1 Peter 3:18-22 - The Pinnacle

1 Peter 3:18-22   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, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 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, 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, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him (NIV).

   We have reached a pinnacle in the book of I Peter.  How exciting!  “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (I Peter 3:18 NIV).  Who is the “you” referring to?  If double predestination were correct, I could never read this Scripture verse to anyone, because I would not know who the blessed and chosen “you’s” are.  Fact is, Scripture is for anyone, because God loves everyone, and the “you” is any human being.  The choice is ours.  Christ died for you!  You have the choice to receive Him or reject Him.  Jesus Christ died for “all!”
   Speaking of salvation being offered to everyone, we move to Jesus preaching to “…the spirits in prison…”  I love this passage!  It is one many people avoid, and of which there are many different interpretations.  Yet I think it gives insight into a critical Biblical truth.
   George Cramer mentions three of the interpretations: First, some think the Spirit of Christ preached through Noah back when Noah was building the Ark.  (I read one commentary where the person thinks that since all but Noah’s family did not listen then, all but eight from that time were doomed forever.)Second, some think Christ was preaching to evil spirits, proclaiming victory.  Third, the author is convicted Christ did preach to the spirits of people who had not repented and who were in prison in Hades between His death on the cross and His resurrection.  I also take the view that Jesus preached to people in “Hades.”
   What is this prison?  George Cramer gives a quote regarding this issue.  “The Greek word ‘Hades’ translates the Hebrew word ‘Sheol,’ which was the place to which the spirits of all people were believed to pass at death; there they waited until the final judgment; ‘Hades’ must not be confused with ‘Gehenne,’ the place of the lost.” (1)  The last sentence truly distinguishes this prison from “hell.”  Thus the word hell is probably not appropriate for pre-Christ times, though that word is used in the "Apostle’s Creed."
   So before the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, human beings were sent to a place which we do not know much about other than it had attributes of a waiting area which is probably best termed “Sheol” or“Hades.”  This may sound strange, yet the fact is when Jesus died as the substitutionary atonement on the Cross, He died for every single human being who had ever lived, for every single human being who was currently living, and for every single human being who would ever live.  The atonement of Jesus Christ was not restricted by time!
   When I was a youth pastor years ago, there was a star student in our youth group.  Quite the extraordinary young student, once she did a project for a class at her public school.  She did a plaster of Paris cast of her mom’s arm, and then she attached it to a painting of a sea.  The sea was the Red Sea, and the arm was that of an Egyptian who had been chasing the Hebrews, who was now drowning.  She entitled it something like ‘Reaching out to God.’  Her point was that this Egyptian had realized she had done wrong, and was seeking mercy at the last second.  In actuality, mercy was available to the Egyptians who had enslaved the Hebrews, and who died all those years ago, because Christ died even for them.
   Though details about this prison are few, one thing is for sure: being in that “prison,” there was only one way to be freed, and that was to believe in Jesus, the Messiah who made eternal life possible by his substitutionary death on the cross.
   I add the atonement of Jesus sealed the new covenant which became available for all humanity, even those in Sheol who died before the New Covenant was available.  Plus, the atonement ended the need for Sheol, thus negating the doctrine of purgatory which is a strong Roman Catholic doctrine.
   However, I am claiming Christ offered salvation to everyone in Sheol.  Then why does Peter specifically mention the people from the time of the flood?  In a commentary by J. Ramsey Michaels, he said, “…Christ went and preached ‘even’ to the spirits who were disobedient to God in Noah’s time – i.e., he went to the most remote and unlikely audience imaginable…” (2)  Though I disagree with his overall view on this passage, I think he captures a key concept here.  It is a metaphor that everyone was included.  I am convicted the preaching of Jesus offered salvation to all past humanity back to Adam and Eve.
   Now many Biblical scholars do not agree with this interpretation for a big reason.  They advocate that once a person dies, his or her fate is sealed.  As Louis Barbieri stated, “This interpretation causes further difficulty for it implies the doctrine of a second chance” (3)  I am in disagreement with this, because people did not have a first chance to be saved by Christ before the time of Christ!  Think of all of the peoples in various countries where false gods were the norm in their culture for the thousands of years preceding Christ.  Many of those people knew nothing about Christ, not even the fact of God’s prophecy to the Jewish people of a coming Messiah.
   After Christ was the atonement for sins on the cross, people in Sheol got to hear the Gospel for the first time.  And ever since the atonement of Jesus, heaven is available!  Peter goes on to state Jesus was resurrected!  Then Jesus ascended into heaven, and that is where He is now!
   This is such a debated subject, how appropriate I end with the love of a child.  Once I was a youth pastor at a summer camp for elementary students and junior high students at a place called “Singing River Ranch.”  There was this one sweet elementary student who often wore the camp bandanna on her head.  One evening, the speaker, a minister born, raised, and educated in India, was talking about the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden.  After his talk, that girl raised her hand and asked whether Adam and Eve were going to be saved.  The tone of voice of that precious child was so sincere.  Because of the loving concern of that young student for the two first human beings, I considered that even Adam and/or Eve could have been saved by Jesus, as this passage teaches.  Ladies and gentlemen, the atonement by Jesus on the Cross did not exclude a single human being, and when He preached to the souls in Sheol, it was the opportunity for them to receive Him or reject Him.  And now is the time for any people living in this day and age who have not received Jesus, the One who died in our place as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of us.
Hunter Irvine
(Revised on 8/24/19)

