1 Peter 3:18-22. [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, [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, [19]in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, [20]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. [20] 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. [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, [22] who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. (ESV)
Students of World War 2 have often remarked that although VE-Day was not until May 8, 1945, in a very real sense the war in Europe was over on June 6, 1944 — D-Day. It was only the beginning of a military buildup that Germany could never have stopped. Victory in the fight against evil in Europe sure was sure. But this rather academic assessment of things differed greatly from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. They were still dodging bullets and all manner of military force. They were bleeding and wounded, many were still dying, and there were still many harrowing days of the war yet to be endured, even some setbacks.
There is something about all this that has close resemblance to Christian experience. God himself has invaded history. He came as one of us to our rescue and has fought the decisive battle of the war. In his death and resurrection Christ has “obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:12). Final victory has been secured. He has made full and final satisfaction for our sins, and having successfully completed the work that saves he has triumphed over Satan. “Now is the ruler of this world cast out” (John 12:31), the works of the devil are destroyed (1John 3:8; cf. Heb. 2:14), and Christ has forever secured his elect people for eternal life (John 6:38-39). But then again it does not always seem that way. The people to whom Peter was writing to in Asia minor recorded for us in 1 Peter, continued to suffer. They would be misunderstood, harassed, slandered, rejected and could face death for their faithfulness.
We are caught up in a real battle. Our adversary walks about like a hungry lion trying to eat us (1Pet. 5:8), and our constant struggles are struggles against him (Eph. 6:12). He takes people captive, and he is powerfully deceptive, masquerading even as an angel of light. Satan is alive and well. Like Hitler, knowing his time was all but up yet launching his last great hurrah at the cost of so many of his soldiers, From the perspective of the trenches, the war is still on. Sin, temptation, suffering, injustice, sickness, death, loneliness, and disappointment. “Satan hinders us,” and so does the world. And so does our own flesh. And in the trenches, if we are not careful, we can lose perspective. We must never lose sight of the fact that we struggle in hope and in certainty of final victory. Redemption has been accomplished. It may not yet have been fully applied. There may be many skirmishes still. But it is heartening indeed as we recall that D-Day is behind us. And we are assured by it that VE-Day is ahead. The redemption that Christ accomplished for us will yet be ours in full experience, with Him. (https://credomag.com/2013/09/d-day-and-ve-day-fred-zaspel/)
In 1 Peter 3:18-22, the Apostle Peter draws together various examples to show us how the Victory over sin and death has been accomplished, yet the fighting continues. Using the examples of judgement against sin as seen through Noah, Peter explains how Victory in Christ has been secured, how we identify with that victory in Baptism and how the ultimate victory for believers in Christ is assured to come. God urges us to consider four elements of the Lord’s victory. His: 1) Victorious Sin-Bearing (1 Peter 3:18a), 2) Victorious Sermon (1 Peter 3:18b–20a), 3) Victorious Salvation (1 Peter 3:20b–21), and His 4) Victorious Supremacy (1 Peter 3:22).
