Grace Means…Preparation

 

1 Peter 4:7-11

The end of all things is at hand, so:

1. Pray
2. Love
3. Serve

1 Peter 4:7 (NKJV) But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

With this verse, Peter begins the close of his letter.

From the opening words of his letter through 1 Peter 4:6, Peter tells about the very great (tremendous) grace of God that blesses us and enriches every aspect of our lives.

Believers are aliens and strangers. We are pilgrims of the dispersion, spread throughout the nations of the earth. As foreigners, this world is not our home, and we suffer under a hostile system. However, we are blessed beyond measure by the grace of God. 

We are sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ, partakers in His great salvation. We have an inheritance in heaven that will not age, spoil, or change. The power of God keeps us for our residence with Him.

Now, as he begins to bring his letter to a close, Peter gives urgent instructions.

Because “the end of all things is at hand,” Peter calls on us to be serious and watchful. Given the end of all things, he tells us to pray, love, and serve.

What does Peter mean by “the end of all things is at hand.”

Many in the first century Church looked for Jesus to return in their lifetime. In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Paul, by the Holy Spirit, gives us information so that we know what to look for that will signal the return of Christ. Some false teachers were saying that Christ had already returned.

2 Thessalonians 2:7–8 (NKJV) ⁷For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ⁸And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

To reassure them that Christ had not yet returned, 2 Thessalonians 2 tells us that the “man of lawlessness” must be revealed first. And, the “man of lawlessness” cannot be revealed until “He who restrains” is removed. 

There is still confusion over what we mean by “the return of Christ.” Do we mean the end of all things or the beginning of the end?  Before the end of all things, where fire burns everything, Jesus will reign on this earth for one thousand years. And before He establishes this kingdom, the tribulation and salvation of all Israel will take place. 

1 Thessalonians 4:17 (NKJV) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 tells us that those who have died as believers and those who are alive will be “caught up” to meet Jesus in the air. This event is the removal of the restrainer, and it signals the beginning of the Tribulation. After the Tribulation, Jesus will return to the earth and sit on the throne of David for one thousand years. 

After these one thousand years, this world and all it contains will burn, and God will establish a new heaven and a new earth.

The prophecies of the Old and New Testaments clearly teach these events. However, throughout history, the untaught and mistaken have been pointing to natural disasters, plagues (pandemics), and wars saying, “Jesus is about to return, and everything is going to burn!”  They seem to think that the scorpions and judgments of the book of Revelation are about to be unleashed.

We must be clear! Tribulation and persecution are not the signals we are looking for. Natural disasters, fires, earthquakes, and tidal waves are not indications that the end has come. These events have been happening throughout history and will continue to occur.

Peter did not expect the immediate destruction of the world in his lifetime. Look at what he says in 2 Peter 3. He says:

2 Peter 3:3–4 (NKJV) ³knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, ⁴and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

He also says:

2 Peter 3:8–9 (NKJV) ⁸But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Put these two statements together, and, among many other things, it becomes clear that Peter is expecting some delay. He says that scoffers will come in the last days and that the Lord is delaying because of His patience.

Given these facts, we must assume that Peter’s reference to the end of all things being near does not mean the “immediate” destruction of the world.

However, Christ’s ascension to heaven started the countdown to the end. We are waiting for Him to return. Since we do not know the time of His return, we must assume it is going to be soon.

Even though during Peter’s time He did not expect the end to be immediate, we can learn some things from his statement, “the end of all things is at hand.” 

Three aspects of “nearness” stand out. 

First, the time is near for each of us. We have a limited time, and we do not know how long we have.

Second, all material things are temporary at best.

Third, we will all be judged.

Put these three together, and we realize that, for any of us, the end can come without a moment's notice, and then we will face judgment. No matter how short or long a time we have until the end when we get there, the time will seem to have passed in a moment. Whether we have two days or two thousand years, the end of all things is at hand. Not one of us has a lot of time. The end could be today. We cannot afford to think that things are going to continue as they always have.

The devil works hard to get us to think in terms of “ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” This thought is the foundation of the theory of evolution. We must not think we have time and forget to be serious and watchful. 

This world must stop thinking we have plenty of time. We don’t.

Peter reminds us of the shortness of time and says, “be serious and watchful.”

