1 Peter 3:18-22 NIV: The Victory of Christ
Suffering and Salvation
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
In this verse, Peter emphasizes the significance of Christ's suffering. Jesus, the righteous one, suffered on behalf of the unrighteous to reconcile us to God. This sacrifice is the cornerstone of our salvation.
The Preaching to the Spirits
19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—
20 to those who were disobedient 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,
21 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,
22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
In these verses, Peter describes Jesus' post-resurrection proclamation to the imprisoned spirits. This episode is often interpreted as a reference to the time between Jesus' death and resurrection, when he preached to the spirits of those who had disobeyed God in the days of Noah.
The water of the flood, which saved Noah and his family, is seen as a symbol of baptism, which now saves us. However, it's not the physical act of baptism that saves us, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God, made possible by Jesus' resurrection.
This passage underscores the supremacy of Jesus Christ, who has been exalted to God's right hand, with all angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him.
