The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

Introduction

What would it take for you to stop fearing what the world can do to you? I can tell tell you until I am blue in the face not to let your heart be troubled without anyone believing it. I think Peter knows this too, so he takes the Asian Christians back to the center of the Faith - Jesus Christ. Without Christ we don’t have the Gospel, certainly, no Good news, and no salvation to proclaim. The main message in this passage is that Jesus won the victory, and He won the victory by not winning. He didn’t come to earth and defeat the dragon with a sword. He didn’t topple the wicked Roman Empire. Nor did He destroy the evil leaders of Israel. He won by dying on the cross. He won by suffering the wrath of God for the sins of His people.

The Gospel is...

The Sufficiency of Christ’s Death

1 Peter 3:18, Christ suffered once for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. Peter uses Jesus own suffering to encourage the suffering Believers in Asia. This verse tells us four things that were the result of Jesus own suffering. Firstly, Jesus suffered once for sins. The Old Testament Priests were constantly, morning and night, sacrificing goats and bulls, for the sins of the people. One commentator describes them as more akin to butchers, than to modern priests. The Old Testament ritual was to offer God only the best of the best of the flock. An animal with no blemish or spot. They were to offer perfect sacrifices to God for their sins. This was a symbol pointing to Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for sins, but unlike the Old Testament, Jesus does not need to be re-sacrificed over and over again.

Jesus died once for sins, the just for the unjust. Jesus came to earth to be that perfect lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He died as the Just. the Greek word for just is the same word for righteous, and so we see some English Bibles use righteous instead of just, and the meaning is the same, Jesus is the only truly and fully righteous and just man who ever walked the earth. And this perfect man died for those who are unjust, those who are not righteous, but wicked, and sinners.

The Resurrection of Christ

Why did Jesus die?

Peter tells us that Jesus died for a specific purpose. Not only did He die once for sins, the just for the unjust, but He died to bring us to God. Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity, came to earth to save sinners. The salvation He offers brings spiritual rebirth, and is the sole work of God. We do choose God unless He first chooses us and gives life to our dead heart.

The perfect life Jesus lived caused God to raise Him from the dead. If Jesus even told one little white lie, He would not die for anyone else but himself. He would not be the Savior, but be like you and me. He would have to die for His own sin. That is how serious sin is to God. But Jesus Christ was a righteous man, sinless, and so was, 1 Peter 3:18, made alive by the Spirit, 1 Peter 3:21, Resurrected. We cannot have one without the other. we can’t say Jesus died for sins, but never rose again, because if Jesus only died for our sins, He would be able to give us eternal life. He would have died for nothing. Jesus death and resurrection are a united duo. If we believe Jesus died a just man, then He rose victorious over sin and death.

The Victory of Christ

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was payment to God to satisfy His wrath against sinners. A common misconception is that Jesus paid Satan, but we didn’t sin against the devil, we owe our debt to God Almighty. It is His holy law that we broke, and continue to do so, while on this earth. 1 Peter 3:19-20 are among the most difficult to understand in all the New Testament. For every ten theologians there are twelve possibilities, so I hope you didn’t come thinking I will give the ultimate answer.

1 Peter 3:19, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, is a picture of Jesus doing the victory march. In the same way conquering army would marched victoriously through the losers city, so too did Jesus do the victory March as proof of His victory over Satan. Where the Son of Eve crushed the serpent’s head.

1 Peter 3:20, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. The example of Noah is a difficult one for those who believe that God loves everyone equally, and so will save everyone equally. There are two points I would like to draw to your attention. Firstly is the fact that God doesn’t save everyone. The example is that God saved only eight people when He brought the world wide flood. Everyone who was not on the ark, died. They died as punishment for their sins. Some might say that they weren’t given the chance to repent. 2 Peter 2:5 says, God did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly. God gave the people of Noah’s day 100 years to repent; this is how long it took for Noah to build the ark, stock it with supplies and animals, before the Flood came. After that 100 year long suffering of God and the righteous preaching of Noah, only Noah’s family was saved.

