3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.
11They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threat; do not be frightened.”15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alivehe went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. 7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 1 Peter 3:1-7 (NIV)
In this first section of 1 Peter Chapter Three Peter addresses some of the roles of wives and husbands. Before getting into this passage, I thought I would take this opportunity to say a few things about marriage. Marriage is God’s idea. Even though perfect Adam in paradise was sinless and enjoyed an intimate relationship with His Creator, God still declared that it was not good for him to be alone and so He created Eve from and for Adam. And the institute of marriage came into being. Sadly, not too soon afterward, sin entered the world and Adam and Eve quickly discovered that they were both married to a sinner! When the honeymoon ends now, husbands and wives continue to discover something similar! Therefore, we need God’s grace and guidance - as well as the Holy Spirit’s power - as we seek to cultivate our marriages in righteousness. The world watches.
I know this may come as a surprise to you ladies (tee hee) but there is simply no such thing as a perfect marriage. In reality, it is two big fat sinners living under the same roof desirous of their own way! In marriage, there are not only the joys and the sweetness and the bliss but there are also painful lessons to be learned, the trials to go through, and the difficult days as well. Can anyone else besides me “amen” that??? We are not perfect people, and neither are our spouses. But when Christ is the center of our personal lives and of our relationships, even the pain of conflict can be transformed into something beautiful, something stellar. Sorrow eventually turns to joy, and even failure blossoms into success. One of the main keys to a fulfilling marriage lies in the exquisite beauty of selflessness. Paul tells us in Philippians:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)
Without question, selfish ambition is of the flesh and not of the Spirit. Dying to self is a lost art in our day and age of claiming our rights but it is a command that our Savior gives us in all four of the Gospels no less – not only in marriage but in all other encounters as well.
23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? Luke 9:23-25 (NIV)
As we follow Him, we are to be like Him – selfless. Who seeks to fault you if you seek to do right? Peter asks later in this chapter. But even if you should suffer for what is right you are blessed. Speaking of a packed funeral she attended of a self-denying man named Ray who, as Paula Rinehart writes, lived his life for others she states:
“‘The best memories are still to come.’ (Speaking of heaven).
I doubt anyone who came to Ray’s funeral will forget those words. Every so often you get to see with your own eyes the fruit of a life lived with sacrificial faithfulness. All the life that comes from an actual, old-fashioned dying-to-self. It’s staggering. It pulls me back to reality. No matter how glamorized the choices and desires of one’s individual Self and the temptation to organize your life around getting what you think you want, what you think you need, that’s not how God set up the universe. It’s just as Jesus said. The grain of wheat that falls into the ground like a dead dream becomes a field of such bounty it stretches into the horizon. You can hardly get a seat at the funeral. So in those moments that no one would notice but you, when you have to die in some small way to what you’d really rather do in order to care for your children, or your aging mother, or when you go out of your way to strengthen someone else’s hand in God, and you think none of it matters much and you will never turn out to be anybody special, and the ‘sacrifice’ of something you cherish appears a bit dumb by current standards, remember my friend, Ray. As will I.” Paula Rinehart
Marriage is crafted by God and something that is crafted takes time to perfect. And we perfect it by following God’s rules. It is His desire for all of us to come to completion – to be conformed into the image of His Son. It does us well to remember the truth that Satan is ever crouching at our doors, ready to destroy our marriages if we let him and selfishness is his number-one tool. We are not to give him a foothold by our own poor choices. Do not allow sin and disobedience to destroy this great gift God has given you. Remember as well, God can raise a lifeless marriage to new glories in Christ. If we allow God to lead us the embers of selflessness will burn instead. We are serving Him as we serve others and the main field of our ministries are in our homes. It is also the hardest! In doing this we will be able to live out the command Paul writes to us to “consider others better than ourselves”. Jesus gave up all rights for us, should we not give up our rights for Him? In all actuality, we have no rights. We all stand equal at the foot of the cross. Paul states in Philippians:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)
Out of reverence for Christ, as each person sacrifices for the other, we see the clearest picture of Christ’s relationship with His church. Our marriages are to be an example of Christian love to others. As stated prior, the world watches. When we pursue selflessness by the power of the Holy Spirit, God will bring beauty from ashes and success from bitterness.
Forgiveness is yet another key to a fulfilling marriage. Jesus told Peter we are to forgive seventy-seven times – basically stating don’t you be counting girl! Nowhere more important is forgiveness than in marriage. Only when we recognize the utter depravity of our own sin and our own need for the Savior can we know His deep, cleansing forgiveness and then offer sincere, life-giving forgiveness to others. Only those who know they have been forgiven much can forgive others much.
