Verse by Verse

1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:

² Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

³ nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;

⁴ and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Verse one — The Greek word “elder” was used as a designation of a man advanced in years. It became one of the official designations of an officer in a local church who in other places is called an overseer or a bishop (Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Timothy 3:2), and whose duty it was to exercise spiritual oversight and authority over its members. … The word “witness” … does not refer to the act of seeing, but to the act of testifying to what one has seen. — Wuest, page 124.

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The flock belonged to God (v.2). It was among, not beneath the under-shepherds. It was God’s great heritage. They were not lords over God’s heritage, but only examples. — Williams, page 1004.

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examples (v.3) = literally “a print left as an impression after a blow has been struck, a pattern or model of something else.” Under-shepherds should be living patterns or models of the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus. — Wuest, page 125.

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Verse four — The Greek word translated “crown” referred to a crown of victory in the Greek athletic games, a crown given for military valor, or a festal garland worn at marriage feasts. … “Fadeth” is a participle in the Greek describing this crown. The word in its noun form was the name of a flower that did not wither or fade, and which when picked, revived in water. The crown given to victors in either athletics or war was made of oak or ivy leaves, the festal garlands of the marriage feast, of flowers. These would wither and fade. But the victor’s crown which the Lord Jesus will give His faithful under-shepherds will never wither or fade. — Wuest, page 126.

¹⁷ For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

¹⁸ Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Williams looks at Peter’s words from the context of the first century fulfillment. Sadler looks at them from the context of their ultimate fulfillment. I think there is validity in both views.

Israel was the House of God. Judgment was about to fall upon it. The Romans were the instruments of that judgment. The Apostle, and those to whom he wrote, were members of that House. Hence the word “us” (v.17). That House, as a house, knew the Gospel but did not obey it; and, consequently, it was judged. The righteous members of the nation (v.18) would with difficulty be saved out of the judgment—and so it proved—but as for the rest, multitudes perished by the sword, by famine, by pestilence, by banishment into slavery, and the residue were driven forth into all lands and forbidden under a threat of death to set foot in Palestine. — Williams, page 1003.

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The judgment of Israel referred to here [v.17] by Peter as the “first” will ultimately occur at the dawn of the kingdom age. The “end” of the matter will be the Great White Throne Judgment at the consummation of all things. At that day those who rejected the good news of God, in whatever age they lived, will appear before the Judge of all the earth.

Some find it hard to believe that a loving God would judge the world. It is true that God is a God of love. In fact, He loved mankind so deeply that He sent His only begotten Son to die for their sins. You see, the judgment of God fell on Christ that mankind might be delivered from His wrath. However, if the sinner rejects the Sin-Bearer then he must suffer the consequences of his rejection. Any infraction against God’s infinite holiness demands an infinite penalty. While man has a propensity to overlook sin, God cannot! Beloved ones, we must never charge God with what man has brought upon himself. He is simply going to reap what he has sown.— Sadler, page 153.

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The word “scarcely” [v.18] is the translation of a Greek word that means literally “with difficulty.” The word is used in Acts 14:18 where Paul experienced difficulty in restraining the people at Lystra from sacrificing to him as a god. The context in First Peter speaks of the persecutions which were allowed to come by God as a disciplinary judgment, the purpose of which was to purify their lives. They were being saved with difficulty in the sense that if it was necessary for God to purify the lives of saints by these drastic means, namely, persecution and suffering, what can one say as to the position of the unsaved in relation to God? — Wuest, page 122.

Commit (v.19) = a banking term meaning “to give in charge as a deposit.”

¹⁴ If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.

¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

Verse fourteen — The Greek word “reproach” is found in Matthew 5:11 where it is translated “revile.” The word “if” is the “if” of a fulfilled condition. It could be translated “in view of the fact,” or “since.” These Christians were being reproached for the name of Christ. This was no hypothetical case.

The apostle says that in view of the fact that they are being reproached, they are happy. The word “happy” is the translation of a Greek word which means “prosperous.” It is used in Matthew 5:3-11, where it is translated “blessed.” It refers in these contexts to a spiritually prosperous state or condition of the believer. The world does not persecute a worldly Christian, only a spiritual one.

