1 Peter Bible Study #10: Persevere When Suffering Strikes

Who here enjoys challenges? We’re not just talking about putting a puzzle together or something along those lines, we’re talking about like Sherlock Holmes level detective work here. Some of us are wired that way, but many people when the going gets hard give up because they want to be spoon fed the answer. Tonight, as we always do, we’re going to get into the Word and tonight the Word presents a challenge before us. It’s always our responsibility to dive into the Word and to understand it in its proper context and that can sometimes present difficulties… tonight’ passage in 1 Peter 3:18-22, though, is wellknown for being the most challenging text to interpret in the entire New Testament. That’s quite a challenge! As you make your way there in your copy of God’s Word, let’s think through this together. Over the last 2 chapters, Peter has been addressing the importance of submission and the importance of trusting in God during times of suffering. We’ve seen that these aren’t necessarily easy things to do - in fact, they’re really really difficult. Why is it so hard at times to understand and live out what the Bible says?

Goes against our sinful nature

Why is it so important to do what the Bible says?

There is genuine life in Christ alone

Let’s dive into our text tonight, just 5 verses.

1 Peter 3:18–22 CSB

18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison 20 who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people—were saved through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) 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 subject to him.

Again, this theme of suffering persists… This time, though, we see that suffering leads to something wonderful, at least with the example of Jesus Christ. First we see that

Jesus’ Suffering Leads to Our Salvation (18a)

At first we see that Jesus also suffered… This theme of suffering and submission permeates the book of 1 Peter, and Jesus is no exception. Back in chapter 2 we saw Peter go back to the suffering servant passage of Isaiah 52-53 to demonstrate that our Savior was not exempt from submitting and suffering, even though it cost Him His life. Last week we left off by seeing that there are times where we do the right thing, we obey God, we stand on His Word, we succeed… but we suffer. This isn’t necessarily a fun situation to be thrust into. Think of a time where you successfully did your job, but you suffered for it.

I can think of times where I preached what the Bible clearly taught and had people genuinely upset with me… but ultimately they were simply upset with God’s Word and took it out on me.

Other examples?

This is what we see in the life of Jesus Christ. He did what God called Him to do. He lived a sinless life. He came to seek and reconcile. He did good… yet He suffered. This is what 1 Peter 3:17 talked about last week

1 Peter 3:17 CSB

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

Consider what our text tells us tonight - Jesus also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous and the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God. What is the point that Peter is wanting his audience to take away? Simply this: It is better to suffer for doing good than evil because Jesus has already walked the road of suffering… and it was purposeful to bring about His glory and our salvation. In other words, keep on doing what is good, even if it brings about suffering, because this is what Jesus did! He submitted to the point of suffering and even giving up His own life for us. Yes, we will suffer… but Jesus already walked the road of suffering before us and we don’t walk down it alone.

1 Peter 2:21 CSB

21 For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

He is the ultimate example in suffering for sufferers! But this isn’t Peter’s main point in our text. Notice what he says, Jesus suffered how many times? ONCE! Think back to Hebrews here - how often did the priests of old have to offer sacrifices? Yearly. Here comes Jesus, the Greater high priest and the Greater sacrifice, He suffers once for all time for sins. Not yearly. Not 10x. Not 2x… Once. Why would Jesus do this? Not because He sinned… but to reconcile sinners to God as we’re going to look at on Sunday morning as we continue our Advent series together in Ephesians 2. To bring us to God. What did our reconciliation to God cost God?

The life of His Son

The suffering of Jesus - who knew no sin (Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin)

Through the cradle and eventually through the cross, Jesus brings those who were far away near to God for all eternity. He doesn’t promise His followers an easy life… in fact, He promises the opposite. We will have trouble. We will have heartache. We will have betrayal. We will have sleepless nights… but through the cross, we have confidence that leads to eternal celebration because in Christ there is no condemnation.