When learning true forgiveness, it is important to first attack the insignificant which seems counterintuitive but as we learn to forgive the small we learn to forgive in all. In Song of Solomon we are told:
15 Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. Song of Songs 2:15 (NIV)
Little things can ruin the vineyard of your soul. Also, if we learn to forgive the small offenses we will be prepared for the hurricanes as well. Once we forgive, we must let go of the hurt and not hold a grudge. This causes bitterness and it eats its victims like acid. This is just what the enemy desires – a small bit of unforgiveness from which he can set up a base of operations and lead us into sin. Whenever even a thought of unforgiveness enters our minds we must arrest the thought and take it captive to the Lord Jesus. We are not to let it get a foothold in our soul. We are called to practice forgiveness and let our righteous, perfect God exercise justice – it is His to avenge and He will repay.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:14-21 (NIV)
Peter begins Chapter Three by extending the principles of respect and submission to authority from Christian conduct in the world to Cristian conduct in the family. He challenges his readers to new behavior as submissive wives and considerate husbands.
The word translated “submissive” in verse one is the Greek word “Hypotassomenai” literally meaning to place in proper order under and carries the force of a command. This command is for wives to submit to their own husbands. Ephesians tells us:
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:22-24 (NIV)
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Colossians 3:18 (NIV)
The command does not require women to be subordinate to men in general but to their husbands as a function of order within the home. A wife is to accept her place in the family under the leadership of her husband whom God has placed as head in the home. Wives are to be submissive even if their husbands are unbelievers, so those men might be saved by the behavior of their wives. The powerful purity of a godly woman's life can soften even the stoniest male heart without a word. Paul tells us in Titus:
4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:4-5 (NIV)
A woman who wins this kind of victory has a winsome loveliness that comes not from outward adornment but from her inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. This adornment of the spirit is of great worth in God's sight. This is such an important point. We are to live our lives for an audience of One and leave the results in God’s all-powerful hands. Paul tells us in Colossians:
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV)
While the world prizes costly clothing and gold jewelry, a woman with a gentle and quiet spirit is precious to God. Peter did not state that women should not wear jewelry and nice clothes, but that Christian wives should not think of outer attire as the source of genuine beauty – our beauty is to come from within. Examples of holy women in the Old Testament support Peter's exhortation. Purity of life and a submissive spirit have always been a godly woman's lasting source of beauty and attractiveness. Sarah was chosen as a specific example of a woman who was submissive to her husband. She obeyed Abraham and called him her master. That is, she recognized him as the leader and head of their household. Like other holy women of the past, Sarah put her hope in God. This kind of conduct gives women the spiritual heritage of Sarah.
Next Peter exhorted Christian husbands to give their wives two gifts of love: understanding and respect. The word translated “considerate” actually means to know her insides, her heart. He is to respond to her “according to knowledge” or “with understanding”. Peter points out that husbands should be considerate of their wives’ spiritual, emotional and physical needs. Peter also elaborated on the husband’s responsibility to protect and care for his wife – “just as Christ does the Church” as Paul states in Ephesians:
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church--30 for we are members of his body. Ephesians 5:25-30 (NIV)
Also, husbands are to treat their wives with respect as the weaker partner. “Weaker” refers to physical or emotional weakness, not intellectual inferiority, for wives are their husbands' fellow heirs of God's gift of life.
Peter added that husbands who do not treat their wives with consideration and respect - “honor” - cannot expect to have their prayers answered.
In the first two chapters Peter referred to “all kinds of trials” (1:6), accusations of “doing wrong” (2:12), “the ignorant talk of foolish men” (2:15), and “the pain of unjust suffering” (2:19). All these persecutions seem to have resulted from the natural reactions of a pagan society against Christians who faithfully obeyed Jesus Christ.
Peter then warned that a time of more severe persecution and suffering was close at hand. He cautioned Christians to keep clear consciences when facing injustice, to endure the inevitable suffering with Christlike courage. Peter used both Christ and Noah to illustrate the principle that in times of rising persecution the right response to injustice results in blessing.
8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11 He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:8-12 (NIV)
The word “Finally” introduces a new section rather than giving a summary of the previous exhortations to specific groups. Peter now addressed all his readers (all of you) and gave practical principles for living peacefully in a hostile pagan culture. First Peter 3:8-9 is Peter’s exposition of Psalm 34:12-16, which he then quoted. Peter constructed his thoughts around the three exhortations in the psalm.
Whoever would love life... must first keep his tongue from evil. Verse 8 is a listing of Christian characteristics that keep a tongue from evil particularly among fellow believers. Harmony could be translated “like-minded.” Christians are urged to be sympathetic with one another – to suffer together with each other, to love as brothers, to be compassionate and humble.