But not only is the fact of persecution an indication of a spiritually prosperous life, but also of the fact that the Holy Spirit is resting upon the Christian. The words “rest upon” are the translation of a Greek word used in a manuscript of 103 B.C. as a technical term in agriculture. The writer speaks of a farmer resting his land by sowing light crops upon it. He relieved the land of the necessity of producing heavy crops, and thus gave it an opportunity to recuperate its strength. The word is used in Matthew 11:28 where our Lord says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” literally, “and I will rest you.” … The words “on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified,” while true, do not appear in the best Greek texts, and are not therefore thought to be part of the original manuscript that left the hands of Peter. — Wuest, pages 120-121.

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Verse fifteen — The word “suffer” must be taken in its context to mean “suffer reproach.” the form of the original forbids the continuance of an action already going on. Some of the recipients of this letter, before they were saved, had suffered reproach as murderers, thieves, evildoers, and busybodies. … The word “busybody” means in the Greek, “a self-appointed overseer in other men’s matters.” — Wuest, page 121.

Wuest (above) says the list of wrongs in verse 15 were things his audience used to do. Sadler (below) says they are things they might be tempted to do to defend themselves and retaliate. Guthrie (whom I haven’t quoted) says the list is hypothetical because, of course, Peter’s audience would never do these things except, maybe, the last one. I lean toward Sadler’s view, although Peter may have just been listing things people suffer for, and telling them not to suffer for bad stuff.

In times of persecution Peter knew there would be some among them that would have a propensity to retaliate. Thus he admonishes his hearers accordingly: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a busybody [meddler] in other men’s matters.” The message is clear—don’t bring unnecessary suffering upon yourself. — Sadler, page 150.

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Verse sixteen — The words, “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian” should be understood in their historical background. The Cult of the Caesar was the state religion of the Roman Empire, in which the emperor was worshiped as a god. It served two purposes. The subjects of Rome gave obedience to the laws of the empire, not only as a political, but as a religious duty. It also constituted the unifying factor which bound the many different peoples of the empire into one, and made the military task of holding together its far-flung domain an easier one. The Greek word for Caesar is Kaisar. Those who worshiped the kaisar were called kaisarianos. Christianity appeared as a rival claimant to the world worship and dominion. The Lord Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, was looked upon [by Christians] as the One who would some day come back and take the government of the world upon His shoulder. Those who worshiped Him as God were called Christianos, worshipers of the Christ as against the Kaisarianos, worshipers of the Caesar. — Wuest, pages 121-122.

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Believers were first nick-named Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). … The word occurs three times in the Scripture—here, and in Acts 11:26 and 26:27-28. The Jews called them Nazarenes, the Scripture called them “brethren,” “disciples,” and “saints.” To be so like Christ as to be called a Christian is to cause glory to God (v.16). — Williams, page 1003.

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The very first passage of the epistle clearly establishes that Peter was writing to those of the dispersion who were scattered abroad due to persecution (Gr. diaspora=scattered, Acts 8:1-4 cf. 1 Peter 1:1). This, of course, took place before Paul’s conversion; therefore, Peter’s hearers could not have been saved under what has come to be known as the Christian message. …

Since the Greek word Christianos has a Latin ending, it strongly implies that the Romans were the first to call the followers of Christ “Christians.” … Peter is the only believer [in Scripture] to use the term “Christian.” The other two times the word appears it came from the lips of the unbelieving. The prefix “Christ” is the common denominator when we consider the usage of the term Christian in relation to the two programs of God. Christ is the subject of both programs. So it is correct to say that Peter’s hearers were Christians because they believed Christ was the Messiah of Israel who would establish His kingdom here upon the earth. They were followers of Christ according to this purpose and calling.

Although the Apostle Paul never uses the term, the members of the Body of Christ have come to be called Christians because Christ is our Head. We are to follow Paul as he followed Christ according to His heavenly purpose as calling (1 Corinthians 11:1). — Sadler, pages 151-152.

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But of course, most churches today believe Peter was writing to the Body of Christ and make no distinction between his audience and Paul’s—a lie obviously fed by Satan to confuse believers and weaken their understanding of Scripture to the point that many of them state without hesitation that they don’t like Paul’s writings. And they misinterpret (deliberately or in ignorance) the word “Christian” to support their position.

