misapply its contents in different ways. Just as sad, its difficulty has caused many to shy away from the hard work of seeking to better understand and apply it.

We ought not let difficult passages discourage us from doing the hard work of Bible study in order to arrive at proper conclusions for how we ought to faithfully understand and apply what Peter is saying here. Just as we admire accomplished athletes who work hard and as a result excel in their sport, we too––even more––as Christians who love God’s Word and desire to obey God’s Word, must be willing to roll up our sleeves and dive in deep to do the hard work of studying and meditating on God’s Word for His glory and our good. So, let’s do that together.

Essential to understanding our passage rightly is the context in which we find it. This is true with any passage of Scripture we seek to understand and apply faithfully to our lives. We need to understand the context––both immediate and overall. Immediate being the letter in which this passage is contained. How is it contributing to the flow of the letter in which we find it? Then overall, in light of the entire counsel of God––that is all of Scripture. As long as we keep our attention on the context, we will be safeguarded from error as we study this passage.

First, let me remind us all of a few principles for interpreting the Bible in light of its overall context––that is all the contents of the Bible. The whole counsel of God. One principle to remember is that Scripture interprets Scripture. Contrary to much modern opinion, the Bible is actually a very clear book. Overall, it’s really not that hard to grasp its message––particularly for the people of God indwelt with the Spirit of God.

The point of this principle is, when you come to a text that seems difficult, like the one before us this morning, we ought to interpret it in light of the more clear passages of Scripture. Scripture never contradicts itself. There are several phrases in this passage that we can easily get stuck on and misunderstand if we do not keep in mind the whole counsel of God. So, we would do well to consider its contents in light of all the rest of what God has revealed clearly to us in Scripture.

Second, let’s consider the immediate context in which this passage is located in 1 Peter. Peter is addressing and encouraging saints who are suffering for their faith. He is in a sustained focus on their suffering and how they can and ought to endure it. That focus hasn’t changed. Such that, this passage and its main thrust become all the more clear and obvious when we simply observe its connection to what comes before it and what comes after it. Peter is not giving some strange digression from his main point of this entire section in the letter. He’s still on point.

Let me show that to you quickly. Look back at verse 17, which we concluded last week. He says, “For it is better to suffer for doing good, than for doing evil.” Then comes verse 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.” That “for” establishes our text this morning as a ground, (reason or basis for) all that he has said in 1 Peter 3:13-17. In other words, if you suffer for righteousness sake, be encouraged because Jesus did too. And won!

Now, jump down to 1 Peter 4:1. There he continues this topic of suffering––“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” That “therefore” provides us with an inference (or implication) for how Christ’s victory through His sufferings applies to us as believers. He’s returning to the application that he left back in 1 Peter 3:17.

Thus, everything in between––including the confusing phrases––serves to support this main point about believers enduring suffering. That’s the ball we must keep our eye on as we move through this passage together this morning. The continuing thread for us to trace, understand, and apply is our call to endure suffering with great hope in Christ’s ultimate triumph over all. Because of our faith union with Christ, we can be encouraged that in spite of our suffering now we too will share in His triumph in the end.

MAIN POINT––Endure suffering, remembering that Christ suffered for you and triumphed over all of His enemies.

We see in our text, Christ’s Triumph…

Achieved

Proclaimed

Portrayed

Realized/Vindicated

Achieved

First, we see how Christ’s triumph was achieved. It was achieved through suffering. Look at verse 18 again with me––“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.” This is a glorious verse, loved ones. This is the good news of the gospel stated plainly and succinctly in one glorious verse. It is the sure basis for all of our hope this side of eternity, including when we face suffering for righteousness’ sake.

Christ suffered once for sins. It was a one time deal. It was unique and unrepeatable. Christ died ONCE for sins. It is finished. Loved ones, this shows us the significant glory of Christ and the power of what He accomplished on the cross. Up to that point in redemptive history, under the Old Covenant, sacrifices we offered repeatedly to atone for sins. But when Christ came and suffered and died it was the ultimate and perfect sacrifice to end all sacrifices for atonement. His suffering on the cross was the final fulfillment that all the OT sacrifices pointed to.

You have no need for further atonement of your sins. There is nothing more to do. Nothing more you can do. If you are here this morning and not yet resting by faith in the finished work of the LORD Jesus Christ, please hear me. You cannot do anything to atone for your sins. And the good news beyond that is you don’t have to. You can’t and you don’t have to. You can have all of your sins forgiven by turning away from your own sin and self-reliance, looking to Jesus and resting in His good work on your behalf by faith. He is our only hope of salvation.

