LESSON 13 STUDY OF 1 PETER
1 Peter 3:13 – 22
1 Peter 3:13-22 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 their threats; 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. 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 in 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 clear 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.”
This particular section covers a lot of items, and some of them can be particularly challenging to understand.
Section 1: vs 13-14, 16-18 – Suffering as Believers
We will take this section first since it is fairly straightforward. Clearly it first puts away any notion that believers won't suffer. What Peter is really giving is encouragement to believers to behave pragmatically, prudently and temperately. He also gives us a clue as to the kinds of suffering we may encounter: suffering due to our witness to our faith in Christ.
I am holding vs 15 aside for special treatment, not because it doesn't belong, but because it needs a bit more explanation.
The suffering Peter is pointing out is that which the pagan world has or will launch against us because of our faith. He is alerting us to the fact that our mere believing may become the excuse or provocation for the pagans to attack us. He warns us to make sure our actions are godly, goodly, and such as to make attacks unjustified even to reasonable sinners. Henry puts it this way:
“The confession of a Christian's faith cannot credibly be supported but by a good conscience and a good conversation.”(1)
There are three elements Peter is giving us: we need a confession of what we believe, we need to have a confidence in this belief so as not to crumble when being attacked, and finally our conversation – our actions and way of living – must be consistent with our confession.
One thing that is particularly important to drill into your minds, before the suffering, is “do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened” in vs 14b. Calvin frames this powerfully:
“To suffer for righteousness, means not only to submit to some loss or disadvantage in defending a good cause, but also to suffer unjustly, when any one is innocently in fear among men on account of the fear of God.
“Be not afraid of their terror He again points out the fountain and cause of impatience, that we are beyond due measure troubled, when the ungodly rise up against us. For such a dread either disheartens us, or degrades us, or kindles within us a desire for revenge. In the meantime, we do not acquiesce in the defense of God. Then the best remedy for checking the turbulent emotions of our minds will be, to conquer immoderate terrors by trusting in the aid of God.” (2)
So Calvin warn us in advance, that we are not to fear their terror. We are to fear only God. But his warning is very particular, and actionable, if we prepare ahead of time. Three possibilities, any of which acts as an early warning signal to us: disheartening, degradation – feeling small, or desire for revenge. Any or all of these are feelings we can lay at the feet of Jesus when they come. Because we trust and fear God only.
Section 2: vs 15 Apologetics, Polemics and Why I don't Debate
Verse 15 is frequently cited by writers, Pastors, Elders, Evangelists, Apologists and others as the command as to why we are to study and develop counter arguments for unbelievers. This is fine. But almost no body is in one of these roles or offices. And, unfortunately in my experience, many that do take on these roles shouldn't.
The first part sets the tone for everyone: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord”. Beake and Smalley put it this way with reference to 1 Peter 3:15:
“We acknowledge his holiness when we honor him as glorious and serve him as supreme” (3)
So the right use of this passage for all of us is to first acknowledge that God is Holy, and secondly, it is he that we serve – exclusively. This becomes the basis for our not fearing the unsaved critics, and it serves as the energy behind our endeavors to defend Christ and our faith in him. If Christ is not first, we will fall when the attacks come. Maybe not at first, but eventually.
So what does it mean to 'give an answer'? There are two general categories that are used by theologians to explain this: apologetics, and polemics. Simply put, (in theology) apologetics is the making positive arguments in favor of Christ and Christianity, a defense. Polemics is the flip side, where arguments are made to defeat counter view points, either openly anti-Christian, or errant views of Christianity.
In the very early days of the Church, apologetics were necessary as the Apostles and then the early Church fathers explained, justified, and rationalized Christianity before a skeptical world. The Jews of the day regarded Christianity as an apostate cult, the pagans regarded Christianity as another upstart mystery religion with very weird customs like communion, as well as, obnoxious refusals to go-along-to-get-along by burning incense to the Emperor, etc. Two of Paul's many encounters give us examples of this: Mars Hill Act 17:22-31 and before the Sanhedrin Acts 22:30 – 23:11.
The early church fathers spent significant time defending the faith before the pagan leaders of the day, and polemics against the errors of the Gnostics and other heretical teachings. Later the polemics expanded to include the Arians and others.