The work of Christ has brought Victory over sin and death because of His:
1) Victorious SIN-BEARING (1 PETER 3:18a)
1 Peter 3:18a [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), (ESV)
Peter ties together Christ’s victory over sin and death back to the previous passage of verse 13-17). The conjunctions also and for remind us that we ought not to be surprised or discouraged by suffering, since Christ triumphed in His suffering even though He died an excruciating death, and that of the most horrific kind—crucifixion. Most believers will not die as martyrs, but even when they do, that death is the wages of their sin: Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV). Far from being a story of despair, Christ’s Victorious Sin-Bearing is one of hope and encouragement. Peter here exhorts Christians to identify with the heroic and victorious Christ if they intend to follow in His footsteps. It is better to suffer for doing good, as Christ did, because that is the way to follow Christ to victory. Even if a Christian were to suffer to the point of unjust martyrdom for the sake of Christ, such suffering is both purposeful and victorious because death is not the final word (Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (pp. 237–238). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)
Jesus suffered/died for sins in that He was “offered once to bear the sins of many” (cf. Heb. 9:28). (cf. Rom. 8:3; Heb. 10:5–10). The phrase of Christ suffered once for sins translates the word hapax, which means “of perpetual validity, not requiring repetition.” For the Jews so familiar with their sacrificial system, that was a new concept. To atone for sin, they had slaughtered millions of animals over the centuries. During their annual Passover celebration, as many as a quarter million sheep would be sacrificed. But Jesus Christ’s one sacrificial death ended that insufficient parade of animals to the altar and was sufficient for all time (Heb. 1:3; 7:26–27; 9:24–28; 10:10–12), as He took the punishment due the elect and bore it for them, thus fully satisfying God’s righteous judgment. It does not need repetition, unlike the annual Jewish sacrifices (Marshall, I. H. (1991). 1 Peter (1 Pe 3:18). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 5:21
Thus, in Christ’s substitutionary death, He suffered the righteous/just for the un righteous/unjust. As the perfect offering for sin, He willingly (John 10:15–18) and in accord with the Father’s redemptive purpose from before the foundation of the world (Acts 2:23; 4:27–28; 13:27–29; cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Rev. 13:8) took upon Himself the entire penalty due the unrighteous (2:24). This phrase brings out the parallel between Christians, who suffer simply because they are disliked by the world, and Jesus, who also suffered innocently. (Marshall, I. H. (1991). 1 Peter (1 Pe 3:18). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
2 Corinthians 5 explains how Christ’s death both paid the penalty that we deserve for sin and enabled us to be reconciled with God:
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (ESV)
• Those in Christ are no longer bound by a sin nature, but have a new life in Christ. We are now ambassadors of reconciliation since being reconciled to God. This all occurred though the Gospel, summarized in verse 21: “For our sake he”, God the Father, “made him to be sin who knew no sin”. Christ represented His people before the Father, although sinless, paid the past, present and future penalty of their sin on the cross, and His perfect righteousness was then credited to our account. He atoned for our sin, and we are justified (made right with God) as a gift of God through faith.
The triumph in Christ’s death is expressed back in 1 Peter 3:18 in the phrase that He might bring [believers] to God. He might bring (prosago) expresses the specific purpose of Jesus’ actions. It often describes someone’s being introduced or given access to another. In classical Greek the noun form refers to the one making the introduction. In ancient courts certain officials controlled access to the king. They verified someone’s right to see him and then introduced that person to the monarch. Christ now performs that function for believers. Christ entered to bring the elect into communion with God (cf. Ps. 110:4; Heb. 2:17–18; 3:1–2; 4:14–15; 5:4–6; 7:17, 21–22, 25; 8:1–2, 6; 9:13–14). The divine tearing of the temple veil from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51) symbolically demonstrated the reality that He had opened the way to God. The heavenly Holy of Holies, the “throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16), was made available for immediate access by all true believers. As royal priests (2:9), all believers are welcomed into God’s presence (Heb. 4:16; 10:19–22). Only by Christ’s sacrifice can unholy people have a relationship with the holy God. Presently believers have spiritual access into God’s very presence; in the future, we will actually dwell in God’s presence. (Barton, B. B. (1995). 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude (p. 101). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub.)