¹² Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;

¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Verse twelve — The word “beloved” is in the Greek, “beloved ones.” The word is the Greek word which speaks of God’s divine and infinite love. We could translate, “divinely loved ones.” … The words “think it not strange,” are literally “stop thinking it a thing alien” to you. … They are exhorted by Peter to think it a natural and expected thing that such suffering for righteousness’ sake would come in view of the world’s hatred of Christ, and therefore to one who bears His name and reflects Him in his life.

The words “fiery trial” is … a smelting furnace where gold is refined. … It is used in these passages to refer to a smelting furnace and the smelting process in which gold or silver ore is purified. — Wuest, pages 118-119.

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Instead of thinking it a thing alien to them, they are exhorted not only to expect such suffering, but to rejoice in the fact that they can be partakers of Christ’s sufferings. The word “inasmuch” [to the extent that] is rather “in so far as.” That is, the Christian has no cause for rejoicing because of suffering that is brought on because of his own misdoing. but in so far as suffering is the result of doing well, he has cause for rejoicing. His rejoicing arises from that fact that he shares in common with Christ in suffering for righteousness’ sake. These sufferings of Christ which we share in common with Him are not His expiatory sufferings on the Cross, but His sufferings for righteousness’ sake while enduring the opposition of sinners previous to the Cross. Paul speaks of the same things in Colossians 1:24. — Wuest, page 119.

See John 16:20-22, a prophecy by Christ about the future suffering and glory of the kingdom believers.

⁷ But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

⁸ And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

⁹ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

¹⁰ As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

¹¹ If 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.

There are three passages in the section before us that are carefully woven together with a common thread. This thread clearly has to do with a coming persecution that will befall the house of Israel. Peter writes:

“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer (1 Peter 4:7).

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (v.12).

“For the time is come that the judgment must begin at the house of God” (v.17).

We must always bear in mind that Peter’s writings have a twofold purpose throughout. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the aged apostle was addressing those then present and his countrymen in the future day of the Lord. We feel a greater emphasis of these periods is placed upon the latter of the two … In the coming day of the Lord, the Tribulation saints will turn to the Hebrew Epistles for their marching orders.

While the fall of Israel occurred with the stoning of Stephen, the casting away of the favored nation was a gradual process which covered approximately a thirty year period. … Within five years of Peter putting the finishing touches on his epistles, Rome dispatched Titus to besiege the city of Jerusalem. This would be Israel’s last stand nationally. …

With great difficulty [Titus] finally breached the wall of the city in the spring of 70 A.D. … He rewarded the stubbornness of the Jews by massacring everyone who resisted his advance. A large number of Jews managed to barricade themselves inside the temple, probably hoping that the Messiah would deliver them from the hand of the oppressor. … In the end, the city of God was destroyed and the temple set ablaze. Historians tell us that not one stone was left upon another at the temple site. …

The leaders of the rebellion and resisters were either crucified or sent to the arena where they were torn asunder by wild beasts. It is said that so many were sold into slavery that Rome had difficulty finding slave traders to purchase their spoils of victory. …

As the curtain of the present dispensation is drawn to a close at the Rapture, it will immediately be followed by the time of Jacob’s Trouble. Israel will again be center stage as the final drama of the Prophetic Program unfolds.

As the Anti-Christ rises to power through flatteries, he will establish a covenant with the chosen nation, which essentially allows her to reestablish the sacrificial system in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Tribulation. In the middle of the Tribulation, he breaks the covenant with Israel. He will then enter the  temple, which defiles it in the sight of God. This is the abomination of desolation!

When [the Jews] behold this event, they are to immediately flee Jerusalem, for the armies of the Gentiles will soon occupy the city (Revelation 11:1-2). This will be the man of sin’s death machine that will pursue Israel with the swiftness of a leopard attacking its prey.  … We cannot begin to fathom the intensity of the fiery trials that the future Tribulation saints will be called upon to endure. … Thankfully, we’ve been delivered from the wrath to come. — Sadler, pages 139-143.