Paul writes in Philippians:
1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4 (NIV)
Of these five characteristics listed in 1 Peter 3:8 only the word for “compassionate” is found more than once in the New Testament and it is only used twice – here and in Ephesians 4:32:
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
This unique vocabulary stresses the importance of these Christian virtues which keep one from deceitful speech.
The second exhortation, taken from Psalm 34:14, is foreshadowed by 1 Peter 3:9, do not repay evil with evil. This again is among brothers. Paul tells us in Romans:
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. Romans 12:17 (NIV)
On the positive side Christians are to do what is right – “Kala” meaning beautiful: used here in the ethical sense of good, noble, and honorable.
Paul then commanded believers, “Live at peace with everyone” – “live in harmony with one another”, in Romans 12:16. But recognizing that limits exist, Paul included the words, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you.” Harmony with others may not always be achievable, but believers should not be responsible for that lack of peace. Hebrews tells us:
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)
“Every time we resist the slightest temptation, we honor God. Every time we overcome even the smallest problem by trusting and obeying our Lord Jesus, God is glorified in our lives. Whenever we choose character over convenience, faithfulness over ease, or honesty over deceit, we bring honor to the Lord Himself.” Robert J. Morgan
Turning from evil in 1 Peter 3:11 requires that there be no retaliation for ill treatment. Jesus taught this same law of love in Matthew 5:39: “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
Third, rather than returning evil, Christians are to seek peace and pursue it – Psalm 34:14. Peace is pursued by returning a blessing – 1 Peter 3:9 - when an insult is given. “Blessing” here means to speak well of someone. This differs from the word “blessed” which means “fortunate or privileged”. Jesus said, “Pray for those who persecute you” – Matthew 5:44, and Paul wrote, “When we are cursed, we bless” – 1 Corinthians 4:12. This is the compassionate way that Christians should pursue peace. As a result, believers inherit a blessing, for the eyes of the Lord watch over the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer. The "eyes" and "ears" of the Lord are figures of speech, anthropomorphisms which attribute human physical characteristics to God. Here the figures emphasize God's watchful oversight and careful attention to His people's needs. Because of this, we are never to complain and kick against God’s best for our lives even though it may not be of our choosing. He did not dig it when the Israelites did it in the desert (to say the least!).
Persecution occurred – and will occur, however, in spite of believers' desires to live peacefully and their eagerness to do good. It can be most frustrating to say the least! Peter encouraged his readers with the fact that the right response to undeserved suffering would result in blessing. In the last part of Chapter Three he presented the principle - in verses 13-17 - and provided examples - in verses 18-22.
13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
Who is going to harm you...? The context of Peter's question makes it almost rhetorical. Though the adversary, through physical suffering or material hardship, would distress those who were eager (zealous) to do good, no real harm can come to those who belong to Christ. Paul tells us in Romans:
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)
For even if suffering should occur, Christians are blessed and thus should not be frightened. The word here translated “blessed” in Verse 13 was used by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Mathew 5:3-11. To be “blessed” in this context does not mean to “feel delighted” but rather to be “highly privileged.” Christians are not to be afraid of what men can do to them. Jesus tells us in Mathew:
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 (NIV)
Consequently 1 Peter 3:14 concludes with a quotation from Isaiah 8:12 which, in context, is part of an exhortation to fear God rather than men. Peter next tells us in their hearts Christians are to set apart Christ as Lord.
“Only he who can say, ‘The Lord is the strength of my life’ can go on to say, ‘Of whom shall I be afraid?’” Alexander Maclaren
Christians should overcome fear by sanctifying – “make separate from others” – Christ Jesus as their Lord – might, power, owner, master, God. This is hugely important ladies. Jesus tells us in Luke:
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46 (NIV)
“Jesus Christ will be Lord of all or He will not be Lord at all.” Augustine
As a result, Christians should always be prepared – “ready” - to give... the reason – which is the “defense” which a defendant makes before a judge - for our hope in Christ Jesus. Such an oral defense should be consistent with our “set-apart” conduct. A good question for us to ponder is do people see a difference in our lives to even ask us about the hope within us? Or do we simply blend with the world?
A believer's testimony should not be given in an arrogant manner but with gentleness and respect. We are not to fear. Christians who are not afraid in the face of persecution are able to witness respectfully to their faith in Christ. They then keep a clear conscience. Peter may have been alluding to the occasion when he denied Christ out of fear, in words that were neither gentle nor respectful.
Christians who suffer unjustly and keep a clear conscience put to shame those who slander their good behavior in Christ. Once again Peter encouraged his readers with the fact that good behavior is their best defense against unjust punishment and persecution.