But are we called to study and prepare deep theological arguments to support our Christian faith, and to attack the pernicious false teachers, do I have to debate? Henry says it succinctly:
“When the principle is laid, deeply into your hears, the next thing, as to men, is to be always ready 'to give answer to every man that asketh a reason of your hope'. The hope and faith of a Christian are defensible against all the world. Every Christian is bound to answer for the hope that is in him. Christians should have a reason ready for their Christianity, that it may appear they are not actuated by folly or fancy. These confessions of our faith ought to be made with meekness and fear.” (4)
So my advice to you is to develop an answer to the question: why do you hope in Christ? Why is your hope not folly or fancy? These are not attacks, they are fair questions. And we should be able to answer them in a straightforward way, in a humble manner. You don’t have to prepare for professional encounters with experienced debaters, unless you really like that sort of thing. I don’t.
Some of you might be intimidated by this. You fear buying freakishly large books with page counts over 2000. Maybe you don't have the time to read these things, or the money to buy them. Consider your own place, calling, and estate. Do what is appropriate for you and your situation. If you are not called to be in a theological role, don't assume this verse commands you to be a theologian. Mind your confession, mind your conscience, and mind your conversation (manner of living). There are three broad classes to consider.
(1) Be a Simple Man (5): write out your personal testimony and learn it. Focus on your understanding of salvation, your own sin, and how Christ paid your price and God accepts you as righteous in his sight. Remember Henry's admonition not to engage in folly or fancy. 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Romans 3:23-24, John 5:24 are a few good passage sto memorize since it is the best summary of the Gospel message in Scripture – imo, and a simple plan of salvation. OR
(2) Puritan-o-phile: Learn the Westminster Confession. (6) You don't have to memorize it. But be comfortable articulating Chapters 6, 8, 11, 14, 15. At least be able to explain the key portions of the Gospel in enough detail to feel confident in your presentation. And you know where to go, if the heat is on. OR
(3) James White, R C Sproul, Walter Martin, Bible Answer Man, DEBATER: You have to buy and read a ton of books, big books, books without pictures, books with page counts over a thousand, and footnotes to the moon and back. And bookshelves, lots of them, you might even need a ladder to get to the top shelf. And you'll need to learn Greek and Hebrew, and brush up your Latin (you do know Latin, right?) And if you go down this road, you will have to stop fishing, you just won't have time. Oh, and stay away from onion-domed churches and Greek Orthodoxy.
Section 3 verses 19-20: Did Christ really go to Hell?
The Apostles' Creed states: “He descended into Hell” which modern versions usually change to read: ‘he descended into the grave’, or something similar, some leave it out altogether. I always had an Dantesque image in my mind of Christ going down to this huge cave and preaching to all the dead. But this is a kind of composite mythology that comes through Dante's Inferno, but really from Thomas Aquinas' Summa.
Calvin has this to say on this point (referring to the line in the Creed):
“Others understand 'hell' to mean some subterranean region which they label with some such name as 'limbo' [NB: referencing Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, III, 52.5; III, 69. 4-7]. There, they believe, the fathers who lived under the Old Testament were shut up as in a prison, until Christ went down to liberate them, even as he broke the gates of brass and the bolts of iron. This fiction, although supported by weighty authors and although still held true today, is nevertheless just that – a fiction.” (7)
Clearly Calvin was not a Thomist, or a Medieval Scholastic. Calvin's view on the passage in 1 Peter 3:19 is:
“...when Peter writes that Jesus Christ came in the Spirit and preached to the spirits in prison, all he means is that the power of Christ's redemption was made known to the spirits of those who were already dead. For it was then that believers [NB: dead pre-incarnate believers], having always always hoped in him for salvation, now fully and, so to speak, visibly acknowledged his visitation and presence. The reprobate on the other hand, knowing that hew a the universal Saviour and that they were shut out, received clearer confirmation that there could be no further hope for them. The fact that, without distinguishing them, Peter puts the righteous and unbelievers together in prison, should not be taken to imply that the righteous were strictly confined as captives until the coming of Jesus Christ. But because they beheld their redemption from afar, and in the dark, shadowy form, their expectation could not but have been anxious, and is thus compared to prison.” (8)
Calvin's observation is solid because we already know from 1 Peter 1:12 that the angels are watching and desirous to know what is happening with Christ and salvation. And that the dead believers are like angels (Mark 12:25). So all of them would have potentially observed these events simultaneous with the dead reprobates in Hell awaiting final judgement.