The next four verses (8-11) should be interpreted in light of what Peter just said in v.7 about the coming end.

serious (v.7) = of sound mind

watchful (v.7) = calm and collected in spirit

“love will cover a multitude of sins.” — Quote from Proverbs 10:12.

love (v.8) = agape

The Greek word here [v.8] translated “fervent” means literally “stretched out.” The idea is that of a love that is extended to reach the one loved. … The word means here “intent, earnest, assiduous.” … The words “above all” are more properly “before all in order of importance.” That is, love is a prerequisite to all proper exercises of duty. — Wuest, page 115.

hospitable (v.9) = “friendly to strangers”

as (v.10) = in whatever quality or quantity

stewards (v.10) = a steward is one who governs a household, one who has the responsibility to see that the things entrusted to his care are used properly

Peter warns those who have been given the ability to preach and teach that they should only do so according to the oracles of God. It is said that in classical Greek the word “oracle” was used of the utterances of heathen deities. Here, of course, Peter is speaking about the utterance and revelations of the true and living God regarding the kingdom. You will recall that Peter sat at the Master’s feet when He taught the disciples to beware of false prophets and anti-christs who would come among them to deceive. Therefore, those who are called to minister the gospel are to speak the oracles of God. In other words, the Scriptures must confirm what they teach. — Sadler, pages 147-148.

⁵ They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

⁶ 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.

The word [“they”] (v.5) is in apposition with the participle translated “speaking evil,” and refers to the people of the world who shall give an account to God who is holding Himself in readiness (Greek) to judge the living and the dead. — Wuest, page 113.

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The key to the understanding of this difficult verse is found in the context of the entire book. In 1:6-7 we are told that the recipients are in heaviness in the midst of manifold trials. In 2:18-25 we have the case of Christian household slaves being unjustly punished because of their Christian testimony. In 3:8-17 the saints are instructed as to their behavior when undergoing persecution. In 4:12-19 the apostle deals with the glory of suffering for righteousness’s sake. He speaks of this persecution of the saints by the world as a judgment that begins at the house of God (4:17). In 4:1-11 he speaks of the necessity of having the mind of Christ as armored protection against the persecution of the world. Thus the phrase “judged according to men,” refers to the judgment spoken of in 4:17 which is defined as to its nature by the words in verse 14, “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ.”

The words “them that are dead” refer to believers who had died. … [Their] judgment was in the form of persecution because of their testimony. — Wuest, pages 113-114.

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The murder of God’s servants was not accidental, or because the Devil was stronger than God, but because God had a purpose—hidden from His people but satisfactory to Himself—in permitting such cruelty. This permission manifested both the malignity of man’s nature against God, and the triumph of faith in God. The blessed martyrs (the “dead”) were judged by men to be unfit for human society, and were consequently killed, but they were judged by God to be worthy of heaven’s society and consequently glorified. — Williams, pages 1002-1003.

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Peter deals with the judgment of the unsaved living and dead when he states: “Who shall give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.” the “unsaved living” who are alive at the Second Coming of Christ [none of whom will be members of the Body of Christ because they will have been raptured before the Tribulation] will be judged at the beginning of the kingdom and cast into outer darkness (Ezekiel 20:33-38; Matthew 13:36-43; 25:31-33, 41-46). The “unsaved dead” of all ages will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). — Sadler, page 137.

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The chapters and passages leading up to this particular verse [v.6] have been dealing with suffering, especially in relation to the unjust treatment of these Jewish believers. In fact, some had experienced unspeakable atrocities … There is little question at this juncture that Peter is speaking about believers. The gospel had at one time been preached to them, they believed, and were called upon to suffer and be rejected  like their Savior. As victims of miscarriages of justice, these saints were falsely accused and judged according to man’s judgment. Thus, because of their testimony, some had suffered martyrdom for their faith. but death was not the end, even though the silence of the grave gave them impression. These saints were alive and well and serving the Lord in a disembodied state. — Sadler, pages 137-138.

So my understanding of verse 6 is that those believing Jews who had died for their faith in the ongoing persecution (and who will die for their faith in the Tribulation), were judged worthy by God and were alive in Him in their spirits even though they had been judged unworthy by men and put to death in the flesh.

³ 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.

⁴ 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.

will (v.3) = lit. “desire, inclination, counsel,” the advice of the world.

