That is, the holiness of the Christian is fuller, and deeper than that of the Jew. The Christian does not belong to the world, and consequently is not bound by accidents of time. They think it strange when you do not rush to join them in the same flood of profligacy and they abuse you for not doing so. And it becomes a beautiful symbol.But if it has not happened in my heart, it cannot happen by the ritual. Whilst the Lord was here, it is ignorance and error to call such a state of things, however blessed and needed, Christianity. And the high priest asked them, Acts 5:27 The captain and officers just went to collect the apostles but without any violence. (vi) Peter sees the work of Christ in terms of complete triumph. 1 PETER 3 Parallel KJVand Greek Bible (New Testament) 1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. The copy from which this translation was taken evidently read conclusi erdnt, with one of the MSS. The saints are chosen through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience. and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you for the reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and reverence ( 1 Peter 3:15 ): So live the kind of a life that is an example that will provoke people to question you. The function of the High Priest, and Jesus Christ is the perfect High Priest, is to offer sacrifice for sins ( Hebrews 5:1; Hebrews 5:3). There is no allusion in this passage to any other; there is no intimation that to any others of those in prison the message here referred to had been delivered. be tedious to reckon up the several different senses of this How does Moffatt arrive at this translation? Amen. And we all come the same way to the same Lord to receive the same grace. The" sanctification of the Spirit" here spoken of is absolute. "Do good to those who despitefully use you" ( Matthew 5:44 ). Why? (it isn't the washing away of the filth of the flesh, but it is the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ ( 1 Peter 3:21 ): So the true baptism is a matter of my heart.Now I do believe that every one who believes in Jesus Christ should be baptized in water. To this double motive there is added another consideration on which it all rests, and without which neither of these things could be. The plural "spirits" describes human beings only one other place in the New Testament (Hebrews 12:23), but it describes evil spirit beings frequently (Matthew 10:1; Mark 1:27; Mark 3:11; Mark 5:13; Mark 6:7: Luke 4:36; Luke 6:18; Acts 5:16; Revelation 16:13; et al.). It is not exactly "the answer of a good conscience." Quintilian, the Roman master of oratory, wrote: "A tasteful and magnificent dress, as the Greek poet tells us, lends added dignity to the wearer: but effeminate and luxurious apparel fails to adorn the body, and only reveals the sordidness of the mind." Isaiah had called Sara the mother of God's faithful people ( Isaiah 51:2); and if Christian wives are adorned with the same graces of modesty, humility and chastity, they too will be her daughters and will be within the family of the faithful people of God. Gave Him to shed His blood? It is a capital offense to convert a Moslem. In this case then we have the Christian by divine grace possessed of a new nature which loves to obey. Up to that time membership of Christ, or to be in Christ, was not a fact, and consequently could not be testified to any soul, nor known to the most advanced believer. All through the New Testament rings this plea for Christian unity. The consequence would be that much of the exercise of spiritual affection which humbles the soul, a vast deal which renders needful the gracious present care of the Lord Jesus as advocate and priest on high, would be of necessity left out. Since this is the only passage in the New Testament upon which the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory is supposed to rest, it is important to ascertain the fair meaning of the language here employed. situation, because they were intent upon the hope of promised Not rendering evil for evil ( 1 Peter 3:9 ), Now that's what the natural man would like to do, isn't it? This is the most natural construction to put upon the words "in which also" (i.e., in spirit). So, then, even in suffering the Christian is still blessed. There is the attitude of elimination. (3.) It has two vivid backgrounds. Thus, Genesis 11:5, The Lord came down to see the city and the tower. Exodus 19:20, the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai. Numbers 11:25, the Lord came down in a cloud. 2 Samuel 22:10, he bowed the heavens and came down. The idea, however, would be conveyed by this language that he did this personally, or by himself, and not merely by employing the agency of another. . (iii) Third, Peter sets brotherly love. At the same time the general principles of God are in nowise enfeebled by Christianity, but rather strengthened and cleared immensely. Others, as the Papists, imagine the sense to be, that Christ, at his death, went in his human soul, into a place they call "Limbus Patrum", which they suppose is meant by the prison here, and delivered the souls of the Old Testament saints and patriarchs from thence, and carried them with him to heaven; but this sense is also false, because, as before observed, not the human soul of Christ, but his divine nature, is designed by the Spirit; nor is there any such place as here feigned, in which the souls of Old Testament saints were, before the death of Christ; for they were in peace and rest, in the kingdom of heaven, in Abraham's bosom, inheriting the promises, and not in a prison; besides, the text says not one word of the delivering of these spirits out of prison, only of Christ's preaching to them: add to all this, and which Beza, with others, observes, the apostle speaks of such as had been disobedient, and unbelievers; a character which will not agree with righteous men, and prophets, and patriarchs, under the former dispensation: others think the words are to be understood of Christ's going to preach, by his apostles, to the Gentiles, as in Ephesians 2:17 who were in a most miserable condition, strangers to the covenants of promise, and destitute of the hope of salvation, and sat in darkness, and the shadow of death, and, as it were, at the gates of hell; were in the bonds of iniquity, and dead in sin, and had been for long time past foolish and disobedient, serving divers lusts and pleasures, to which they were in bondage. And so He ascended to the right hand of God; the angels, the authorities, the powers, the ranking of angels are all subject unto him. None eau find it in Scripture. Second, it is improbable that the "sons of God" were angels. Cato the Censor, the typical ancient Roman, wrote: "If you were to catch your wife in an act of infidelity, you can kill her with impunity without a trial." It seems to me that rather means a watchtower in which watchmen stand for the purpose of watching, or the very