However, Peter pointed out that it may be God's will for them to suffer for doing good. This, as he told them earlier, “is commendable before God” and is therefore better than deserved suffering for doing evil. Christ provides the perfect example. He suffered for doing what was right. His sinless life provoked the unjust hostilities of evil men. However, He did not fear men but trusted Himself to God. As Peter told us in
Chapter Two:
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:23 (NIV)
Christ clearly stated His purpose and committed Himself to a course of action. He died in mankind's place, keeping His conscience clear. As a result, He received tremendous blessing and reward in His own resurrection and exultation.
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
J.M.E. Ross wrote in his devotional commentary that verse 18 was “one of the shortest and simplest, and yet one of the richest summaries given in the New Testament of the meaning of the Cross of Jesus”.
18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
Christ died for sins once for all is clearly a contrast with the Old Testament yearly sacrifice on the Day of Atonement and declares the complete sufficiency of Christ's death. The substitutionary nature of Christ's death is indicated by the phrase the righteous for the unrighteous. Christ, the “righteous One”, uniquely qualified to die as the substitute for “in place of,” or “instead of” the “unrighteous ones”. The divine purpose for Christ's sacrificial death was man's reconciliation, to bring people to God.
Peter concluded his summary of Christ's redemptive work by referring to His resurrection. Though Christ was put to death in the body, He was made alive by the Spirit. “By the Spirit” translates one word, which could refer to the third Person of the Trinity as the agent of Christ's resurrection.
Through whom... He... preached to the spirits in prison has been subject to many interpretations. The most plausible seems to be that the “spirits” described in 1 Peter 3:20 are those who were disobedient when God waited patiently for Noah to finish building the ark. The human race had become so corrupt and full of violence that God's wrath would destroy all flesh, except Noah, who walked with God, and Noah’s family. God does have a line in the sand and will finally say, “Enough”! The people had rebelled against the message of God during the years the ark was being built. Much akin to Sodom and Gomorrah, God declared He would not tolerate the people's wickedness forever. Genesis tells us:
5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:5-8 (NIV)
Since the entire human race except Noah was pursuing evil, God determined to “wipe mankind... from the face of the earth.” The phrase “spirits in prison” may refer to immaterial spirits, but it could have other significance as well. The ungodly are constantly spoken of in Scripture as being in a state of spiritual imprisonment or bondage. This verse may therefore signify that Christ, through the power of the Hoy Spirit warned those in Noah’s day who ere in bondage to sin by the mouth of Noah himself who is identified in 2 Peter 2:5 as “preacher of righteousness”:
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)--
9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings. 2 Peter 2:4-10 (NIV)
The problem remains as to when Christ preached to these “spirits.” The most plausible would be the Spirit of the pre-incarnate Christ indwelling God fearing Noah – ministering to these people by means of the Holy Spirit. Peter refers to the “Spirit of Christ” in the Old Testament prophets in 1 Peter 1:11:
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 1 Peter 1:10-11 (NIV)
Noah is presented as an example of one who committed himself to a course of action for the sake of a clear conscience before God, though it meant enduring harsh ridicule. Noah did not fear men but obeyed God and proclaimed His message. Noah's reward for keeping a clear conscience in unjust suffering was the salvation of himself and his family, who were saved through water, being brought safely through the Flood.
And this “water” symbolizes baptism. Baptism represents a complete break with one's past life. As the Flood wiped away the old sinful world, so baptism pictures one's break from his old sinful life and his entrance into new life in Christ. Peter now applied to his readers the principle he set forth. He exhorted them to have the courage to commit themselves to a course of action by taking a public stand for Christ through baptism. The act of public baptism would “save” them from the temptation to sacrifice their good consciences in order to avoid persecution. For a first-century Christian, baptism meant he was following through on his commitment to Christ, regardless of the consequences.
To be sure, baptism does not save us from sin, but is symbolic of what has already occurred in the heart and life of one who has trusted Christ as Savior. Baptism identifies us with Christ. It is not merely a ceremonial act of physical purification, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. To make the source of salvation perfectly clear Peter added, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Mentioning Christ's resurrection returned Peter's thoughts to his original example, so he concluded his digression and completed his first illustration with a reference to Christ's reward and blessing. Having witnessed Christ's physical Ascension, Peter wrote that Christ has gone into heaven. The reward for Christ's faithfulness is seen in His exaltation over all things. He is enthroned at God's right hand, the seat of supreme honor, to rule and reign over all creation.
In our culture today, trusting your gut and being true to yourself are exalted above submitting our minds to the Word of God. As a result, logical thinking has been dethroned and pure emotionalism reigns. We no longer believe the Truth – we believe in how we feel – and the fruit of this belief is evidence on the nightly news, in our conversation with friends, and perhaps even around dinner tables. It therefore remains supremely important for ourselves and our families that we get into the Word of God and apply its Truths to our lives.
These are Beth’s personal notes, due to this fact sources are not often stated.