Verse three — “Lasciviousness” is the translation of a word which refers to actions that excite disgust and shock public decency. In the New Testament, the prominent idea in the word is that of sensuality. The Greek word translated “lusts” is not limited to the sense of a sexual desire, but has the unrestricted sense of a passionate desire, here a sinful one, as the context indicates. The words “excess of wine” are the translation of a Greek word made up of two words, “wine” and “to bubble up or overflow.” “Revellings” is the translation of a word which meant at first, “a village merrymaking.” Then ti came to mean “a carousal” such as a party of revellers parading the streets, or revels held in religious ceremonies, wild, furious, and ecstatic. “Banquetings” is from a Greek word speaking of drinking bouts possibly held in connection with pagan religious rites such as Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 10:14 where he forbids Christians to drink the cub of demons. The Greek word translated “abominable” means “contrary to law and justice, illicit, criminal.” These idolatries were forbidden by Roman law. they  must have been pretty bad. — Wuest, page 112.

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Verse four — The word “run” literally means “to run in company with” others. It means here “to run in a troop with others like a band of revellers.” The word “excess” is the translation of a Greek word meaning literally “a pouring forth or an overflowing.” It was used in classical Greek of the tides which fill the hollows. … The word “riot” in the Greek text is seen in its classic New Testament usage in Luke 15:13 where the prodigal son squanders his substance with riotous (same word) living. … When used as a descriptive word for an individual [it] speaks of him as being “an abandoned man, an incorrigible,” and when used to describe a manner of life, it speaks of “an abandoned dissolute life, profligacy, prodigality.” The words “think it strange” do not have the idea in the Greek of thinking something odd or unusual, but of thinking something to be foreign in nature to something else. — Wuest, pages 112-113

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Here Peter carefully distinguishes between the Gentiles and those of the Jewish dispersion to whom he was writing. This is clearly delineated by his usage of the pronouns “we” and “they.” God warned Israel again and again that she was not to commit the abominations of the Gentiles, lest they defile themselves and be cut off like the nations before them (Leviticus 18:24-30). For the most part, the history of Israel is a sad commentary of one departure after another. …

When the believer in Christ refuses to conform to this evil world system, they unsaved, as Peter says, “think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” Let a man lie, cheat, and steal and the world thinks nothing of it. But let that same man come to trust Christ, and denounce unrighteousness, and the world thinks he’s gone off the deep end.” — Sadler, pages 133-134.

I agree with Sadler that verse 3 is another clear indication that Peter’s audience was Jews and not the church. This is another example of evidence that most pastors don’t bother explaining. They either ignore it or explain it away.

1 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,

² that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

In 3:18-22 Peter spoke of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus and of His example of patience and submissiveness under unjust treatment. Now, he exhorts the saints to arm themselves with the same mind that Christ had regarding unjust punishment. Our Lord’s attitude toward unjust suffering is found in the words, “It is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing” (3:17). The Greek word translated “arm yourselves” was used of a Greek soldier putting on his armor and taking his weapons. … The Christian needs the heaviest armor he can get to withstand the attacks of the enemy of his soul. To have the same attitude toward unjust suffering that the Lord Jesus had, will cause us to react toward this suffering as He did. — Wuest, page 110

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The fact that he has been persecuted is an indication … that he has ceased from sin. The world directs its persecution against those who are living lives of obedience to God, thus those who have ceased from sin. The verb is passive. Literally, the Christian “hath got release” from sin. God broke the power of sin in his life when He saved him. Thus our reaction to unjust suffering should be that of a saint, not a sinner, since we have in salvation been released from sin’s compelling power. — Wuest, page 111

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The added argument here [in addition to the point of the last verses of chapter 3] is that suffering is better than sinning. To be exempted from suffering is desirable, but to be saved from sinning is much more desirable. … To “suffer in the flesh” means to be put to death (v.1). To arm oneself with the same mind is to reckon oneself to be dead (Romans 6:11). Death is an effective breach with sinning; for how can a dead man practice sinful passions (v.2)? A living man, raised with Christ, lives to do the will of God. — Williams, page 1002.

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Why do we suffer? the answer to this question has been a matter of debate since the days of Job. Usually the sorrows of man are a product of his own sinful behavior. But God often has a purpose in suffering. The fact that Christ came into the world to obey the will of His Father is indisputable. Even though the Savior was unjustly treated, He purposed in His heart that He would suffer and die at the hands of evil man before he would ever disobey the will of the Father.

