This is a great passage on the salvation bought by the death of Jesus Christ.  In the clearest of terms it tells us why Christ died and what the death of Christ does for man. In fact, this verse explains the death of Christ so clearly that it leaves the hearer without excuse if he fails to understand why Christ died.

Although this passage is one of the most difficult in the New Testament, it begins with something which anyone can understand.  The point that Peter is making is that, even if the Christian is compelled to suffer unjustly for his faith, he is only walking the way that his Lord and Savior has already walked.

The suffering Christian must always remember that he has a suffering Lord.  In the narrow compass of these verses Peter has the greatest and the deepest things to say about the work of Christ.

SCENE 1: SALVATION PURCHASED

The Setting: Golgotha.   The Time: The relatively recent past.   The Characters: Jesus, His enemies, and you.

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…

It is clear that Peter’s main subject is salvation. He spoke of Christ’s part in our salvation—“Christ also suffered for sins once”—and of our part—“baptism . . . now saves you”. Perhaps we can best understand Peter’s reasoning if we consider the passage as a drama about salvation set in four scenes.

(i)  He lays it down that the work of Christ was unique and never need be repeated.  Christ died once and for all for sins. The priestly sacrifices in the Temple have to be repeated daily but Christ made the perfect sacrifice once and for all when he offered himself up (Hebrews 7:27).

(ii)  He lays it down that that sacrifice was for sin.  Christ died once and for all for sins.

We may put it this way.  Sin is that which interrupts the relationship which should exist between God and men.  The object of sacrifice is to restore that lost relationship.  The death of Christ upon the Cross, however we explain it, avails to restore the lost relationship between God and man.

(iii)  He lays it down that that sacrifice was vicarious.  Christ died once and for all for sins, the just for the unjust.  That the just should suffer for the unjust is an extraordinary thing.  At first sight it looks like injustice.

The suffering of Christ was for us; and the mystery is that he who deserved no suffering bore that suffering for us who deserved to suffer.  He sacrificed himself to restore our lost relationship with God.

(iv)  He lays it down that the work of Christ was to bring us to God.  Christ died once and for all for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.

SCENE 2: SALVATION PICTURED

The Setting: The wicked world of Noah’s day.     The Time: The far distant past. The Characters: Jesus, the disobedient, and the obedient

“in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 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. 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…

We must first note that this phrase is very misleading. The idea of the New Testament is not that Jesus descended into hell but that he descended into Hades. The difference is this. Hell is the place of the punishment of the wicked; Hades was the place where all the dead went.

We need to see a lesson in homiletics (how to preach): if an illustration is so complicated that you have to explain it, you’d better pick another one. The point of an illustration is to make something clear, not to make it more confusing. Also, if a verse is difficult, find other verses that make it easier to understand.

Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, ²⁸ so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Notice that earlier in this book he speaks of the prophets’ predicting by “the spirit of Christ which was in them” (1:11).

Speaking of the preaching of the apostles themselves, Paul said that Christ “came and preached peace to you that were afar off” (Eph. 2:17); but Christ preached to the Ephesians through human instruments, nevertheless it is said that he “came and preached” to them.

Therefore, “If Christ is said by Paul to go and do, what he did by his apostles, Christ may with equal propriety be said by Peter to go and do what he did by Noah.”

Peter says that in the Spirit Christ preached to the spirits in prison, who were disobedient in the time when the patience of God waited in the days of Noah, when the ark was being built.

During Noah’s building of the ark (120 years), Christ’s “spirit” was in Noah preaching to all the unbelieving people. 1 Peter 1:11 refers to the “Spirit of Christ” residing in the Old Testament prophets, and 2 Peter 2:5 describes Noah as “a herald of righteousness”.

Christ spoke through Noah to the people for 120 years as Noah was building the ark (Genesis 6:3). During that time, God was waiting patiently for any to repent of their sins. But none did.

Those who consider this to be the correct meaning of Peter’s words consider that Noah and his family were a righteous minority among a huge majority of evil people.