The second point, Believers suffer in a hostile world. Jesus suffered on the cross, to pay the price for our sins. But God is also described as suffering. 1 Peter 3:20, when once the Divine longsuffering waited. God is longsuffering (very patient) toward sinful humanity. Interesting it uses the same Greek word for both Christian suffering in this world, in verse 17, as it does for Jesus suffering (death) in this world, in verse 18, but uses a different word to describe God’s longsuffering. God had every right to destroy mankind as soon as Adam and Eve broke faith and ate the forbidden fruit. But instead, He had mercy upon them, and has allowed mankind to prosper upon the earth. Instead of sending everyone to eternal punishment, He is giving us the chance to submit to His salvation. All who do not believe have this life, and this life alone, to seek forgiveness. There are no second chances once you depart this life. Accept Jesus Christ the righteous One, who died to bring us to God.

The Symbol of Baptism

There is another point that Peter draws out in relation to what the Flood achieved. 1 Peter 3:21, There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God). An antitype does not refer to opposites. Rather, it refers to the Flood being a symbol of what would come later. Many who perished in the days of Noah heard the message of the coming judgement, yet did not heed the call. Many of them may have even helped in the building of the boat, yet were willing to believe. The flood of Noah’s day that washed away the filth and wickedness from upon the earth, yet saved eight souls, is a pattern of what we call the holy sacrament of Baptism.

Baptism, Peter says is not what saves the person. He says, not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God. This passage has shown that the only way to be saved from destruction is through the sufficient act of Christ’s death and resurrection. The answer of a good conscience before God refers to those who believe their sins and transgressions are placed upon Christ on the cross, and have are given His righteous robes. Without this baptism is utterly worthless. The same water that sent so many souls to their destruction, also saved eight souls, because they trusted in the promises of God. We can see, then, that it is God who gives baptism it’s importance. RC Sproul says that just as we do not despise God’s Word, His verbal promises, neither do we should we despise His non verbal promises, Baptism. The Power of Salvation is in God, and the power of the sacraments is also in God, not the sacrament. There are differing views on baptism, however the traditional Presbyterian view is: the belief that the unspoken promise in baptism is only realized when we are reborn, and not at the time of the baptism.

The Ascension of Christ

Peter concludes this section by referring to Jesus ascension. 1 Peter 3:22, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. From eternity past, Jesus was already the rightful heir to the throne. But after living according to God’s law in this sinful age, dying and rising again, He rose to the supreme office, to the right hand of God. In the Old Testament we read of the prestige and power written symbolically of the right hand. Joseph tries to correct His father, when Jacob was giving out his final blessings, in Genesis 48:18, And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” In Psalm 18:8 David writes, I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

The highest place of honor is at the right hand of God, and we see Jesus speaking of rising to that position in Matthew 26:64, Jesus said to [Caiaphas], “Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Hebrews 1:1-4 refers to Christ in similar fashion, who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Jesus Christ, as the ascended and supreme Savior, has supreme authority. As the powerful right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers [have] been made subject to Him. Every creature seen and unseen is under subjection to Christ. That means all mankind, but also spiritual beings. Peter is particularly speaking of those which oppose God, and are the cause behind the suffering of saints. Romans 8:38-39 promises, For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Conclusion

What is our response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

If you are a Believer then Peter is calling you to be faithful to God and persevere in righteous suffering. We are able to faithfully witness through suffering because God understands what suffering is, Jesus suffered the ultimate pain and can sympathize, and carry us through. By remembering that we are a baptized people. Baptized by the Spirit in our renewal, and symbolized in the sacrament. We have been marked out by God as His chosen people, who like Noah and his family, are saved from drowning in the flood of wickedness and destruction.

The only One who has defeated sin, and Satan, by spilling His own blood, is the risen Savior, the ascended King, who sits at the apex of power, the right hand of God. What have we to fear from the world? Not one thing.

Let us pray.