The words used mean “safe-minded and sober.” “Safe-minded” is the Greek equivalent of “being of sound mind.” “Safe-minded” expresses the idea of thinking clearly, as in, it is not “safe” to be delusional. The word sober means just what it sounds like. Sober means “not drunk.” 

Proverbs says it best.

Proverbs 23:29–32 (NKJV) ²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? ³⁰Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. ³¹Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; ³²At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper.

The shortness of our time demands that we be serious and sober. We cannot overstate the importance of our minds. Peter talks several times throughout his letters of using our minds. In 1 Peter 1:13, he says:

1 Peter 1:13 (NKJV) Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober…

And, in 1 Peter 5:8, he says:

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The Apostle Paul, in his letters, also speaks of the importance of our minds, telling us to put on the helmet of salvation. We are in a spiritual battle, which Peter emphasizes when he tells us to be serious and watchful. 

We must take care to notice the purpose of our sound thinking and sobriety. 1 Peter 4:7 ends with the words that should be translated with “for the purpose of prayer.” The best translation of this verse is the NASB which says:

1 Peter 4:7 (NASB) The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

Prayer is essential. To be a child of God is to pray. There is no such thing as a Christian who does not pray. Even being angry enough to try to give God the silent treatment is a form of prayer for the child of God. (Consider Jonah who threw a fit before the Lord.) 

The reason for our serious soberness is prayer. The first and most important thing for us to do in view of the end of all things is to pray. This is not the only place that we are told to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NKJV) Pray without ceasing.

When Jesus taught us, He said:

John 16:24 (NKJV) Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Jesus did not put limits on what we are to pray for or about. But James 4:3 does tell us what will keep us from getting what we pray for.

James 4:3 (NKJV) You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Praying for our pleasure is never the goal. Praying to know the mind of God and see the will of God accomplished is a good place to start. Praying for God to deliver us from evil is also a good idea. But, what is evil?  What we call evil may be something that God intends for our good. Death is evil, but it is also a move into a much better place for the believer.

We must keep our thinking sound and our judgment sober in order to pray with wisdom and insight. Events are happening faster than anyone can track, and the world needs our prayers. 

Because of the end of all things, we are to pray, and above all things, fervently love each other.

1 Peter 4:8–9 (NKJV) And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” ⁹Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

Peter gives three essential things we must do in preparation for the end of all things. We must pray, we must love, and we must serve.

We do not have a long list of rules. The commands of the Lord are simple. First, we are to love God. (Prayer) And, second, we are to love our neighbor. Moses commanded love for God and others. Jesus repeated Moses’ commands, and the Apostles emphasized the importance of love.

What more can we say about love than has already been said?

1 John 4:8 (NKJV) He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

When the end comes, what will become of all our possessions?

When the end comes, what will become of people?

If we invest our short time in possessions, our time will be wasted. However, there is no waste of time invested in people. If we are to prepare for the end, we must love people.

Finally, we show our love for God and people by serving. But notice, it is not just any service. Consider what Peter says.

1 Peter 4:10–11 (NKJV) As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

In grace, God gives each believer a gift. This gift is for the building up of the Body of Christ.

The devil works to get us to think that we have nothing to contribute. He tells us that we are untalented; he tells us that our efforts and minor mistakes are embarrassing. He points to others and says, “See how much better they are!” Please don’t listen to him. Think about how much you appreciate the things others do. Do you think that we will not be blessed in the same way by you?

The key to this is to serve in the ability which God provides. 

You know what you enjoy doing. Is there any way that can be used to build up the Body of Christ?

Do you enjoy hunting? Could you take a younger believer under your wing and teach him to follow Christ while teaching him to hunt? 

Do you enjoy interior decorating? Could you find a way to make the church building look better? (Be careful; criticism is not helpful. Gracious, loving action is needed.)

Even small things like picking up the trash you see in the parking lot can make a difference.

What Peter is saying can be summarized like this. Everything is coming to an end. We need to apply our heads, our hearts, and our hands to be ready. God’s grace has given us our heads, hearts, and hands so that we can prepare.

Grace Means…Determination

1 Peter 4:1-6

1 Peter 4:1 (NKJV) Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

The word “therefore” tells us to think back on the context. To understand, we must remember the direction the speaker (writer) has been taking. In 1 Peter 4:1, it says, “Since Christ suffered for us in the flesh…,” making it clear that the author is talking about the suffering of Christ and the “since” in this phrase also clarifies that he introduced this subject before this point.