(1) George Cramer, First and Second Peter
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1967), 55.

(2) J. Ramsey Michaels, Word Biblical Commentary,
Volume 49: 1 Peter (Waco: Word Books, 1988), 206.

(3) Louis Barbieri, First and Second Peter
(Chicago: Mooday Press, 1975), 70.

1 Peter 3:13-17

1 Peter 3:13-17   Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” 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, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil (NIV).

   Peter was a Jewish man. I learned in my Interpreting the Bible class at CCU that Hebrew writers often wrote in certain patterns, and this passage has a loose concentric pattern, which is ABCCBA. Doing good; suffering; Christ; hope (which is because of Christ); suffering; doing good.

   Starting off with “A,” Peter is clearly saying to do good. Concerning “B,” Peter is clearly saying that suffering for doing good will have a good result. Now that does not mean that suffering alone is a good thing. Yet this world is fallen, which means there is a general separation from God, and suffering is inevitable for any person following Jesus, the One who suffered the ultimate suffering by taking the sins of all people upon Himself. So we must rely on God to bring us through suffering, and to bring goodness from our suffering.

   Regarding the last verse, we Christians must keep working to distinguish between the suffering we are undergoing which is due to our own sin, as opposed to suffering we are undergoing which is due to being hurt by other people who are in opposition to our Christian convictions and lifestyle. During a period of my life where God was carrying out much transformation in me, I was suffering much for both reasons. I had an anger problem which interfered with my judgment in some serious situations within some friendships. Fortunately God patiently worked on me until I was able to face up to the fact that I had this problem, which was the turning point for me to fully change. Also I was suffering because of my Christian convictions, which involved job trouble and social hardship being in a denomination where there was a big fight at the time concerning whether sex outside of marriage is permissible. I remained steadfast, praise be to God, that God intends for sex to be only for marriage, and that marriage between a man and a woman is sanctified by God as Jesus taught in Matthew 19.

   When I was suffering as a Christian, often such did not seem like a “blessing” on the surface. Yet suffering I experienced because of my Christian convictions was used by God to teach me more and more about Him. The result of knowing God more is that I am more prudent, and able to make better decisions as a Christian. More prudent discernment diminishes suffering, even when someone does something sinful like slander me. I still get hurt by things like slander, however, healing is quick and lessons are learned. Thus, I have suffered much being a disciple of Jesus, yet through that suffering, God has made me a much better person, and things have been getting better for me.

   Thus we get to the pinnacle of “C.” Here in the wake of the three big submission passages, we are presented the ultimate submission. We must submit to Jesus as the Lord. We need Jesus as our Lord to be enabled to do good! We need Jesus as our Lord to persevere when people are slandering us for doing good! We need Jesus as our Lord to maintain hope day by day in this world where there is utter suffering; hope that God is going to bring a good result for those of us under His Lordship.