Thus, Peter gives this admonition, “arm yourselves likewise with the same mind.” Like the mighty man of war who takes up a shield to defend himself, Peter’s hearers were to arm themselves with the same attitude as the Savior. That is, they were to be obedient to the will of the Father.  As we know, the world has a special hatred for those who obey the will of God, thus these saints were suffering because they had “ceased from sin.” They were dead to sin, therefore, they refused to allow it to control their lives. …

Peter wanted his countrymen to be fully aware that they only had one lifetime to serve the Lord. Those years and opportunities that were lost could never be recovered. However, it was in their interest to use “the rest of the time” they had remaining to carry out the counsel of His will. The sufferings and hardships they would endure as a result were not to be compared with the glory they will receive in the coming kingdom (1 Peter 1:7 cf. 2 Peter 1:11). — Sadler, pages 131-132.

²¹ 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,

²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

The Greek word antitypon originally referred to the impression left on a surface by the typos, or seal, and so describes the kind of correspondence that a stamp has to its die. The picture strikes Peter as a parallel to baptism, for here the water symbolized God’s judgment on sin, and the deliverance into a new life. Jesus spoke of His coming death, by which He underwent God’s judgment on sin, as a baptism (Mark 10:38-39; Luke 12:50), and this association of ideas is preserved in Romans 6:3ff., where baptism is seen as a mystical uniting of the believer with Christ in His death. So, paradoxically, the death which was the means of Christ’s enduring God’s judgment on sin is the means whereby the believer can enter into new life. — Guthrie, page 1245.

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The believers were sheltered in the refuge of the Ark, and were saved through the waters of the judgment in the baptism of the Ark. It suffered the judgment, passed through it, and rose out of it into a new earth. In the antitype baptism the believer is saved in the “baptism” of Christ at Golgotha, of which the baptism of the Ark was a type. Christ at Calvary was baptized into the wrath of God. All the waves and billows of that wrath passed over Him (Psalm 42:7 and Jonah 2:3) and on the third day He arose. In that baptism the believer is baptized and saved, and in that resurrection the believer is raised and brought into a new world. So the sinner is saved by the baptism and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is not saved by the washing away of bodily defilement with material water, but by a sincere inward acceptance before god of this “baptized” and risen Savior. — Williams, page 1002.

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We must never lose sight of the fact that there are 12 different baptisms taught in the Word of God. This baptism certainly could not be a water ceremony, otherwise we would have a symbol of a symbol. … The answer is found in Luke 12:50, “But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished.”

These words were spoken by our Lord well into His earthly ministry. When He spoke about having “a baptism to be baptized with,” He was teaching His disciples about His impending death at Calvary. If we understand that the term “baptism” means “full identification,” then we see that Christ was identified with death in order to be the Redeemer of mankind.

It is Christ’s identification with death that saves men in any dispensation, though this was not revealed until Paul (Romans 3:21, 25). As members of the Body of Christ, we share this in common with the nation of Israel. This is one of the connections between Prophecy and the Mystery….

It was on the grounds of Christ’s finished work that Peter’s hearers were able to have a good conscience toward God. Peter raises this issue because it was he who charged the chosen nation with the guilt of crucifying their Messiah. This dovetails perfectly with what the writer of Hebrews states: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14).

Peter is careful to state that a man is not saved, nor can he ever expect to have a good conscience toward God, by the “putting away of the filth of the flesh.” As we already know, the “putting away of the filth of the flesh” is done by washing with water in order to cleanse. He is informing his hearers that it is Christ’s death baptism that saves them, not water baptism, which was merely a shadow of things to come. The divine seal of approval of this wonderful truth is Christ’s resurrection. While this was a further development in Israel’s redemption, it in no way diminished from the fact that water baptism was still required [for kingdom believers] as an expression of faith, on two accounts: First, Christ was made manifest as the Messiah of Israel through this water ceremony. Second, it was necessary for her induction into the priesthood (Exodus 19:5-6; 29:1-4; Isaiah 61:6; John 1:31). — Sadler, pages 127-128.