So far in the book, the author has spoken of the suffering of Christ in relation to at least two issues - our persecution and our salvation. In 1 Peter 2:21, it says,

1 Peter 2:21 (NKJV) For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps…

This passage is speaking of bearing up under persecution. 1 Peter 2 is talking about suffering under injustice. Jesus is our example of where to find the strength to face persecution. Jesus told us,

John 16:33 (NKJV) In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

When we suffer persecution, we must learn from Jesus how to stand. Persecution is not a question of if but of when, because, as Jesus says, “in the world, we will have tribulation.” We see how Jesus overcame, and by following His example, we too can overcome. 

The short answer to how He triumphed is found in 1 Peter 2:23.

1 Peter 2:23 (NKJV) when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously…

Jesus committed Himself to God, who judges righteously. Jesus’ example of perfect trust will carry us through our troubles.

Peter also speaks of Jesus’ suffering for our salvation. In both chapters 2 and 3, Peter speaks of salvation. However, in chapter 3 verses 18 and following, he narrows the focus down to speaks directly to the question of how Christ’s suffering saves us. 

Please look at 1 Peter 3:18-22. In verse 18, Peter tells us that Jesus died “the just for the unjust.” “The just for the unjust” refers to the price Jesus paid for our sins. Then Peter uses the example of Noah’s ark to explain how believing in Jesus saves us. At the time of Noah, if people wanted to be saved, they had to enter the ark. It is the same with Jesus. If we are to be saved, we must ask Jesus. Jesus’ suffering for our salvation results in a message of warning and invitation - warning of coming judgment, and invitation to enter the “ark.”

Now, as we enter chapter 4, Peter calls us to consider the suffering of Christ once more. He says, 1 Peter 4:1.

1 Peter 4:1 (NKJV) Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

Peter tells us to arm ourselves with the same mind that Jesus had when He suffered in the flesh. Then Peter says, “for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” From this statement, we gather that this time Peter is talking about Jesus’ suffering in relation to our sin or “flesh.” However, this time he is not talking about how Jesus paid for our sin. He has shifted the focus to how we should live in light of Jesus’ sufferings. In other words, Peter is now telling us how to follow Jesus’ example in “ceasing from sin.”

In context, Peter just wrote about the ark. When the eight persons got on the ark, they floated above the destruction of the world. The people on the ark were kept from what everybody else went through. 

However, when we ask Jesus to save us and we enter the “ark” of salvation, He does not float us out of the world. We continue to live in the same house, eat the same food, and wake up in the same bed. However, as Peter explains, our lives must change in keeping with the salvation we receive. Jesus’ example is the key to this change.  Peter talks about Jesus’ suffering in relation to the flesh because sin originates in the flesh.

Let’s recap what we have said thus far. For persecution, we are to trust God. For salvation, we are to ask God. Now, for our flesh, we are to follow Jesus.

The main point Peter takes from Jesus’ example is found in 1 Peter 4:1. This verse instructs us to “arm yourselves with the same mind.”

Let’s start by considering what Peter means by “mind.” The word he uses for “mind” in this context can be translated as “determination” or “intent.” In Hebrews 4:12, this same word is translated as “intentions.” As in, “…a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

We are to have the same determination that Jesus had, and that determination has to do with ceasing from sin.1 Peter 4:1 says, “…for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.”

1 Peter 4:1 (NKJV) Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

Jesus suffered perfectly. By “perfectly,” I mean that He did not sin. So in relation to His flesh, He suffered perfectly. Following His example is difficult because we do not suffer perfectly as He did. Hebrew 4:12 explains it this way:

Hebrews 12:4 (NKJV) You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

At this point in our discussion, it will be helpful to consider the meaning of the word “ceased” that Peter uses. The word that Peter chose means “(a) active voice: I cause to cease, restrain, hinder, (b) middle voice: I cease, stop, leave off.”

When Jesus calmed the storm, and the waves stopped, the author of that account used this same word for “ceased.”

Jesus suffered perfectly or completely. He was crucified. In other words, He died in His flesh. To cease from sin, we too must die. We must “mortify” the flesh. That is “kill” it. Romans 12:1 uses the imagery of presenting our bodies as “living sacrifices.”

Romans 12:1 (NKJV)  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice…

Refusing the desires of our flesh may involve some discomfort. For example, consider Jesus fasting in the wilderness for forty days. Peter describes our ceasing from sin in verse 2.