The text says he suffered once for sins, “the righteous for the unrighteous.” What an astounding statement! If what I just said sounds confusing, this statement brings all the more clarity to the glory of Christ’s suffering and what was accomplished for you in His life, death, and resurrection. The only righteous One, who did not deserve death, took our sins upon Himself and bore the full wrath of God in our place. The righteous One suffered for us––the unrighteous ones who justly deserve God’s eternal condemnation and judgment.

The Bible makes clear that none of us are righteous. Every human being is born with a sin nature because of our first parents, Adam and Eve. We are born in sin and then very quickly act according to that sin nature. Every one of us, stands guilty and condemned as rebels against our Creator to whom we owe perfect allegiance and devotion. To some of us that seems harsh. Many like to think in terms of a balancing scale. Perhaps if I just do enough good it will outweigh the bad. That is to severely misunderstand God’s infinite holiness and how terrible our sin is.

If you’ve been on the internet at all over the last few days, you’ve likely seen the viral clip of a CEO and one of his employees being exposed in an alleged affair at a Coldplay concert. It’s been interesting to see all the reactions from many who have gawked at it; made memes about it; cast judgment on them; etc. There’s so much to observe from it. Their reaction and the public’s reaction reveals that God really has written His law on our hearts. We know right from wrong and run to hide when we are the one’s in the wrong.

But amidst all the joking and memes I want to make another observation concerning the exposure of that particular grievous sin. Every human being, all of us, has something––either now or in our past––that would cause the same shameful reaction in all of us if it were exposed on the jumbotron at a concert or the screen behind me for all to see. And we would do well to remember that even if that kind of public exposure never happens, God still sees it and that is all that matters.

We all have sinned against Him and fall short of His glory. All will come to light and be exposed in this life or the next. And the only hope for any of us is to repent (turn from our sin) and cast ourselves by faith upon the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. That is why Christ suffered and died––the righteous for the unrighteous. The text says very plainly, “that he might bring us to God.”

The greatest need of every human being is not self-fulfillment or self-actualization–– whatever that is supposed to mean. We need forgiveness and reconciliation with God. That is the victory Christ achieved in His suffering and dying in our place. But the work of Christ did not end with His suffering. His victory achieved finds expression in His resurrection from the dead. The text says he was “put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”

There’s a couple of textual options here that are reflected in different translations. It is because of the nuance that comes with certain prepositions in the original Greek language. There’s two possibilities. The ESV, which many of us have, says “in the flesh” and “in the spirit” (little “s”). Meaning he was put to death in the visible physical realm and immediately made alive “in spirit” in the invisible spiritual realm following his death, prior to His bodily resurrection. This is possible given what Jesus said to the thief on the cross––today you will be with me in paradise.

The other option is how it is reflected in the NIV. He was put to death “in the flesh” and made alive “by the Spirit” (capital “S”). In other words, the text would be saying Jesus died physically (true) and was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit. There are plenty of biblical reasons to support both options. Both are sound biblically and theologically. I’ve bounced back and forth between the two all week. I lean slightly toward the first option, going with the ESV. Ask me tomorrow and I may have changed my mind again.

Either way, I don’t think it changes much the conclusion we are to make concerning the triumph that Christ achieved through His dying and being raised from the dead. All that matters is that we remain committed to His real physical death on the cross and His real physical bodily resurrection three days later from the grave.

Proclaimed

The second thing we see, moving on to verses 19 and 20, is Christ’s triumph proclaimed. This will help make clear, hopefully, why I think the ESV has it right in regards to Christ being made alive “in the spirit” immediately upon his death on the cross. I think what we’re looking at now in these two verses is what transpired between His death and His bodily resurrection. Look again with me at verses 19 and 20. Verse 18 ends saying Jesus was “put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit…”––

1Pet. 3:19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,

1Pet. 3:20 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.

These verses begin what has been for many the most confusing portion of this passage. So, I just want to remind you to keep in mind the main point of the text. Doing so will help us better understand what Peter is communicating here as we seek to understand and faithfully apply this passage. Peter is not wandering off into some strange theological digression. He is supporting his point that as a believer you are to endure suffering, remembering that Christ suffered for you and triumphed over all of His enemies.

What we need to understand is what Peter means by Christ proclaiming to the spirits in prison and what all of that has to do with Noah and his days. Throughout church history there have been three main interpretations offered for these verses. I want to first deal with the one that ought to be immediately rejected. The easiest one to refute.

The most unlikely interpretation that has been wrongly suggested is that Peter is teaching that Christ offered a second chance of salvation to those who were already in Hell. That, in the spirit, he went to Hell and preached the gospel to those already there. Biblically and theologically, this interpretation falls flat and must be rejected. Mainly because it stands in direct contradiction to other clear passages in Scripture.