POEM
William Cowper expressed this Gospel reality like this:: “Jesus! whose blood so freely stream’d To satisfy the law’s demand; By Thee from guilt and wrath redeem’d, Before the Father’s face I stand. To reconcile offending man, Make Justice drop her angry rod; What creature could have form’d the plan, Or who fulfill it but a God? No drop remains of all the curse, For wretches who deserved the whole; No arrows dipt in wrath to pierce The guilty, but returning soul. Peace by such means so dearly bought, What rebel could have hoped to see? Peace, by his injured Sovereign wrought, His Sovereign fasten’d to a tree. Now, Lord, Thy feeble worm prepare! For strife with earth, and hell begins; Confirm and gird me for the war; They hate the soul that hates his sins. Let them in horrid league agree! They may assault, they may distress; But cannot quench Thy love to me, Nor rob me of the Lord my peace”. Olney Hymns, William Cowper, from Cowper’s Poems, Sheldon & Company, New York
The work of Christ has brought Victory over sin and death because of His:
2) CHRIST’S TRIUMPHANT SERMON (1 PETER 3:18b–20a)
1 Peter 3:18b-20 [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, [19]in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, [20]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). (ESV)
The phrase having been put to death in the flesh leaves no doubt that on the cross Jesus’ physical life ceased. This section begins the most debated section referred to in the Apostles Creed, that Christ “descended to the Dead” particularly reflection is complete death. The revision of He “descended to Hell” is a latter change trying to reflect the time between his death and resurrection. What we can be certain of is that Christ did not merely seem to die, but on the cross He was physically killed at the instigation of sinful men (Hillyer, N. (2011). 1 and 2 Peter, Jude (p. 113). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
The phrase made alive in (the) spirit is a reference to Jesus’ eternal inner person. The Greek text omits the definite article, which suggests Peter was not referring to the Holy Spirit, but that the Lord was spiritually alive, contrasting the condition of Christ’s flesh (body) with that of His spirit. His eternal spirit has always been alive, although His earthly body was then dead; but three days later His body was resurrected in a transformed and eternal state. He came back to life not as a spirit without a body. He had a body, but one that was not hindered by normal human limitations. Christ now lives in the spiritual realm—the realm of permanence and eternity. Christ lives “in the spirit” because of his death and resurrection. In that state, he brings us to God. He opens the way and ushers us into God’s presence. (Barton, B. B. (1995). 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude (p. 102). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub.)
In which in verse 19, refers to what occurred with His living spirit while His dead physical body lay in the tomb (concerning His burial, see Matt. 27:57–60; John 19:38–42). He went (poreuomai) which denotes going from one place to another (see also v. 22, where the word is used concerning the ascension). When the text says Christ made proclamation to the spirits in prison, it is indicating that He purposefully went to an actual place to make a triumphant announcement to captive beings before He arose on the third day. The verb rendered proclaimed (kerusso) means that Christ “preached” or “heralded” His triumph. In the ancient world, heralds would come to town as representatives of the rulers to make public announcements or precede generals and kings in the processions celebrating military triumphs, announcing victories won in battle. Peter did not tell us what Jesus proclaimed to these imprisoned spirits, but it could not be a message of redemption since angels cannot be saved (Heb. 2:16). It was probably a declaration of victory over Satan and his hosts (see Col. 2:15; 1 Peter 3:22). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 416). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
• This is a message consistent with scripture and has a tremendous bearing on what we say about the Work of Christ.
o We need to make it clear that there is no opportunity for salvation after death. For those who reject Christ in this life, they shall hear a similar herald in Judgement.
In the description of Events in 1 Peter 3:19 Christ directed His proclamation to the spirits, not human beings, otherwise he would have used psuchai (“souls”) instead of pneumasin, a word the New Testament never uses to refer to people except when qualified by a genitive (e.g., Heb. 12:23; “the spirits of the righteous”). The demonic spirits Christ was to address were now in prison (phulake; an actual place of imprisonment, not merely a condition). Scripture teaches that God has sovereignly chosen to incarcerate certain demons in that pit of punishment as we will see in a moment from Second Peter 2:4 . Christ was not preaching to demons a message of salvation, since demons cannot be saved, but are damned forever. As Hebrews 2:16 says: “For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham”. (ESV) Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4 … refer to these fallen angels as kept in eternal chains in deepest darkness until the judgment. (Black, A., & Black, M. C. (1998). 1 & 2 Peter (1 Pe 3:20). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub.)
Please turn to 2 Peter 2
Peter further identifies the demons to whom Christ preached His triumphant sermon in verse 20 as those who formerly did not obey/once were disobedient. As the reason that God bound them permanently in the place of imprisonment, that disobedience is specifically related to something that happened in the time of Noah. Putting this whole series of events together, this means that after his resurrection and before His ascension into heaven, Jesus Christ went to the place where disobedient supernatural powers are imprisoned. There He proclaimed to them his victory over death and God’s ultimate and final judgment on those evil spirits. Christ’s proclamation to them is of His victory and of their doom, now sealed because of Christ’s death and resurrection. In doing this, Christ reaffirmed that He is superior to all powers. These evil powers cannot separate the believer from Jesus Christ, so the eternal benefits of his salvation are assured. (Walls, D., & Anders, M. (1999). I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude (Vol. 11, pp. 56–57). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
In his second letter, Peter also briefly refers to the bound demons’ sin:
2 Peter 2:4-6 [4]For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; [5]if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; [6]if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; (ESV).
