Page 52 - General Epistles (James through Jude) Textbook

Just like in the society, Peter’s audience needed to continue doing what was
right because that would deflect harm from them. But if they would still suffer
for doing what is right, they needed not to worry because they would be blessed
in due time. This suffering included being threatened. The most important thing
they needed to do was 1) to continue to revere Christ, 2) to be prepared to give
an answer to everyone who would ask them concerning their hope they had. These are important
components when among those directing threats at you unjustly because revering Christ helps one not
to slip up in the application of biblical principles that concerns the expression of total obedience to God
while experiencing crisis. The fact that the heart, which is deceitful above all things and without cure (cf.
Jer. 17:9) is involved (or needed) to be a part of revering Christ is crucial in preparing them to share and
defend their hope to the lost. Being able to stand firm and share our hope to possibly those who are
threatening us is a difficult task and yet crucial in not only mitigating threats upon ourselves (or
themselves) but winning the pagans for Christ. Hence the need for them (us) to do so in humility and
respect by means of keeping a clear conscience. This would bring an encouraging result. Those who
utter threats like malicious speeches would be ashamed. In the end, the good behavior of Peter’s
audience would be highlighted and admired. While believers would suffer unjust treatment, Christians
need to make sure that their suffering is under the right circumstances. It is possible for Christians to
suffer for doing wrong. That is not Peter’s context. Peter advised (or encouraged) them to suffer in
accordance with God’s will. That is, suffering for doing good.

Example of Unjust Suffering for Doing Good (1 Pet. 3:18-22).

Christ Jesus suffered because of the sins of man. While his suffering was unjust, it was brought about in
order for Him to save man from sins. The righteous unjustly suffered once in order to make righteous
the unrighteous. “Once” implies that Jesus will never die twice and one death from Him is sufficient to
grant to man remission of sins if man believes. The purpose for doing so was to bring the unrighteous to
God. How did Jesus accomplish that? He accomplished that through His death and resurrection.
Christians may suffer severely, but no matter how severe it might be, that severity will never equal that
of Christ. Christ’s severity of suffering needed one who should be God-man.

There are three views which continue to surface from 1 Peter 3:19-20a. I will present
them and zero-in that one I am currently inclined to. The first view notes that Christ
descended to hell to proclaim the Gospel to those who did not listen during Noah’s
proclamation of God’s message. 123 This view promotes the idea that one can still be
saved even after his/her lifetime. After a physical death, you can still be saved if you
believe in the proclamation of the Gospel. That teaching is completely refuted by both
the books in the Old Testament and those in the New Testament (see Luke 16:26;
Heb. 10:26-27; 9:27).

The second view is the preincarnate view which states that preincarnate Christ preached repentance
through Noah to the sinful people of that generation before the judgement by floods. This view was
held by Augustine (the Latin father) and was repeated by Aquinas. The first problem with this view is
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that it completely fails to account for Jesus’ incarnation which is mentioned in 1 Peter 3:18-22, “having
been put to death in the flesh, but mad alive in the Spirit.” The second problem is that it does not seem
to be reconciliation with the assertions made by Peter in 1 Peter 3:18-22 and 1 Peter 4:6 which uses
spirits to demonstrate that the disobedient people of Noah’s time (“in which a few, that is eight persons

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