We have recorded in the Gospel of Luke a parable told by the LORD Jesus about a rich man who lived an exorbitant life and a poor man named Lazarus who laid destitute day after day at the man’s gate. Both died. The poor man, Lazarus, went to heaven. The rich man went to Hades. When the rich man cried out to Abraham to allow Lazarus to cool his tongue and soothe his anguish he received this reply––

Luke 16:25-26 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’”

The writer of Hebrews also tells us in Hebrews 9:27, “...it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,”. Loved ones, there are no second chances. If today you hear His voice calling you to repentance and faith, do not harden your heart. There are no second chances for anyone. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to heed the gospel call and come to Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. The same is true for those of the Old Testament who were to look forward to the promised Messiah in faith.

That leaves us with two possibilities, both of which are biblically and theologically plausible. Some take this and understand that “spirits” refer to the unsaved human “spirits” that lived in Noah’s day. With this interpretation, they understand that Christ was preaching to them in spirit through Noah in those days. They rejected Christ’s preaching through Noah–– “they did not obey…in the days of Noah” and are now suffering judgment. This interpretation is possible for a few reasons.

Peter refers to Noah as “a herald of righteousness” in 2 Peter 2:5. The idea of him as a herald––a town crier proclaiming a message––accords well with the word “proclaim” here in verse 19. Earlier in 1 Peter 1:11, Peter also refers to the spirit of Christ speaking through the OT prophets. So Christ could have been speaking through Noah as an OT prophet. This would make a good correlation to the situation Peter is writing to. Christ was preaching through Noah to a persecuted minority in his day. Now Peter and his readers are doing the same.

That’s one possibility. However, I follow the more commonly held view that I’ll lay out for you now. Along with most interpreters, I think that “the spirits in prison” refers to the fallen angels who were cast into hell and are awaiting final judgment. Remember, the point Peter is making concerns the triumph of Christ over all. Triumph achieved through suffering. Triumph proclaimed to those who opposed Him–– “the spirits in prison.” That’s how I understand what Peter is teaching us here. I’ll give you several reasons for that.

The word “spirits” in plural form, as we see it here, almost exclusively refers to supernatural beings, not human beings, in the NT. The textual evidence for that is simply overwhelming. I could show you many passages to indicate that. Furthermore, the word “prison” is never used in Scripture as a place of punishment after death for human beings. It is, however, used as a designated place for Satan in Revelation 20:7 and other fallen angels in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 while they await the final judgment.

So what does this have to do with the days of Noah and who these spirits may be? Most likely, Peter is picking up on and following the traditional ancient Jewish understanding of “the sons of God” spoken of in Genesis 6:1-4. These were angels who rebelled against God and took as wives human women. Their offspring being the Nephilim––the mighty men of old; men of renown for their superior size and strength. A major source of the increased sin and corruption on the earth in Noah’s day.

As these fallen angels rebelled against God and the earth was filling up with more and more rebellion against Him, He waited patiently “in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared” before He ultimately poured out His judgment on them and the earth in the Flood. Saving only a few persons––Noah and his family. They alone were brought safely through the waters of judgment. Thus, when Christ died he was made alive in the spirit and proclaimed, not the gospel, but His own triumph over these fallen angels who had rebelled against God.

Picture it like this. Jesus comes on the earthly scene. The eternal Son took on human flesh. At every point in His ministry, Satan and his angels were opposing Christ. Satan sought to tempt Christ. In tandem with sinful human beings, Christ’s earthly ministry was opposed. Opposed to the point of Him being nailed to a cross where He suffered and died. You might imagine that Satan and his angels were filled with glee at the death of Christ. They thought they had won.

Then Christ shows up, keys in hand, to let them know “actually, you lose. My death was for my people. I bore their sins in my body on the cross in order to bring them to the Father. I bore their sins that they might die to sin and live to righteousness. By my wounds they have been healed and your just condemnation has been sealed.” He proclaimed to them a message of triumph over them for you on your behalf in His life, death, and resurrection. And now sin, death, Satan, and judgment no longer have a hold on you if you are in Christ. What glorious news of triumph!

Conclusion

Loved ones, your suffering for your faith puts you in really good company. Remember that when you are reviled for your faith in Christ. Christ suffered for you and that is how His triumph was achieved. His triumph has been proclaimed in the spiritual realm such that Satan’s days are numbered. It is this triumph that is portrayed in Baptism as you profess your faith and union with Christ––passing through the waters of judgment and being raised to new life in Christ. And that triumph has been vindicated with Christ seated at the right hand of the Father.

It is those last two points we will look at next week together. Loved ones, Endure suffering, remembering that Christ suffered for you and triumphed over all of His enemies.