As we follow Christ, we will suffer like Christ did. The war against the serpent will be a long and hard one… but it will be WON! This is what we see in Scripture starting in Genesis 3 and onward for the people of God. Consider this recurring theme from Genesis to Revelation… God’s purposes take a long time to unfold… but unfold they do and nothing thwarts His plans. His promise remains. What about after Cain killed Abel? God’s promise remained. What about the flood? God’s purpose remained. What about when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac on the altar? God’s promise remained. What about exile in Egypt? God’s promise remained. What about the rebellious wilderness generation that perished because of their complaining and failure to trust in God’s plan and provision? God’s promise remained. What about Assyrian and Babylonian exile and the destruction of the temple? God’s promise remained. What about when God was silent for 400 years between Malachi and Matthew? God’s promise remained. What about when Herod attempted to kill all the baby boys? God’s promise remained. What about whenever Judas betrayed Jesus? God’s promise remained. What about when wicked men killed Jesus? God’s promise remained.

Now… If God went to these lengths to bring about His promised plan of redemption, what are we afraid of? Suffering? Church, we must pull back the blinders and see the providence of God and the purpose of suffering. Even Jesus endured suffering to bring about our salvation. God won’t waste your pain. Continue to do what is good and trust in the Lord.

In Christ, Our Sins Are Swept Away (18b-22a)

We’re good with verse 18… but then the confusion starts! We’ll unpack this as best we can in the time that we have left. What is the main focus and theme of 1 Peter to this point? Encouragement for those in exile as they endure suffering with joy. We’ve seen how death does not get the last word but that suffering has purpose and that the suffering of Jesus brings about our salvation because without the cross we’re still dead in our sins. What is the main point being made here with God waiting patiently, Jesus being made alive after His death, and raising back and ascending to heaven? That in Christ, there is victory, hope, and salvation as our sins are swept away.

Makes sense - this is talking about the suffering of Jesus, His death, His resurrection, His salvation of sinners, and His exaltation in heaven. But… Between His suffering and ascension, we see some stuff that can be confusing - so let’s dive in with the understanding that the point of this text is about Jesus’ victory that He accomplishes through His suffering and eventual resurrection - that is the key.

Bible context question: Was the Bible written TO us in 2023?

No. It is for us, but it was originally written TO a specific or general audience that the writer, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was addressing. The Bible is still accurate, inspired, and authoritative for us, but it was first written to someone else and in order to properly understand it, we have to understand what it meant then because it will never mean something today that it didn’t first mean then.

Really good article by “Got Questions” on this subject entitled, “How can we know what parts of the Bible apply to us today?”

We read 1 Peter 3:19-20 and we’re absolutely confused as all get out. But we can’t miss that the people of Peter’s day would have known what was being said. That’s why he doesn’t offer much elaboration. Kind of like in Hebrews 13:17 when the preacher of Hebrews calls on the church to submit to their elders who preach and teach the Word to them, there is no qualification. He just says to do it. Why? Because he believes that the specific elders of this church are doing their job correctly, so there is no need to say, “You should submit unless _____ or ____ happens.” He just says to do it. Likewise, in 1 Peter 3, we see that “Jesus was put to death in the flesh (crucifixion) but made alive by the Spirit in which He also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison who in the past were disobedient in the times of Noah while the ark was being prepared.”

What does this mean? Martin Luther, the hero of the protestant reformation once said this, “This is a wonderful text, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for certainty what Jesus means.” There are 3 main trains of thought, but certainty is not likely.

Jesus descended into hell after His crucifixion and preached the Gospel to spirits who perished in the flood of Noah

Some believe that Jesus gave them another chance to be saved and that some in fact were saved

Others believe that Jesus was preaching of their coming doom

Jesus was preaching through Noah, or Noah was preaching and the Spirit was speaking through Him.