   Before I was a Christian, my path was so different, void of the problems I have had for simply being a follower of Jesus. Yet I now know that the path I traversed being separated from God was leading to disaster. Following Jesus, being under His Lordship, there have been things that have happened to me, even in the past year, that have been hurtful. Yet God keeps bringing good from it. If you follow Jesus, you will encounter suffering that you would not have otherwise. Yet God will bring good from it.

   Earlier in this commentary I discussed the theology of some early Christians, however I think the greatest value of early Christian writings is their preservation of important Christian history! Clement of Alexandria, who was a Christian teacher between approximately 189 A.D. and 202 A.D., quoted this passage of Scripture in his voluminous writings (1), which is of historical significance since it shows the use of this Epistle by an early Christian. Also, thanks to Tertullian we can know we are receiving God’s messages from an apostle who not only wrote about suffering, but who suffered first hand, even to the point of murder. Both Peter (2) and his wife (3) were murdered in Rome because of their ministry work. They are both in heaven now.

   Just as the Apostles were willing to die for their Lord Jesus, among many others including Peter’s wife, may you and I be willing to live for Jesus.
Hunter Irvine

(1) Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene Fathers; Translations of The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325 (1885; repr., Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), 2:417.
(2) Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene Fathers; Translations of The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325 (1885; repr., Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), 3:350.
(3) Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene Fathers; Translations of The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325 (1885; repr., Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), 2:541.

1 Peter 3:8-12

1 Peter 3:8-12    Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 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. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 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” (NIV).

   I mentioned in the last piece how I use to babysit the two greatest kids in the world, a boy and a girl. When they were about three and five, one sunny afternoon we were in the backyard playing t-ball. They had this plastic stand on which we put a plastic baseball, and they would hit it with a plastic baseball bat to myself in the “outfield.” Once when the girl was up to bat, she swung the bat and smacked the ball. Rather than going straight, it went flying at an odd angle and hit the boy in the leg who was simply walking along the grass. It was such a fluke shot that she started laughing, and I chuckled. The boy did not think it was funny. That lad, who is the sweetest boy in the world, got mad, thinking his sister had been aiming at him, and he probably was hurt that we had been laughing at the event. When he got up to bat, he turned his body away from the main “outfield,” and was aiming straight for his sister. As she moved, he kept rotating his body, trying to position himself to hit his sister.

   I went to him, and turned him around so that he was facing the “outfield,” and I told him with sincerity, “Don’t try and hit your sister. It was an accident. She was not trying to hit you.” If she had hit him on purpose, we would have needed a serious time out, and there would have been a call for an apology, and forgiveness.

   When someone does something hurtful to me, my natural reaction is to get revenge. God totally changes my natural reaction. Verse 9 here is explaining the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5:39, where there is the controversial verse: “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also”(NIV). I have come to be convicted that Jesus is not a masochist. Rather Jesus was teaching for us not to carry out our natural tendency to get revenge. And in addition, Jesus even teaches that we need to forgive people who do evil which results in us getting hurt. This does not mean that we have to stay in a line of abuse. And we are still permitted to carry out actions which will cease further evil action. Each situation is different and calls for individual discernment.

   Yet Scripture contains the radical message that Christians must live a life that goes against the norms of society. Christianity is not an institution, rather it is a way of life. And that way of life includes becoming more like Jesus, who is good, thus it is a way of life embracing goodness, not evil. Lying, swearing, stealing, malice, deceit; these are all actions that are rampant in our culture, and even backed up with excuses to justify the implantation. Yet they are evil. We followers of Jesus must rely one hundred percent on God to be enabled to be changed so that we do that which is good, which includes our mode of forgiving people; the call of a child of God.

   Also, as others continue to go about doing wrong, we can rest assured, as verse 12 teaches, that God is going to hold people accountable, sooner or later, for the wrong they have done, such as lying, swearing, stealing, malice, and deceit. God is the ultimate judge, and may we followers of Jesus trust His judgment, the same One who has given every person the opportunity to be saved and changed by the atonement Jesus made on the Cross.
Hunter Irvine

1 Peter 3:1-7

1 Peter 3:1-7 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, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 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. 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, 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. 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 (NIV).