1 Peter 4:1–2 (NKJV) ¹for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ²that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

1 Peter 4:2 describes the determination or intention that Jesus had and with which we must arm ourselves. We must determine, set our minds, and make it our intention to 1) no longer live for our desires (lusts) and 2) live for the will of God. We are to exchange living for our will for living for God’s will. Please notice this involves a putting off (the flesh) and a putting on (the Spirit).

We do not live for God’s will in our own strength but in the power of the Holy Spirit. To see this in Peter’s writing, we will have to jump from 1 Peter 4:2 to 1 Peter 4:6. Where it says,

1 Peter 4:6 (NKJV) For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

I have skipped some of what Peter says and will go back to where we left off. But I want us to understand where Peter is going. When it says that the gospel was preached to those who are dead, it is talking about those dead in their trespasses and sins. They are to move from “dead” to “living in the Spirit.” We see this also in verse 5, where it says,

1 Peter 4:5 (NKJV) They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

1 Peter 4:5 says that God is ready to judge the living and the dead. He says, “They will give an account to Him.” All men will be judged. (I am working backward, starting at the end, so please follow carefully.) The “they” of this verse (verse 5) are those of the world that judge Jesus’ followers harshly.  When Peter says, in verse 6, “that they might be judged according to men in the flesh.” He refers back to verse 4, where it says that unbelievers will speak evil of us because we do not run with them in their abominable idolatries.

In pointing out the judgment of the world against believers and the judgment of every person by God, Peter shows us the necessity of making a choice. Either we go the way of men and determine to do the will of the flesh and be acceptable to the world, or we choose to mortify (kill) the flesh and live for the will of God. Either way involves death. We are dead to God, or we die to the flesh. 

The Apostle Paul teaches this same thought in Romans 6:10-11.

Romans 6:10–11 (NKJV) ¹⁰For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Again, let me remind you, we do not do this in our own strength. If we walk by the Spirit, we will put the flesh to death.

Romans 8:12–13 (NKJV) ¹²Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

At this point, I would like to go back to where we jumped forward. In 1 Peter 4:3, it says,

1 Peter 4:3 (NKJV) For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

The word “Gentiles” used here is also translated as “nations.” Another meaning would be “world things” as opposed to “spiritual” or “heavenly” things. This word refers to someone living a “worldly” life. In other words, before we asked Jesus to save us, we lived just like the rest of the world (the nations). 

Living out the values of the world is meaningless. Peter describes the world’s values as lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, and so on. There is no profit in these things. They leave one empty, and the pursuit of such things is endless, tiring tedium. Peter says that no matter how short or long a time we have lived chasing these things, we have spent enough time to know that these pursuits are worthless.

However, the “Gentiles” (the world) think we are crazy for not pursuing the “fun” with them. 1 Peter 4:4 says,

1 Peter 4:4 (NKJV) In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.

The Bible defines the things the world runs after as a “flood of dissipation.” Another way of saying this is an “overflowing waste.” Here is the contrast. What God says is an overflowing waste, the world says are the only things worth having. Thus, the judgment of the world; we are evil because we do not chase after the lusts of the flesh with them.

We have a choice. We can follow the example of Jesus and arm ourselves with the determination to do God’s will, or we can spend our lives as an overflowing waste.

Either way, we will be judged. The world will judge us according to the flesh. The world values the flesh. It feeds the flesh. However, spiritually, the flesh is death. The flesh always leads to death. Before we knew Christ, we were dead in our trespasses and sins. The gospel was preached to us who were dead that we might be made alive in God by the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead.

Have you not had enough of the world?

How long must we wallow in the abominable idolatries of the world before we determine to do the will of God?

Not one of us is perfect. We will still sin, but we must not determine to sin. We must not make sin our way of life. When we walk by the Spirit, He will make our sin known to us so that we can walk free of it. 

There is no need to be dominated by sin. 

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in paths of righteousness, and He will.

Grace Means...Invitation

1 Peter 3:18-22

Up to this point in his letter, Peter has been telling us to honor those in authority over us even if they are unjust because our suffering serves a purpose. He tells us that we will receive blessings from God the Father for our submission. In 1 Peter 2:21 and following, he gives the example of Jesus Christ to show how we can find strength and courage to face the trials in our lives. 