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answer (v.21) — Contemporary usage employed this word for the solemnly attested pledge made by any party undertaking a contract: in that case the phrase could mean “the pledge to God of a good conscience.” — Guthrie, page 1245

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Verse 22 — Reference to this great fact [that we are saved by the resurrection of Jesus Christ] leads Peter to repeat the verb “went” of v.19, suggesting a triumphal procession on the part of Jesus, culminating in His session (in direct fulfillment of Psalm 110:1) and position of supreme power. — Guthrie, page 1245.

¹⁹ by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,

²⁰ who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.

by whom (v.19) — referring back to “spirit” in verse 18 (which see for various interpretations of what spirit is meant.

Wuest has a long, involved explanation of how he reached his conclusion about what verse 19 means. I’ll just quote his conclusion.

Our Lord, between His death on the Cross and His resurrection from Joseph’s tomb, preached to the fallen angels in Tartarus [hell]. But what did He preach to them? The word translated “preached” here is kerusso. The word was used in secular Greek of an official announcement or proclamation made by a representative of a government.  The word itself does not indicate the content of the message. — Wuest, page 100.

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The sin of these angels was committed just previous to the flood. We have established the fact by a study of the usage of the word pneuma, translated in 3:19 “spirits,” that Peter is referring here to angels. He states that they were disobedient at the time of the flood. … These angels have been cast down to hell. … [Based on Jude 1:6-7] the sin is … fornication. … This fornication was in character the “going after strange flesh” [Jude 1:7]. The word “strange” is the translation of the Greek word heteros which means “another of a different kind.” In committing this sin of fornication, the angels transgressed the limits of their own kind and invaded the realm of another order of being. The sin of Sodom was the transgressing of the male beyond the limitations imposed by God (Romans 1:27). … In the case of angels, the forbidden flesh (lit. “other than appointed by God”) refers to the intercourse with women, in the case of Sodom, to the departure from the natural “use” (Romans 1:27). It was a departure from the appointed course of nature and seeking after that which is unnatural, to other flesh than that appointed by God for the fulfillment of natural desire.”…

These fallen angels and their sin of committing fornication with women of the human race is spoken of also in Genesis 6:1-4 in the words “The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”…

[In regards to why angels took human wives.] It would carry with it a confounding of two distinct orders of creatures and the production of a mixed race, partly human, partly super-human, which wold be just such a derangement of the divine plan as to warrant that which occurred, namely, the almost total extermination of all who were upon the earth. Now, connecting this with the fact that our Lord after His death on the Cross, went to Tartarus and made a proclamation to these fallen angels, we suggest that the probably purpose o f the angelic apostasy so far as Satan was concerned was the derangement of the divine plan of the incarnation and substitutionary atonement of the Son of God, for if his purpose had succeeded, God would not have incarnated Himself in a race part angel and part man. The last Adam was to be God the Son come in a human incarnation to answer in His humanity to the humanity of the first Adam. The action of God in completely exterminating the race and saving Noah and his family prevented the spread of this unlawful mingling of angelic and human natures, and allowed the incarnation to take place. The proclamation was probably to the effect that, in the incarnation and the Cross, God had defeated the scheme of Satan to defeat His purpose. it would therefore be a proclamation of victory. — Wuest, pages 101-105

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Peter speaks of the ark, “wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” the words “were saved” are literally in the Greek, “were brought safely through.” The preposition “by is from dia, a preposition of intermediate agency. That is, the souls in the ark were brought safely through the time of the flood by the intermediate agency of water. While it was true that it was the ark that saved them, yet Peter is not teaching that here. He says the waters of the flood saved them. They buoyed up the ark above their own death-dealing powers and saved those inside the ark. The very waters that were death to the rest of the human race were life to the inmates of the ark. — Wuest, page 107.

Stam agrees with Wuest entirely. Williams has another view. I think Wuest and Stam have it right.

The sense of the passage therefore is, that during a hundred and twenty years while the Ark was being built, the Spirit of God in Noah warned men of the coming flood. Only eight believed; the rest disbelieved, and, as a consequence, were shut up in the prison of the abyss. The believers were sheltered in the refuge of the Ark, and were saved through the waters of the judgment in the baptism of the Ark. — Williams, page 1002.