Be Faithful and Leave the Results to God

I Peter 3:18–22
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We missed him. Our chance to change things came and passed and we did not know it was there. A dark-skinned little boy sat through Sunday School classes for three years at a great Baptist Church (First Church, San Antonio) but someone missed him. His name was Si … More

Opportunity

In looking through various commentaries we find many different interpretations of this passage.  Probably when Peter wrote this section of his letter he had no idea it would be classified as one of the most difficult portions of the Word of God. Some think the phrase  “spirits in prison” (v.19) refers to Jesus descending into Hades (in the heart of the earth) after His  death on the cross to preach to the spirits of the dead. Some think He preached only to the fallen angels and then it was not salvation but an awful doom. Others think this refers to the people living in Noah’s day and that in the spirit Christ preached to those who were disobedient when the ark was being built because of the reference to Noah in (v. 20).

This is one portion of Scripture we will not all agree on until we get to heaven. However, there are some practical lessons that Peter was sharing that we can agree on:

  1. Christians must expect opposition - If Jesus who was perfect had to suffer like He did, how do we who are imperfect think we can escape suffering?
  2. Christians must be faithful and leave the results to God- Noah preached  and served God for many years but only seven people were saved from the flood.
  3. Our baptism is important - It is not a means of salvation but a pledge to God that we will obey Him after we are saved.

Application

Peter makes it very clear that difficult days will give me multiplied opportunities for witnessing. The big question is - Am I taking advantage of these opportunities?

I Peter 3:18-22 (English Standard Version)


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