• Just as Noah faced unjust persecution, so Peter’s readers were also facing unjust persecution.
• Just as Noah had no converts, they might not either.
• Just as Noah knew that judgment would come soon, so Peter’s readers knew that God would soon judge the world. Ultimately, as Noah and his family were saved from the floodwaters, so those who believe will be saved from eternal death.

Peter wanted to contrast those who were disobedient with those who were obedient. He wanted to remind his readers that not only will the obedient be saved (like the eight souls saved by water), but also the disobedient will perish. That would have been a comforting thought to those who faced persecution.

SCENE 3: SALVATION PROCURED

The Setting: Our own world.      The Time: The present.     The Characters: Ourselves, God, and the resurrected Christ.

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 puts one into a relationship with God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit that makes it possible for him to stay saved. The effects of baptism continue to go on and on saving a person.

Clear conscience: Conscience is that faculty in me which attaches itself to the highest that I know, and tells me what the highest I know demands that I do.

It is the eye of the soul which looks out either toward God or toward what it regards as the highest authority.

If I am in the habit of steadily facing toward God, my conscience will always introduce God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The point is, will I obey?

I have to make an effort to keep my conscience so sensitive that I walk without offense. I should be living in such perfect sympathy with God’s Son that in every circumstance the spirit of my mind is renewed.

The one thing that keeps the conscience sensitive to Him is the habit of being open to God on the inside. When there is any debate, quit. There is no debate possible when conscience speaks. – Oswald Chambers

Conscience is not a fixed or universal concept, but rather a dynamic and personal one that can vary depending on these sources of morality.

Conscience can also change over time as we learn from our mistakes and grow as human beings. Conscience plays a vital role in our ethical decision-making and moral behavior.

It helps us to evaluate the consequences of our actions and to choose the best course of action in different situations. Conscience also motivates us to act on our moral convictions and to stand up for what we believe in.

Conscience can also help us to cope with guilt, remorse, or regret when we fail to live up to our moral standards or when we harm others or ourselves.

A good conscience is not necessarily a proof of salvation. Saul of Tarsus enjoyed a good conscience the whole time he was persecuting Christians, and yet he was as lost as he could be (see Acts 23:1).

The Greek term that is translated “answer” in 1 Peter 3:21 basically means a request, or an appeal. It is found only in this passage in the New Testament, but it is employed in other sources in Greek literature.

The main point is that, although Christ died to bring us to God, we cannot come to Him unless we cooperate in our salvation, unless we accept God’s gift of salvation by being baptized. That is the way we accept, receive, and procure salvation.

Conscience is a precious and powerful gift that makes us human and moral beings. It enables us to act with integrity, responsibility, compassion, and justice. It also challenges us to grow and improve as individuals and as members of society. Conscience is not something that we have, but something that we are.

SCENE 4: SALVATION PERFECTED

The Setting: Heaven.    The Time: From the past through eternity.   The  Characters:  Jesus  and  all  the  host  of heaven.

22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Having just mentioned the resurrection, Peter went on to speak of where Christ is now—in heaven with “angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.” By so doing, he completed the picture of suffering innocence that triumphs in the end. (See also Philippians 2:5-11.)

That thought would have sustained the first readers: If Christ, who suffered innocently, in the end is glorified in heaven, so could they be.

Furthermore, our thinking is brought back to Christ, with whom he began this passage and with whom he will begin his discussion of the next topic. This is, of course, no surprise, since to Peter, Jesus Christ is the hero of the entire book.

Christ is mentioned, either by name, by a pronoun that refers to Him, or by a figure (such as a living stone or a shepherd), in at least 36 out of the 105 verses in the book—in more than one-third of the verses.

What we want to emphasize is that salvation was not completed until Christ ascended to heaven. Then He became Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36); then He was crowned King of the kingdom; then He presented His own blood as the once-for-all sacrifice for our sins; then He became our great High Priest; then He became, in His fullness, our Savior.