Peter’s Profound Description (1 Peter 3:18-22)

Peter said on one occasion that Paul’s writings contained some things hard to understand. Here he has written his own equivalent of some things hard to understand, especially his comments about Christ preaching to the spirits in prison and what he says about the meaning of baptism. Some scholars even regard Peter’s comments here as much more difficult that anything Paul wrote. Yet we are not to assume that Peter decided to say something difficult, to mention details that he knew his readers would not understand. After all, he is writing to encourage them in their persecutions.

What Jesus did for us

Peter mentions three aspects of the work of Christ, and we are familiar with each. We should note that he is describing Jesus as the Messiah, the one promised in the Old Testament. He suffered once, which is a reference to the cross where he was punished by God because of our sins. This took place even although he was totally righteous whereas we are unrighteousness and sinful. The intention for why he suffered was to bring us to God, to reconcile us and bring us near to God.

 

The fact that Jesus is righteous reminds us of the sinlessness and holiness of his character. He suffered after having lived among sinners for over three decades, and yet no taint of sin was found in him or could ever be found in him. His righteousness was constant and comprehensive. When we think of one action, we can work out that a great deal is involved in it. We should do it for the glory of God and the benefit of our neighbour. We should do it intelligently, lovingly, humbly and in faith. That is a lot to say about one action, but with Jesus it describes his every action. Truly his life is a wonder.

 

This description of Jesus’ sufferings stresses the uniqueness and the perfection of his sacrifice. This is seen in Peter’s use of the word ‘once’. It needs nothing added to it at any time. The value of the sacrifice pays the price required by divine justice. We don’t need to add anything, and not even God will find a situation in which Jesus will need to do something more in order for his people to be redeemed.

 

The way the goal of his sufferings is described is also very rich. What comes into our minds when we think about being brought near to God? Surely, it includes the removal of barriers, which reminds us that we are justified through faith in Jesus and are at peace with God. It is also a description of the status of adoption in which we are near to God as his children. And there is a reminder here of our eternal destiny, which is to be glorified in the presence of God for ever.

 

It is not difficult for us to see how Peter’s comments about the sufferings of Jesus would encourage his readers. His willingness to go to the cross reveals the greatness of his love for them. Since he had shown his power in delivering them from sin, he would show his power in protecting them during their persecution. But how could Peter illustrate this? By doing what he has done throughout his letter and refer to incident and verses in the Old Testament. He is guided by the Holy Spirit to refer to what happened with Noah.

 

What Jesus did in connection to the spirits in prison

Peter also says that two things happened to Jesus – he was put to death in the flesh and made alive in the spirit. The first matter is straightforward – he died. The second depends on what is mean by spirit. Does Peter mean the human spirit of Jesus, or does he mean the Holy Spirit? The answer to this question is important for understanding what is meant by proclaiming to the spirits in prison.

 

The spirits in prison are connected to the time of Noah because that is when they were disobedient and were imprisoned. Peter does not say if they are human spirits or demonic spirits, although given that their disobedience is connected to the activity of Noah it is likely that they are human spirits. Peter refers in his second letter to fallen angels who are imprisoned (2 Pet. 2:4), but he does not say that they rebelled at the time of Noah. Indeed he distinguishes their rebellion from what took place in Noah’s time. There are no biblical passages that say angels were involved with the rebellion in Noah’s time.

 

If the word ‘spirit’ refers to Jesus’ human spirit, it means that when Jesus died, he went to somewhere in the invisible world where those spirits are imprisoned and announced to them that he had triumphed. This is a common view, and some even regard Jesus as announcing some kind of second chance to those who are lost. Others regard the meaning to be that Jesus proclaimed the fulness of his victory. After all, one assumes that the imprisoned are still rebellious. But what would be the point of that proclamation? And neither idea is suggested elsewhere in the Bible.

 

If the word ‘spirit’ refers to the Holy Spirit, it means that Jesus by the Holy Spirit preached through Noah to those who are now imprisoned, but back then they freely rejected the offer of deliverance through the ark that Noah built. This too is a widely held view, especially in Reformed circles. It means that Jesus was active by the Spirit in Old Testament times before he became a man. I suspect that this is the correct view.

 

Perhaps we can see the point of this allusion if we ask a simple question: when do you think was the most difficult time to be a believer? Twenty-first century China or North Korea? Sixteenth-century Europe? First-century Roman Empire? They were difficult times, no doubt, but they were also times of remarkable spiritual growth. Contrast them with the time of Noah. He saw no growth. Out of the millions who lived at that time, eight were saved. I suspect that may have been the most difficult time to be a believer.

 

We can ask another question: who or what helped the eight? The invisible Saviour by his Holy Spirit. Who or what would help Peter’s readers as they face persecution? The invisible Saviour by his Holy Spirit. Who will help us in our post-Christian world? The invisible Saviour by his Holy Spirit. Peter’s allusion to Noah was very comforting for his readers.

 

The ark of Noah and baptism

Peter says in verse 21 that there is a parallel between Noah’s deliverance and baptism. He is not referring to the water, although water is essential to both. Those in the ark were kept from being touched by the water, and were even delivered by the water, although the water spoke clearly of divine judgement. Baptism too speaks of judgement because the basic reason why we can be baptised is that Jesus bore our judgment.

The connection is between how even as entering the ark indicated that they believed the message of Noah and avoided judgement, so submitting to baptism indicates that we believe the message about the deliverance provided by Jesus, with baptism being the sign and seal of escaping judgement.

 

What is baptism a sign of, according to Peter here? It does not point to physical cleansing, no matter how much water is used. The word ‘appeal’ probably refers to statements made by believers when they were baptised in which they expressed their faith in Jesus by accepting that he had borne divine judgement that they should have carried eternally. Such statements were made with a good conscience because, although they were sinners, they had experienced deliverance through Jesus. Their baptism, like the waters of Noah, pointed to a new world.

 

Baptism is not so much a confession of what we have done but of who we believe in. We believe in Jesus, but what do we believe in about him? Peter reminds of some truths concerning Jesus in verses 21 and 22. Jesus is alive, having defeated death; Jesus has ascended to heaven; Jesus is acclaimed as the sovereign over all powers, whether angelic or human. The Jesus who had borne judgement far greater than the waters of Noah has delivered us from a far worse judgement that the waters of Noah. This is an expression of confidence. We can see that Peter in writing to comfort the persecuted says to them, ‘Think of your baptism. Or think of what your baptism represented? The old world was judged, and a new world is coming, and it all depends on Jesus.’ So being a baptised person is an encouragement.

 

What can we learn from this statement by Peter? Mainly, that Jesus is active on behalf of his people: he was active for them on the cross, he was active for them in the days of Noah, and he is active on behalf of those who have been baptised in faith. Second, he knows how to deliver his people, which he did on the cross, which he did through the ark, and which he does now from the throne of God. Third, faithfulness is what matters, whether we are as few as they were in Noah’s time, because we have been baptised.