1 Peter 3:19

3:14-22 We sanctify God before others, when our conduct invites and encourages them to glorify and honour him. What was the ground and reason of their hope? We should be able to defend our religion with meekness, in the fear of God. There is no room for any other fears where this great fear is; it disturbs not. The conscience is good, when it does its office well. That person is in a sad condition on whom sin and suffering meet: sin makes suffering extreme, comfortless, and destructive. Surely it is better to suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing, whatever our natural impatience at times may suggest. The example of Christ is an argument for patience under sufferings. In the case of our Lord's suffering, he that knew no sin, suffered instead of those who knew no righteousness. The blessed end and design of our Lord's sufferings were, to reconcile us to God, and to bring us to eternal glory. He was put to death in respect of his human nature, but was quickened and raised by the power of the Holy Spirit. If Christ could not be freed from sufferings, why should Christians think to be so? God takes exact notice of the means and advantages people in all ages have had. As to the old world, Christ sent his Spirit; gave warning by Noah. But though the patience of God waits long, it will cease at last.

And the spirits of disobedient sinners, as soon as they are out of their bodies, are committed to the prison of hell, where those that despised Noah's warning now are, and from whence there is no redemption. Noah's salvation in the ark upon the water, which carried him above the floods, set forth the salvation of all true believers. That temporal salvation by the ark was a type of the eternal salvation of believers by baptism of the Holy Spirit. To prevent mistakes, the apostle declares what he means by saving baptism; not the outward ceremony of washing with water, which, in itself, does no more than put away the filth of the flesh, but that baptism, of which the baptismal water formed the sign. Not the outward ordinance, but when a man, by the regeneration of the Spirit, was enabled to repent and profess faith, and purpose a new life, uprightly, and as in the presence of God. Let us beware that we rest not upon outward forms. Let us learn to look on the ordinances of God spiritually, and to inquire after the spiritual effect and working of them on our consciences. We would willingly have all religion reduced to outward things. But many who were baptized, and constantly attended the ordinances, have remained without Christ, died in their sins, and are now past recovery. Rest not then till thou art cleansed by the Spirit of Christ and the blood of Christ. His resurrection from the dead is that whereby we are assured of purifying and peace.

{22} By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; (22) A secret objection: Christ indeed might do this, but what is that to us? Indeed (faith the apostle) for Christ has showed his power in all ages both in the preservation of the godly, were they never so few and miserable, and in avenging the rebellion of his enemies, as it appears by the history of the flood: for Christ is he who in those days (when God through his patience appointed a time of repentance to the world) was present, not in corporal presence, but by his divine power, preaching repentance, even by the mouth of Noah himself who then prepared the ark, to those disobedient spirits who are now in prison, waiting for the full recompence of their rebellion, and saved those few, (that is, only eight people) in the water.

1 Peter 3:19-20 . By which also — That is, by which Spirit; he went and preached — Πορευθεις εκηρυξεν , having gone, he preached, namely, in and by Noah, who spake by the Spirit of Christ, ( 1 Peter 1:11 ,) and of the Father, who said, ( Genesis 6:3 ,) referring to the men of that generation, My Spirit shall not always strive with man. Hence Noah is called a preacher of righteousness: 2 Peter 2:5 . “By attributing the preaching of the ancient prophets to Christ, the apostle hath taught us, that from the beginning the economy of man’s redemption has been under the direction of Christ. To the spirits in prison — That is, which were in prison when St. Peter wrote this epistle. They were men in the flesh when Christ preached to them by his Spirit speaking in Noah; but after they were dead, their spirits were shut up in the infernal prison, detained, like the fallen angels, ( Jdg 1:6 ,) unto the judgment of the great day; which sometime — Ποτε , once, or formerly, were disobedient, when the long-suffering of God waited — For their repentance; in the days of Noah — During the long space of one hundred and twenty years; while the ark was preparing — During which time Noah warned them all to repent, and flee from the wrath to come.