Henry takes a different view that is no less compelling:
“...those who rejected Christ should be as certainly destroyed as ever the disobedient in the time of Noah were. 1. The preacher – Christ Jesus [NB: through Noah's preaching] He went and preached, by his Spirit striving with them 2. The hearers. He properly calls them spirits, now in prison; not that they were in prison when Christ preached to them. 3. The sin of these people: they were disobedient. This their sin is aggravated from the patience and long-suffering of God. 4. The event of all: their bodies were drowned...Though the patience of God wait long upon sinners, yet it will expire at last; it is beneath the majesty of the great God always to wait upon man in vain.” (9)
So either way, we can understand Peter to be either speaking of Christ preaching through Noah to the lost of Noah's day, now damned spirits, which fits with Peter's later statement in 2 peter 2:5 “...but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness...”; or, Calvin's view in that Christ's time in the grave was for displaying his salvation to all the dead, both in Heaven and in Hell.
I find Henry's comments more compelling exegetically, but Calvin’s understanding complements not contradicts. But your mileage may vary.
Section 4 verses 21-22: Does Baptism Save us?
This topic is far to large to exhaust here, but it is important to have a succinct understanding when reading this particular passage.
Calvin wants us to see Peter's remarks as simply an affirmation that God is interested in heart purity not physical cleanliness. He goes on to say:
“Likewise Peter writes: 'Baptism saves us' (1 Peter 3:21). Paul does not mean that our washing and salvation are accomplished by means of water, or that water posses the power to cleanse, regenerate or renew. [NB: referring in part to Titus 3:5] Neither did Peter imply that water is the cause of our salvation. They simply meant that in this sacrament we receive the assurance of these gifts...And Peter, having declared that baptism saves us, immediately adds that that this baptism is not the washing of dirt from the body, but is a clear conscience before God, which comes from faith.” (10)
Henry's views are very similar, stressing that “Baptism will save no man without an answerable good conscience and conversation. There must be the answer of a good conscience toward God.” (11)
So the assurance of Noah and his family physical salvation through the water, gives us picture of the true salvation Christ gives us as evidenced by our clear 'washed' conscience.
FINAL THOUGHTS AND TAKE AWAYS
Take time to consider suffering for your faith. Consider that your life and works (conversation) should be God honoring so you can confidently suffer for your faith because you have faith in the God that is permitting it. In Christ, we suffer in God's will, not apart from it.
Take time to consider how you may react to persecution so that you will be alert to your own reactions early: either as fearful, or shying away from the faith in a cowardly humility, or by militancy. Your reaction matters, don't be caught off guard
Take time to consider your 'apology' for your faith in Christ, and make the effort to have an answer to the real and right question of why do you believe. Corny, perhaps, but helpful.
Rid yourself of the Thomistic papist image of Christ preaching in Hell to the dead.
Rid yourself of the papist view that physical water baptism saves or in any way confers righteousness.
NOTES
Commentary on the Whole Bible, by Mathew Henry, Zondervan Publishing , Grand
Rapids MI, 1972, pg 1945
Calvin's Commentary on 1 Peter; by John Calvin, accessed 4/21/2023,
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cal/1-peter-3.html
Reformed Systematic Theology, Volume 1, by J Beake and P Smalley, Crossway,
Wheaton IL, 2019, pg 571
Henry, pg 1945
“Be A Simple Man”, Lynyrd Skynyrd, by Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington,
released August 13, 1973
The Westminster Confession of Faith, The Banner of Truth Trust, Carlisle PA, 2018
Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin, Trans. Robert White, The
Banner of Truth Trust, Carlisle PA 2017, pg 250
Ibid, pg 250
cf Henry, pg 1945
cf Calvin, pgs 576 and 580
cf Henry, pg 1946