The people who heard Noah preach (2 Peter 2:5) and rejected his message and perished in the flood are now in prison

The spirits in prison are fallen angels, not human beings. Jesus proclaims to them His victory and their doom after His resurrection

Jesus ascends to heaven and as He ascends, He proclaims this message of victory to the principalities and powers of this present age

Now, Bible scholars, let’s do some Biblical interpretation here. One of the best things to do whenever you come to a hard passage is to go to an easy passage and allow the easy passage to help you understand the hard one. We know that those who reject Christ as Lord and Savior are separated from God as there is only 1 way to be saved as John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 clearly tell us. We also see in Luke 16 that the Rich man is in hades and knows his doom is near and begs for Lazarus to warn his loved ones somehow so that they will avoid his fate. In other words, once you pass away, there is no second chance of redemption. There is no purgatory to work for your salvation and cleansing. Once you’re gone, you’re gone. This life determines your eternal destination. So, in light of that, did Jesus really go to hades and give this group of people a second chance to be saved?

That doesn’t make sense.

We do know that Noah condemned the world

Hebrews 11:7 CSB

7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Again, 2 Peter 2:5 tells us that he was a preacher of righteousness. So perhaps he did tell people about the coming flood and God spoke through him to these people who would end up perishing and end up in prison.

Finally, there is the position that Jesus descended after His crucifixion but that the spirits in prison were fallen angels who rebelled against God, were cast out of heaven as Genesis 6:1-4 tells us right before the flood. 2 Peter 2:4 tells us something similar

2 Peter 2:4 CSB

4 For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell and delivered them in chains of utter darkness to be kept for judgment;

Jude 6 CSB

6 and the angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day.

This final view argues that Jesus proclaims His victory over these fallen angels in the demonic realm. In fairness to this final view, Peter Davids notes that “Spirits” in the New Testament always refers to nonhuman spiritual beings unless specifically qualified like in Hebrews 12:23 (righteous people made perfect).

Again, 3 views each with difficulties and each with strengths. Context is our friend - what comes before this in 1 Peter 3? Be ready to give an account/defense to anyone who asks for the hope that is in you! This is to demonstrate the victory that Jesus has won for His followers and to provide encouragement for these Gentile believers suffering for their faith as this chapter has already told us is happening. Here Peter tells them to look to Jesus and testify of the hope that He gives to our lives and the victory He has given to us. This is the main theme, and we can see this picture in the verses that follow as this digression with Noah is taken a step further. Let’s explore this:

Who deserved to perish in the flood?

All of humanity

How did Noah and his family survive God’s judgment?

God’s grace + the Ark

Who deserves to be separated from God today?

All of humanity

How can sinners be saved from God’s judgment?

Through the greater Ark, the cross of Christ!

Thomas Schreiner puts it like this, “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has emerged from the waters of death through His resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.”

In other words, we deserved to be separated from God… but through identifying with Jesus, being buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life, because of His power and resurrection, we are saved.

Is this strictly talking about water baptism?

No, it is talking about water baptism, but we know that there are some who are baptized that are not genuinely born again. Baptism is about so much more than “the removal of physical dirt” it is about the identification with Christ and being born again. Just as Jesus provided grace for Noah and brought him through the flood of God’s judgment, Jesus still provides grace for His followers today and brings us through the flood of God’s judgment against sin. We enter baptism dead in sin, but we are raised to walk in newness of life - our sins are swept away and in Christ there is life.

Jesus’ Sufferers Are Subjected to Him (22b)

Notice how the text concludes, Jesus is at the right hand of God and angels, authorities, and powers are subject to Him. Jesus suffered during His life on earth. People didn’t always like Him. In fact, many people hated Him. He suffered greatly. Yet, this same Jesus was raised to life. Exalted in heaven. He is seated in glory at the right hand of the Father. All His enemies are subjected beneath His feet. Did suffering get the last laugh in the life of Jesus?

Absolutely not!

Is anyone else thankful for this truth? If you’re in Christ, there is no condemnation, only celebration!

We can persevere when suffering strikes in our life! We can face suffering with confidence, not panic. Hope, not despair. Our confidence is not in self but in our Savior who conquered death. Who was resurrected and vindicated. Who is glorified! This is our hope. He defeats His opponents and saves His followers. Suffering doesn’t get the last laugh - pain has purpose - death leads to victory

Romans 8:11 CSB

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.