Wherein — In which ark; few, that is, eight souls — Namely, Noah and his wife, with their three sons and their wives; were saved by water — Or, were carried safely through the water; namely, the waters of the flood, which bare up the ark in which they were enclosed. Some suppose that the persons here spoken of are said to have been in prison in the days of Noah, by the same figure of speech, by which the persons to whom Christ preached in the days of his flesh, are called captives in prison, Luke 4:18 . “Christ’s preaching to the antediluvians by Noah, their destruction for their disobedience to that preaching, and the preservation of Noah and his family in the ark, are all fitly mentioned, to show that it hath been God’s way from the beginning of the world, when the wickedness of men became general, to oppose it, by raising up prophets to reprove them, and warn them of their danger; and after waiting for their repentance to no purpose, to destroy them; while he delivered the righteous from the evils to which they were exposed, by manifest interpositions of his power. These things teach us, that we should not think the worse of the gospel, because it hath been rejected by many; nor of ourselves, because we are persecuted by the wicked. On the other hand, by the punishment of the antediluvians, and of the Jews who crucified our Lord; wicked men and persecutors are taught to dread the judgments of God.” — Macknight.

By which (ἐν ᾧ) Wrong. Rev., correctly, in which in the spiritual form of life; in the disembodied spirit. Went and preached (πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν) The word went, employed as usual of a personal act; and preached, in its ordinary New-Testament sense of proclaiming the Gospel. To the spirits (πνεύμασιν) As in Hebrews 12:23, of disembodied spirits, though the word ψυχαὶ, souls, is used elsewhere (Revelation 6:9; Revelation 20:4). In prison (ἐν φυλακῇ) Authorities differ, some explaining by 2 Peter 2:4; Jde 1:6; Revelation 20:7, as the final abode of the lost. Excepting in the last passage, the word occurs nowhere else in the New Testament in a metaphorical sense. It is often translated watch (Matthew 14:25; Luke 2:8); hold and cage (Revelation 18:2). Others explain as Hades, the kingdom of the dead generally.

1 Peter 3:19 . Ἐν ᾧ ) in which spirit. Christ had to do with the living, in the flesh; with spirits, in spirit. He Himself has efficacy with the living and the dead. There are wonders in that invisible world. In a subject full of mystery, we ought not to dismiss from it the proper signification of the language employed, because it has no parallel passages. For they, to whom each mystery has first been revealed, have most nobly believed the word of God even without parallel passages. For instance, our Saviour only once said, This is My body . The mystery respecting the change of those who shall be alive at the coming of the Lord, is only once written.— τοῖς — πνεύυασι , to the spirits ) Peter does not say that all the spirits were in that place of confinement, for many might have been in a more gloomy place; but he means, that Christ preached to all who were in confinement.— ἐν φυλακῇ , in guard ) The guilty are punished in prison; they are kept in guard , until they experience what the Judge is about to do. The expression about the state of those living under the Old Testament, Galatians 3:23 , bears some analogy to this.— πυεύμασι , to the spirits ) of the dead. Comp. Hebrews 12:23 . He does not call them souls , as in the next verse.— πορευθεὶς , going ) namely, to those spirits. The same word is used in 1 Peter 3:22 .

Those spirits were not in the tomb of Jesus: He went to them.— ἐκήρυξεν , He preached ) By this preaching, which followed close upon His being quickened, Christ showed Himself both alive , even then, and righteous . Peter would not say, εὐηγγελίσατο , He preached the Gospel , if even ever so much the preaching of grace only were here designed: for the hearers had fallen asleep before the times of the Gospel ; therefore he uses a word of wider meaning, He preached (or published ). Noah, a preacher of righteousness, was despised, 2 Peter 2:5 ; but Christ was a more powerful preacher , who, when quickened in spirit, vindicated His own righteousness, which was not believed by them of former times, and openly refuted their unbelief, 1 Timothy 3:16 . If he were speaking of preaching by Noah, the word sometime would either be altogether omitted, or be joined with the word preached . This preaching was a prelude to the general judgment; comp. ch. 1 Peter 4:5 ; and the term “preaching” itself is to be taken in its wider sense, that it may be understood to have been to some a preaching of the Gospel, as Hutter says, to their consolation, which is more peculiarly the office of Christ; to others, and perhaps the greater part, a publishing of the law, for their terror. For if the judgment itself shall be a cause of joy to some, assuredly this preaching was not a subject of dread to all.