In 1 Peter 2:23, Peter says, “He committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” Trusting and believing in God the Father is where Jesus found His strength, and this is where Peter tells us to find our strength.

When Jesus’ disciples were facing their greatest trial, Jesus said:

John 14:1 (NKJV) Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

Jesus told the disciples to trust Him on the night that He was betrayed and arrested. He did this to prepare them because everything they were about to see would seem to contradict the truth that Jesus is the Son of God omnipotent. They needed the strength and courage of faith to face the approaching difficulties.

To face the trials of our lives, we also need the strength and courage that comes through belief (faith) in God.

Scattered throughout Peter’s exhortations to be submissive and humble are statements like “that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” (1 Peter 2:15)

1 Peter 2:15 (NKJV) For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—

Revealed in such statements is the fact that we are God’s vessels to make Him known. God uses our suffering, trials, and example to point others to our Savior. As a continuation of this theme of reaching out to the lost, Peter explains the heart of God in allowing the suffering of His children. 

God’s purpose in the trials of His children is seen in 1 Peter 3:18.

1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God...

God had deep and eternal purposes in the life of His Son. Things that we cannot comprehend. In Hebrews 5:7-9, we see part of the eternal purpose of God in the life of His Son.

Hebrews 5:7–9 (NKJV) ⁷who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, ⁸though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. ⁹And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

If Jesus learned obedience and was perfected in His sufferings, how much more necessary is it for us to learn obedience and be perfected (matured).

However, even in the “perfecting” that God worked in Jesus, He also worked out eternal salvation for all who believe.

1 Peter 3:18 tells us that Jesus suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. God’s purpose in the suffering of our Lord Jesus (His only begotten Son) was to reconcile us to Himself, to “bring us to God.”

 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 says:

2 Corinthians 5:20–21 (NKJV) ²⁰Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This verse confirms that God continues to work to bring people (us) to Himself. First, as verse 21 makes clear, He provided the way (means) of salvation. Then He made us ambassadors for Christ to invite others to come to Him.

According to 2 Corinthians 5:21, the means of salvation was Jesus being made sin for us, that we might become righteous in Him. This concept is also expressed in 1 Peter 3:18 when it says,

1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit...

In this verse, we see that:

1. He suffered once for sin.

• His suffering was once for all. (See also Hebrews 9:26)
• His suffering was for sin.

2. He was put to death (for sin).
3. He rose from the dead.

These points are the gospel in a nutshell - a summary of what Jesus did.

This verse also tells us how Jesus rose from the dead. He was made alive by the Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit had a vital role in the work that Jesus did, just as He has a crucial role in our salvation. The Holy Spirit works to bring us to God. Jesus died and rose again to bring us to God. The Holy Spirit gives testimony to the truth to our spirits. He tells us about Jesus. 

At this point, Peter enters a subject that has divided the church since the time of Augustine and Jerome.

Jerome was born in about 347 AD and was a scholar who translated the Bible into Latin. His translation is known as the “Vulgate” and is still the official version of the (Roman) Catholic Church. (The word “Vulgate” means “common,” as in “common English.”)

Jerome’s understanding of this passage is reflected in His translation and is reflected in the King James Version of the Bible, which says:

1 Peter 3:19–20 (KJV) ¹⁹by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; ²⁰which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water...

The idea that comes out of this is that Jesus, while dead or in the spirit, went and preached in Hades or the place of the dead. This idea also ties in with the Roman Church’s teaching on purgatory.

Augustine was a contemporary of Jerome, and was considered the better theologian. To this day some consider Augustine to be the most important thinker in Christian history. Born in 354 A.D., he was seven years younger than Jerome. Augustine interpreted Peter’s saying differently from Jerome, and these two interpretations have remained the two principle interpretations in the Church to this day. However, since Jerome’s translation is the official translation, his interpretation has dominated.

With this background, let me show you the textual form in which the Greek New Testament came to the original readers.

