Confusion

What Did Jesus Do

1 Peter 3:16–22 ESV

16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. 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.

1 Peter 3:17 ESV

17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

This wraps up the last segment of scripture. that tim talked about a couple of weeks ago. It is better to stand up right and be just and endure the harassment, persecution or what ever may come your way than suffering persecution for doing wrong.

If you remember we saw this in I Peter 2:20 “20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

Basically if you do wrong and deserve a beating you got what you deserved but if you are beaten for not doing anything wrong and you Endure it, put up with it, this is a gracious thing

We also see here that It needs to be Gods will for us to suffer when we do good.

Verse 17 not only wraps up the last section it is a intro into the next section of verses.

I Peter 3:18 “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,”

By beginning with for (Or because) Peter is letting us know that that 3:13-17 is connected to 18.

Peter is Connecting our suffering to Christ suffering. However as we continue we will see that Christ suffering has some uniqueness to it.

Once for Sins - His sacrifice was enough that it only had to be done one time. No further sacrifices are needed.

Hebrews 9:12 ESV

12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

the righteous for the unrighteous - He knew no sign, he was the only true righteous being that has ever walk the earth. no other great man of God was pure. he was the spotless lamb that bore the sins of all the unrighteous people for ever.

We may suffer, but we do not suffer for others, or the rest of humanity like Christ did. How many people would do that? Hey Bob we are going to put an end to your life because everyone else in the world did somethings wrong.

We may suffer but we are to use Christ example of how to handle the suffering. HE TOOK IT. He endured it. Not only did he suffer but he suffered to the tenth power.

If he was so willing to suffer for the unrighteous how much more should be be willing to suffer for the righteous?

And why did he suffer? That he might bring us to God. With out him suffering that would not be possible.

Greek Alert

“To God” - this is not a preposition and case To God. This is a dative To God.

“Explain by taking something to some one.” vs. Taking something to someone that is expecting it or wants it, maybe even asked for it.

being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”

Christ emerged from death a conqueror. He may have died in the flesh but when that happened he was made a live in the spirit.

Martin Luther's Quote about this section of I Peter.

“A wonderful text this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty what Peter Means.

1 Peter 3:19–20 (ESV)

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,

This is probably one of the most controversial verses in I Peter if not in the entire new testament.

There are many different theories on this verse so rather than give you what I think it means I will give you a few of the most popular thoughts.

The “spirits in prison” are the people to whom Christ preached during His earthly ministry, for His work involved proclaiming liberty to the captives

Christ by the Holy Spirit preached through Noah to the people before the flood. Noah called them to repentance, but they disobeyed and now are imprisoned. The point of Peter’s argument would then be that as God vindicated Noah then by sending the judgment Noah proclaimed, He will vindicate Christians when He judges the world according to the Christian proclamation.

Christ preached in the short interval between His death and resurrection during a “descent into hell.” It is said that Christ announced His victory to the spirits of Noah’s wicked contemporaries confined in the realm of the dead.

A similar idea is that during the same interval Christ proclaimed His victory to fallen angels, often identified with the “sons of God” of Gen. 6:2, in their place of confinement.

Christ proclaimed His victory to fallen angels after the resurrection, at the time of His ascension into heaven.

The point of the last three interpretations is that just as Jesus was vindicated, so will Christians be vindicated.

A few points here.

Paul uses the word spirits. No where in the new testament is this word used for living/living that are now deceased men. Spirits is typically reserved for super human beings like angels.

We will soon see that peter is talking about the spirits that disobeyed before or while Noah was building the arc. Genesis 6:1-6 “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.”

φυλακὴ- The greek work for prison used here could also be watchtower/act of watching. even if it is meant to be prison it isn't used anywhere else in the New testament as a word for hell, except for satan.

Regardless of what this scripture actually means I believe is truly irrelevant because what it does say is that Jesus proclaimed to the spirits. He proclaimed his victory of them until His return

Difficult Verse number 2

1 Peter 3:20–21 (ESV)

20 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,

Baptism is being connected to Noah’s family safely making it through the destruction of the earth.

The flood removed the dirt, the same way that being baptised removes the dirt from us. But what sometimes is not seen is that it wasn’t the water that saved Noah, just like is isn’t the water of baptism that saves you. The water is only the method. We also see this in the story of the red sea. I wasn't the water that saved the Israelites. The water removed the Evil but didn't save.

So what saves?

The same water that was used to drowned the unbeliever is the very thing that held up the believers.

The Ark is what saved Noah and his family, building the ark, faith in God, obedience to God, Trust in God

The same obedience and trust/faith that saved the isrealites.

So is it that Baptism saves us or does our faith in God, and obedience to God save us?

The one thing I see in these two verses is that is says that Noah and His family was saved through the water (Not on the water) but through it. and now we are saved through the resurrection of Christ.

1 Peter 3:22 ESV

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 fruit of His patience of His voluntarily endured and undeserved suffering is to be in heaven at the right hand of God. Having dominion over everything. Christ has triumphed over his enemies.

Christians can rejoice in their suffering knowing that they serve a triumphant king.

Bet you thought we were done. I want to give a little insight into the Beauty of the Bible. especially this passage. Even though it is a difficult passage it is truly beautifully written.

Ancient writers sometimes communicated through literary forms and one of these forms we see here. The one that we see is Chiasmus.

it is an inverted parallel structure. If God inspired the scripture to be written this way I believe it would only be right to look at it.

I believe out of every thing we covered today these are the key points.

A Your slanderers will be ashamed (I Peter 3:16 )

B Suffer though innocent, in God’s will (3:17)

C For Christ suffered for the unjust (3:18)

D He triumphed over hostile spirits (3:19)

E Noah was saved through water (3:20)

E’ You are saved through water (3:21)

D’ Christ triumphed over hostile spirits (3:22)

C’ For Christ suffered (4:1a)

B’ Suffer in God’s will (4:1b–2)

A’ Your slanderers will be ashamed (4:3–5)

1 Peter 3:16–4:5 ESV

16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. 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. 1 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, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.