   If you came to my room and dug through the boxes in my closet which contain dozens of journals which I have written in over the past fifteen years, you would find many commentaries like this one. In fact the Bible studies and journaling I have done over the past fifteen years have prepared me to do this commentary on 1 Peter. No one has ever read any of those commentaries, no one, yet God used that studying and writing to prepare me for this I Peter commentary which many people are reading. I am honored God has given me such an opportunity to share with others my writing!

   And if you started reading various journals from years past, besides finding Bible commentaries in them, you would also find my repeated prayer requests amidst the journal pages. One consistent prayer request, for long over a decade, has been the desire for a wife. Once when I was a youth pastor in Grand Junction, Colorado, I asked students to name a dream. Going around the room, each student had the opportunity to share a dream that he or she had. I went first, and I stated how my dream to be a youth pastor had come true, and that another dream which had yet to come true was that I wanted to one day be married. That was sixteen years ago. It is a dream which has not even come close to coming true in sixteen years. I learned long ago that being a writer entails being vulnerable, so I go all out and admit that even in my journal notebook of these past four months, there are prayer requests for a girlfriend with the hopes of being married. It is in God’s hands.

   So I have lived many years being “single,” but this passage is not some foreign territory for me, because I have been in a loving covenant relationship with Jesus. And being in such a loving relationship, there is a need to submit. And I have been in loving relationships with dear brothers and sisters in Christ. When you are in such a relationship, there is a need to submit. I have even babysat my friend’s two super duper children. In doing so, I am the adult whom they have to obey, yet in order to be a loving caretaker, there is the need to submit, even to young children. If you think you do not need to submit to children as a loving caretaker, you have never prepared a meal for a three and a five year old. “What’s taking you so long!!” That is a question I have heard more than once from hungry children. The reason for submission in loving relationships is that in a personal loving relationship, there is the desire to share, and sharing involves submitting.

   For example, yesterday I went shopping for a Mother’s Day present for my stepmom. I did not even gain a stepmom until I was an adult, and I live in a different state. Though I talk with my dad much, I hardly ever even talk with my stepmom. But she is my stepmom, and I love her. So yesterday, in a sense I submitted to her, and I spent a small portion of my day shopping for a Mother’s Day gift for her. It did not seem like “submission.” In fact I had a good feeling when I bought her what I thought was a cool gift. If I love someone, and I find a cool gift for them, I am happier purchasing that gift for them than I would be purchasing a cool gift for myself.

   Though many people get derailed by the language of this passage, the message of this passage is straight forward. If you are married, you need to love your spouse, even if he or she is not a follower of Jesus, and in order to love your spouse, you need to submit. Remember to apply the Biblical interpretation rules given by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. If you did not read my blog entry on 1 Peter 2:13-17, please do. In looking at the spirit rather than the letter here, obviously submission does not mean going along with your spouse if he or she is doing something wrong.  And for a spouse being subject to abuse, there is a need to get outside help immediately!

   And for guys who are reading what Peter is saying to wives, know that the second principle of interpretation goes right alongside the first, with the second being that you need to put the passage in the proper Biblical context. Just as Abraham Lincoln had the correct interpretation by applying the Golden Rule to slavery, likewise the correct interpretation here is to apply the Golden rule to marriage. The Golden Rule: “…do to others what you would have them do to you…”(Matthew 7:12 NIV). Guys, if you think this passage is a divine license to boss around your wife, you are wrong. No sane person likes to be bossed around, so do not boss others around. Some guys would never boss around their business partner. They are a team; they negotiate; they compromise. But then they will boss around their wife. That is not being a loving partner! Yes, men are called to lead households. But neither men nor women are called to be bossy. If you want to know who is the best boss is for your marriage, the Bible exposes that answer. The best boss is God!