• Those wicked spirits were sent to the abyss because they overstepped the boundaries of God’s tolerance. They filled the earth with their wretchedness to such an extent that not even 120 years of Noah’s preaching convinced anyone beyond his family to repent, believe in God, and escape His judgment.
• The clear implication for today, is the warning that there is a limit to God’s patience. The call to repent needs to be responded to in order to avoid judgement. The saddest thing seen this month civically on roads, flag poles, from every corporate logo and advertisement, is the use of the rainbow which is a symbol of judgement and deliverance to pridefully celebrate a lifestyle that God has and will clearly judge. The gospel can free someone from sin and death through faith in Christ.
Illustration:
The Battle of Waterloo is one of the most famous battles in history. It occurred on the mainland of Europe on June 18, 1815. It pitted the French army, commanded by Napoleon, against the Anglo-German-Dutch forces led by the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian forces commanded by General Gebhard Blucher. There is an interesting story about how the news about Waterloo reached England. News was carried first by a ship that sailed from Europe across the English Channel to England’s southern coast. The news was then relayed from the coast by signal flags to London. When the report was received in London at Winchester Cathedral, the flags atop the cathedral began to spell out Wellington’s defeat of Napoleon to the entire city: “Wellington defeated …” However, before the message could be completed, a good old-fashioned London fog moved in, and the rest of the message was hidden. Based on incomplete information, the citizens of London thought Napoleon had won. That would have been a devastating defeat for England. Gloom filled the nation as the bad news quickly spread everywhere. But when the mist began to lift, the flags high up on Winchester Cathedral completed the news. The flags spelled out this triumphant message: “Wellington defeated the enemy!” The English fears had been unfounded. Joy immediately replaced the gloom. All over England people danced in the streets, rejoicing at this great victory over one of the most dangerous enemies the nation had ever faced. In like manner, the resurrection and ascension of Christ gives us a certain hope that our own victory has been secured (Helm, D. R. (2008). 1 & 2 Peter and Jude: sharing christ’s sufferings (p. 122). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.).
The work of Christ has brought Victory over sin and death because of His:
3) HIS TRIUMPHANT SALVATION (1 PETER 3:20b–21)
1 Peter 3:20b-21 [20] (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. [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, (ESV)
The biblical account of when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, before sending the Flood, Peter saw as an analogy for the triumphant salvation provided through Jesus Christ. God was patient with the corrupt world, as Genesis 6:3 states: “Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years." (ESV) During that 120-year grace period Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5) who announced judgment but also offered the way of deliverance. The members of Noah’s family were the only eight persons on earth to heed the divine warning and escape the coming catastrophe of a worldwide flood. Hence only Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives were brought safely through the water while the rest of humanity was drowned in God’s act of judgment (Gen. 6:9–8:22). Christ’s triumphant proclamation and the citation of the narrative of the deluge remind them that they will be the delivered minority just as Noah and his family were, which is surely comforting in a time of suffering. (Davids, P. H. (1990). The First Epistle of Peter (p. 143). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
During the grace period, people witnessed the ark was being prepared/Constructed by Noah and his sons. While its purpose was to rescue Noah and his family from the Flood, the ark also was a vivid object lesson to unbelievers of God’s impending judgment on the world. The lack of responsiveness to the “sermon of the ark” reveals the profound wickedness in Noah’s day Genesis 6:5 describes it: “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. (ESV). Through the building of the Ark and Noah’s testimony, the Holy Spirit preached to disobedient people living in the days of Noah just before the flood (Storms, S. (2018). 1 Peter. In I. M. Duguid, J. M. Hamilton Jr., & J. Sklar (Eds.), Hebrews–Revelation (Vol. XII, p. 340). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.)