By which also; by which Spirit, mentioned in the end of the former verse, i.e. by, or in, his Divine nature, the same by which he was quickened. He; Christ. This notes the person that went and preached, as the former doth the nature in which, and so shows that what is here spoken of the person of Christ, is to be understood of him according to his Divine nature. Went; or, came, viz. from heaven, by all anthropopathy, by which figure God is often in Scripture said to go forth, Isaiah 26:21 , to come down, Micah 1:3 , and go down, Genesis 18:21 Exodus 3:8 ; which two latter places are best understood of the Second Person. This therefore here notes in Christ not a change of place, but a special operation, and testification of his presence. And preached; viz. by Noah, inspired by him, that he might be a preacher of righteousness, to warn a wicked generation of approaching judgment, and exhort them to repentance. Unto the spirits; souls of men departed, which are frequently called spirits, Ecclesiastes 12:7 Acts 7:59 Hebrews 12:23 . In prison; i.e. in hell, so it is taken, Proverbs 27:20 ; compare with Matthew 5:25 Luke 12:58 , where prison is mentioned as a type or representation of hell; and the Syriac renders the word by Sheol, which signifies sometimes the grave and sometimes hell. See the like expression, 2 Peter 2:4,5 Jude 1:6 .

18. Confirmation of 1Pe 3:17, by the glorious results of Christ's suffering innocently. For—"Because." That is "better," 1Pe 3:17, means of which we are rendered more like to Christ in death and in life; for His death brought the best issue to Himself and to us [Bengel]. Christ—the Anointed Holy One of God; the Holy suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust. also—as well as yourselves (1Pe 3:17). Compare 1Pe 2:21; there His suffering was brought forward as an example to us; here, as a proof of the blessedness of suffering for well-doing. once—for all; never again to suffer. It is "better" for us also once to suffer with Christ, than for ever without Christ We now are suffering our "once"; it will soon be a thing of the past; a bright consolation to the tried. for sins—as though He had Himself committed them. He exposed Himself to death by His "confession," even as we are called on to "give an answer to him that asketh a reason of our hope." This was "well-doing" in its highest manifestation. As He suffered, "The Just," so we ought willingly to suffer, for righteousness' sake (1Pe 3:14; compare 1Pe 3:12, 17). that he might bring us to God—together with Himself in His ascension to the right hand of God (1Pe 3:22). He brings us, "the unjust," justified together with Him into heaven.

So the result of Christ's death is His drawing men to Him; spiritually now, in our having access into the Holiest, opened by Christ's ascension; literally hereafter. "Bring us," moreover, by the same steps of humiliation and exaltation through which He Himself passed. The several steps of Christ's progress from lowliness to glory are trodden over again by His people in virtue of their oneness with Him (1Pe 4:1-3). "To God," is Greek dative (not the preposition and case), implying that God wishes it [Bengel]. put to death—the means of His bringing us to God. in the flesh—that is, in respect to the life of flesh and blood. quickened by the Spirit—The oldest manuscripts omit the Greek article. Translate with the preposition "in," as the antithesis to the previous "in the flesh" requires, "IN spirit," that is, in respect to His Spirit. "Put to death" in the former mode of life; "quickened" in the other. Not that His Spirit ever died and was quickened, or made alive again, but whereas He had lived after the manner of mortal men in the flesh, He began to live a spiritual "resurrection" (1Pe 3:21) life, whereby He has the power to bring us to God.