   I have a friend who is a great guy, and someone who is utterly devoted to Jesus. He said publically once how his marriage was rough for the first several years, because as a newlywed he committed to the model that he was supposed to be in charge, and that his wife was supposed to submit. Fortunately he learned the error of this model, he sees God as the boss of them both, he better understands his role as a leader, and his marriage now is great. If you want to have a happy marriage, whatever your gender, submit first and foremost to God, and then submit to your spouse. Being single for many years, and being the “Christian guy,” I have had the unique opportunity to see people who have marriage struggles, and they are often rooted in the same problem: selfishness. Do know that all of us need improvement on this. Love involves self-sacrifice. For the willing, God enables.
Hunter Irvine

1 Peter 2:18-25

1 Peter 2:18-25   Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 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. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (NIV).

   I consider this to be one of the most important pieces I have ever written, because misinterpretation of this passage has resulted in some Christians supporting horrible human suffering, including in the United States before the victory of the Union in the Civil War.

   Note this epistle passage is addressed to slaves, and no one else. Obviously that means there is a certain context here to adhere to. If you did not read my last blog concerning the principles of interpretation by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, reading that piece will help clarify principles we must apply here. To summarize the first two principles, in my own wording, the first is that we must not get bogged down in semantics, but rather gain the message of the passage. Why? Because semantics are a starting point, not an end point.  They are the means to a goal, not the goal.  For example, if I only focused on the first two words here in this passage, "Slaves, submit," that would be enough to derail me from getting at what Peter is really saying here.  In fact, if I focused on only those two words, I would not learn anything from this letter.

   The second principle is that we must take this passage in the context of the chapter, book, and even the entire Bible. Why? The Bible contains messages inspired by God which were given in specific historical and literary contexts. God’s eternal messages are not bound by context, yet they were given in context, and discernment is needed. Just as Paul gives an analogy of the parts of a body working together for the whole, similarly, the sixty-six books of the Bible, all of which were inspired by God, are like parts of a body. They function as a part of a whole.  Granted there is such a scope of certain books that a person could gain a knowledge of Jesus by just reading that single book.  However, the entire inspired Scripture works as a whole, and that was God's intention.  Thirdly, we must interpret by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

   So first, the institution of slavery is not endorsed. It may sound like it is off the top, considering that a comparison is made between slavery and the sacrifices made by Jesus. Yet at the same time, Peter is not endorsing “hurling insults.” And Peter is definitely not endorsing murder, though Jesus suffered abuse and was murdered. In fact, Peter states that Jesus entrusted Himself to the Father who “judges justly.” Peter is saying that wrongdoings will be judged.

   The second principle requires us to look at other Scripture. Guess who I think got this one right? Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln’s argument: “…he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it”(1). The reasoning fits the teaching of Jesus, who said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NIV). No sane person wants to be a slave, therefore no person should enslave another human being! To do so is going against the teaching of Jesus that used to be well known as “the Golden Rule.”

   In my country, the United States of America, before and during the Civil War, there were some Christians who misinterpreted this passage. Two examples are Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Leonidas Polk, an Episcopal Bishop. Both served as generals in the Confederate military.

   I recommend the classic movie The Robe. The movie shows how an evil cylinder in the machine of the Roman Empire was slavery. Peter was never supporting slavery. He was simply telling slaves to be witnesses for Christ even when in the horrible circumstance of being a slave. You can see that played out in The Robe.

   I close with a quote from Abraham Lincoln, who made this statement a few days after signing the “Emancipation Proclamation,” in response to a sick joke: “It is a momentous thing to be the instrument under Providence for the liberation of a race”(2). May we Christians be reminded from this passage that all people, the human race, have been made in the image of God, and that all people have sinned. All of us human beings need Jesus, the Savior and Good Shepherd, and we blessed children of God sometimes do need to suffer as we witness the love of Christ to those who are lost. Jesus commands us all to love our fellow human beings (Matthew 12:29-31), and that entails enslaving no one!

Hunter Irvine

(1) Ralph Newman, ed., Lincoln for the Ages (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1960), 279-280.

(2) Ralph Newman, ed., Lincoln for the Ages (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1960), 235.