In 1 Peter 3:21 Peter mentions that Baptism corresponds to this. Corresponds contains the word antitupon, which means “copy,” “counterpart,” or “figure pointing to” to make the transition to the salvation in Christ. That word yielded the theological term antitype, which in the New Testament describes an earthly expression of a heavenly reality—a symbol or analogy of a spiritual truth (cf. John 3:14–16; Heb. 4:1–10; 8:2, 5). The preservation in the ark of those who believed God is analogous to the salvation believers have in Christ. Noah and his children are a genuine type of the salvation in Jesus Christ, which preserves believers safely through God’s judgment on sinners. Although baptism may be thought of as a declaration, it is a declaration that constitutes an implicit pledge of a continuing relationship to God in Christ, which thereafter calibrates the moral compass by which one lives. As Selwyn (1958: 205) explains, the idea that baptism is a seal of contract between the believer and God is not far removed from that which led to the adoption of the Latin word sacramentum (military oath) to refer to baptism (Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (p. 255). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)
Please turn to Romans 6
Certain theological traditions misinterpret Peter’s statement that baptism now saves you to refer to spiritual salvation by water baptism (i.e., baptismal regeneration). But baptism (from baptizo) simply means “to immerse,” and not just in water. Peter here uses baptism to refer to a figurative immersion into Christ as the ark of safety that will sail over the holocaust of judgment on the wicked. The water of baptism is like waters of judgment—similar to the waters of the flood, and showing clearly what we deserve for our sins. Coming up out of the waters of baptism corresponds to being kept safe through the waters of the flood, the waters of God’s judgment on sin, and emerging to live in ‘newness of life’ (cf. Rom. 6:4). Baptism thus shows us clearly that in one sense we have ‘died’ and ‘been raised’ again, but in another sense we emerge from the waters knowing that we are still alive and have passed through the waters of God’s judgment unharmed. As Noah fled into the ark, so we flee to Christ, and in him we escape judgment. Therefore, we could paraphrase, ‘Baptism now saves you—not the outward physical ceremony of baptism but the inward spiritual reality which baptism represents.’ (Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, p. 171). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Those who trust Christ for eternal life enjoy newness of life that culminates one day with the resurrection to eternal life. Paul instructed the Romans on what Baptism points to:
Romans 6:1-6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (ESV) (cf. 1 Cor. 6:17; 10:2; 12:13; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:5)
Peter made clear that he did not want readers to think he was referring to water baptism when he specifically said back in 1 Peter 3:21 that Baptism is “not as a removal of dirt from the body”. That he was actually referring to a spiritual reality when he wrote baptism now saves is also clear from the phrase, an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Appeal (eperotema) is a technical term that was used in making contracts. Here it refers to agreeing to meet certain divinely-required conditions before God places one into the ark of safety (Christ). Anyone who would be saved must first come to God with a desire to obtain a good (cleansed) conscience and a willingn ess to meet the conditions (repentance and faith) necessary to obtain it. To be baptized rightly is to make such an appeal to God: ‘Please, God, as I enter this baptism which will cleanse my body outwardly I am asking you to cleanse my heart inwardly, forgive my sins, make me right before you.’ In this way baptism is an appropriate symbol for the beginning of the Christian life. Once we understand baptism in this way, we can appreciate why ‘Repent, and be baptized … for the forgiveness of your sins’ (Acts 2:38) was an evangelistic command in the early church. Therefore, baptism, is appropriately administered to anyone who is old enough personally to make ‘an appeal to God for a good/clear conscience’ (Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, pp. 171–172). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Illustration;
As Peter was talking about a “removal of dirt from the body and our conscience, in the context of Baptism pointing to a reality. Baptism is like a wedding ring: they both symbolize transactions. A wedding ring symbolizes marriage, just as baptism symbolizes salvation. Wearing a wedding ring does not make you married any more than being baptized makes you saved. To extend the parallel, if a person, especially a woman, does not wear a wedding ring you can almost always assume that the person is not married. So, it was in New Testament times. If a person was not baptized, you could probably assume that he or she was not a believer. On this we must be clear: baptism is a symbol of salvation and only a symbol. But, like a wedding ring, it is such an effective symbol that it should never be taken for granted. (Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 27). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
FINALLY, the work of Christ has brought Victory over sin and death because of His:
4) HIS TRIUMPHANT SUPREMACY 1 PETER 3:22).