1 Peter 3:19-20  inwhichalsotothespiritsinprison havinggonehedidpreachwhosometimedisbelieved whenoncethe longsufferingofGoddidwaitindaysof Noahanarkbeing preparinginwhichfewthatiseight soulsweresavedthroughwater

I do this to demonstrate that punctuation, and in rare cases even how one divides up the words with spaces, can make a difference. Now, putting in verse divisions and punctuation, we have:

1 Peter 3:19-20 ¹⁹in which also, to the spirits in prison having gone, he did preach, ²⁰who sometime disbelieved, when once the long-suffering of God did wait, in days of Noah — an ark being preparing — in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water;

As usual, Peter is hard to interpret. He chooses to use word order that can be confusing. Look at the phrase “spirits” in “spirit having gone.” The spirits have gone to prison (past tense, thus they are now in prison). Now, look at the phrase “when once the long-suffering of God did wait.” This phrase indicates when the preaching took place. In other words, the preaching took place in the days of Noah, not at the time of the cross.

This word order is something like saying “The robber, having run from the police, is in prison.” When one could just as easily say, The robber, who is in prison, ran from the police.” Or, “The robber ran from the police and is in prison.”  

When we look back at verse 18, we see that Peter says Jesus was raised to life by the Spirit. Then in continuation of the thought, he says “in which,” which also means “by which.” In other words, the agency or agent by which the preaching was done is the Holy Spirit. Jesus preached to the people of Noah’s day by sending the Holy Spirit. It is not saying that Jesus went to the prison. Rather, it is saying that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to preach to the people of Noah’s day, and since they did not believe and trust God’s provision, they are now in prison, waiting for the day of judgment.

If the people of Noah’s day had listened to the warnings of the Holy Spirit (spoken by Noah), then they would have been saved. Jesus (God) invited them and pleaded with them for 100 years while Noah built the ark. But since they did not get into the ark, they perished. 

After pointing to the fact that God waited patiently, preaching, while the Ark was being built, Peter says:

1 Peter 3:21 (NKJV) There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

“Antitype” means representation by type. Some translations say “comparable.” The Ark and baptism can be compared as types, both having to do with salvation.  Salvation comes by faith when we listen to the Holy Spirit and come to Him. He both warns and invites.

This warning and invitation are how Baptism is like the Ark. God warns us through the Cross that judgment is coming. And, He invites us all to come. He pleads with us to come. Just as Jesus preached to the people of Noah's day by the Holy Spirit working in Noah, Jesus preaches to the people of our day by the Holy Spirit working through His people, the Church.

This working of the Holy Spirit is why the removal of the Church plays such a significant role in End Time events. (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

Peter says baptism saves us because it represents us coming or turning to God. Peter says that it is not the washing of the body that saves us. Instead, it is the plea of the conscience to God that saves us. Being baptized is not the thing that saves us. Calling upon the name of the Lord saves us. 

God offered the people of Noah’s day a way of salvation. They were invited. The people of today (we) are being offered a way of salvation. We are invited.

This warning and invitation are what Peter is trying to communicate. This is the second interpretation, the way Augustine understood this passage and the way Martin Luther understood this passage. All this “preaching to spirits in hell” stuff confuses the issue and ignores the context of everything Peter has been saying about suffering. 

Our God warns and invites. He does not wish for any to perish. So, He always provides a way of salvation. He is waiting. But, the time when His patience will come to an end is quickly approaching. 

We should learn from history. 

For example, in the days of Moses, God warned Pharoah, and all Pharoah had to do to be safe was let God’s people go. God warned and invited Pharaoh ten times before His patience ran out. 

God warned the people of Noah’s day, and all they had to do was get on the boat. Noah preached to them for a hundred years before God’s judgment fell. 

God, by the Holy Spirit, is preaching to the world today, and all we have to do is believe. We show faith, an appeal to God, by Baptism. 

If you have not been baptized, how am I supposed to believe that you believe?

One more thing to consider is how Pete finishes his thoughts. He says:

1 Peter 3:21–22 (NKJV) ²¹through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

“Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” tells us how our confession (baptism) saves us. But Peter also considers it essential to clarify who Jesus is. 

There are many false christs in the world, but Jesus is the Lord who is risen from the dead, one with God the Father, and all things have been made subject to Him, whether in heaven or on the earth. It is crucial, vital, important, and necessary that we are baptized in the name of this Jesus Christ and no other. The god that the Mormons worship will not do. The God that the Jehovah’s Witnesses worship will not do. The God that the Mohammedans worship will not do. Jesus was clear when He said:

John 14:6 (NKJV) No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Peter makes sure we understand which Jesus is inviting us to salvation.

Do you know Him?

Have you appealed to Him for salvation?

Have you been baptized?