1 Peter 3:22 [22] who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. (ESV)
Peter concludes with three statements about Christ, all of which are traditional and thus credal in nature. It is no accident that two of them are found in the Apostles’ Creed: “He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” (Davids, P. H. (1990). The First Epistle of Peter (p. 146). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
Please turn to Ephesians 1
Both the Old and New Testaments affirm the right hand as a place of prestige and power (Gen. 48:18; 1 Chron. 6:39; Pss. 16:8; 45:9; 80:17; 110:1; Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33; 5:31; Rom. 8:34; Eph. 1:20; Heb. 12:2). The right hand of God is the preeminent place of honour and authority for all eternity (Ex. 15:6; Deut. 33:2; Pss. 16:11; 18:35; 45:4; 48:10; 89:13; 98:1; 110:1, 118:15–16; Matt. 26:64; Acts 7:55–56; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; Rev. 5:7; cf. Rev. 2:1). That is where Christ went after He finished His work of redemption, and that is where He rules from today. Therefore, Persecuted and suffering Christians need to remember both the humiliation and the exaltation of Christ. His patient suffering will show them meekness when they are interrogated. His glorious triumph will give them courage to face their accusers. Undergirding both the meekness and the boldness of the Christian is the saving work of Christ. (Clowney, E. P. (1988). The message of 1 Peter: the way of the cross (p. 155). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
The position and work of Christ is Stated in Ephesians 1:
Ephesians 1:19-21 [19]and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might [20]that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21]far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. (ESV)
• Paul here piles up “power words” to express the immeasurable greatness of God’s power, working, and great might toward believers…the power of the living God in Christ trumps all competing authorities (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2263). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
Christ assumed His position of supremacy over angels, authorities, and powers (angelic beings, including Satan and his demons; see Gen. 19:1; 28:12; Pss. 78:49; 148:2; Matt. 4:11; 13:41; 25:31; Luke 2:15; 15:10; Rom. 8:38; Eph. 3:10; 6:12; Col. 1:16; 2:18; Jude 6; Rev. 5:11; 8:2) after they had been subjected to Him by the Cross, which fact He proclaimed to the demons in prison. The word rendered had been subjected (from hupotasso, “to line up in rank under”) describes the present status of all spiritual beings in relation to Christ. He is supreme over all (2 Cor. 2:14, Phil. 2:9–11). Christ has conquered every enemy. (Black, A., & Black, M. C. (1998). 1 & 2 Peter (1 Pe 3:22). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub.)
Christ’s substitutionary death for sinners was an act of grace (Acts 15:11; Rom. 5:15, 17; Eph. 1:7; 2:5, 8–9; Titus 2:11; 3:7; Heb. 2:9)—triumphant, sovereign grace extended to depraved, wicked men and women who actually deserved nothing but eternal judgment from God. In his hymn “And Can It Be,” Charles Wesley wrote: ’Tis mystery all! Th’ Immortal dies! Who can explore His strange design? In vain the first born seraph tries To sound the depths of love Divine! ’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore, Let angel minds inquire no more”. (Format note: Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2004). 1 Peter (pp. 220–221). Chicago: Moody Publishers.)
Prayer
Our Heavenly Father, as we have publicly identified ourselves with you through Baptism, we know that you have achieved the victory over sin and death through your Son. We know that the price has been paid on our behalf and apart from Christ, judgement remains. As we see every rainbow, we know that pride comes before a fall. As you rescued Noah, and his family in the Ark, may we enter into Christ and be secure in Him. May with winds and the waves not frighten us knowing that as you have sealed us into Christ, we dwell secure. As we await the final destruction of evil, may we urgently call others to flee the wrath to come, and find their deliverance and security in Christ alone. It is in His name we pray. Amen.