act of watching, for it is often so taken by Greek authors; and the meaning would be very appropriate, that godly souls were watching in hope of the salvation promised them, as though they saw it afar off. The flesh never counts on God for good. was quickened, went in the ministry of Noah, the preacher of Of uncertain affinity; to herald, especially divine truth. There's where you have to get the right perspective. Certainly this mode of speaking would be most unsuitable. (iv) The only compelling argument is the argument of the Christian life. They assimilated passages one to another; they thought that what was right in one case must be right in another; and thus the tendency was to blunt the fine edge of the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. being put to death in the flesh, but he was made alive by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits that were in prison; Which sometimes were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by the water ( 1 Peter 3:18-20 ). No Christian should think or talk about a right of ministry; for although liberty of ministry may be legitimate enough in itself, still I think it is a phrase apt to be misunderstood. Over and over again Paul exhorts men to this unity and prays for it. They could see how gross, dark, and dissolute these Pagan governors were; and in such circumstances one needs the distinct sense of God's will to abide in the duty of obedience. What is he talking about? It was Rendel Harris', suggestion that between kai ( G2532) and tois ( G3588) the. And she feels that security and she needs to feel that security. that he was come, and to fill them with dread and terror; but It was in this spiritual condition of perfect freedom that the preaching to the dead took place. It was, and still is, no uncommon sight in the East to see the man riding on a donkey while the woman trudged by his side. We have already noted the woman's total lack of rights then and quoted Cato's statement of the rights of the husband. 19 After being made alive,[ a] 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. 1 Peter 3:19 New International Version 19 After being made alive,[ a] he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits Read full chapter Footnotes 1 Peter 3:19 Or but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also 1 Peter 3:19 in all English translations 1 Peter 2 1 Peter 4 New International Version (NIV) He went, not by a local motion, but by special operation, as God is frequently said to move, Genesis 11:5; Hosea 5:15; Micah 1:3. The Baptism Of The Christian ( 1 Peter 3:18-22). Under Roman law a woman had no rights. There is given to the soul of him who thus rests on God's power keeping him a wholly different tone from that of the man who thinks of his own perseverance as a saint. The apostle takes particular care to instruct them in the bearing of many of the types that were contained in the Levitical ritual with which they were familiar. But he triumphed over death. former is impracticable and impossible; for after death follows There is everything, as we have seen, to give not only faith and hope their full place, but also love. II. a. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." ( Song of Solomon 1:1-3; Ephesians 5:22-33) 1 3668 [e] 1 Homois. "And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him" ( Genesis 5:24). It means that the work of Christ is infinite in its range. And then he takes up what is distinctly spiritual power, which should be used not in charity only but with conscience before God, and for His glory through our Lord Jesus. It has been well pointed out that we are involved in two kinds of suffering. Honey, do you love me? 3:8-12 Finally, you must all be of one mind; you must have sympathy with each other and you must live in brotherly love; you must be compassionate and humble; you must not return evil for evil, nor insult for insult; on the contrary, you must return blessing; for it was to give and to inherit blessing that you were called. The prophets were constantly saying that the righteousness of God was near at, hand, and His salvation to be revealed. The apostle passes from the example of Christ to that of the old world, and sets before the Jews, to whom he wrote, the different event of those who believed and obeyed Christ preaching by Noah, from those that continued disobedient and unbelieving, intimating to the Jews that they were under a like sentence. It is a solemn warning to unbelief founded on plainly revealed facts before all eyes in this world, and not something to be understood as relating to another world. 1 Peter 3 is the third chapter of the First Epistle of Peter in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. He who does not love remains in death. The "spirits" here will thus correspond with "in spirit" there. So as Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, I don't need that anyone should write letters of commendation for me because you are my living epistles known and read of all men.Our lifestyle testifies to what we believe. This is because the wife's position was far more difficult than that of the husband. They are not yet finished; and they must be punctually fulfilled. Getting along; you know our prayer life can be hindered by friction within the home. To be like Jesus I must have it.How many times you read in the Gospel, "And Jesus looked upon them and had compassion on them." If people are devoted to Christ and are always ready to give others an explanation for their devotion, they will not fear their persecutors (14-15). In short, we find here too a guard which shows the meaning more clearly. place; some referring it to such in Noah's time, to whom the And this is fortified, singular to say, (but confirming what has been already remarked) by the Psalms. In the general sense of the word, salvation awaits the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Proud member Not so; for as He came out in the love of God, who none the less must by this very Christ judge every soul that lives in sin and unbelief, He would not go back to heaven until He bad by His own sacrifice completely put sin away. He has everlasting life now, and is a heavenly person even while upon the earth. This is the important difference here revealed. Whatever the form, God never gives up His righteous government, though there is His grace also. But even on this word there are several various readings; some of the Greek MSS. Now that word has changed in the usage, too. This attitude--and it is that of some very great New Testament interpreters--believes that Peter is indeed saying that Jesus went to Hades and preached, but that he by no means preached to all the inhabitants of Hades. (c) The context indicates that Christ was preaching through Noah, who was in a persecuted minority, and God saved Noah, which is similar to the situation in Peters time: Christ is now preaching the gospel through Peter and his readers (1 Peter 3:15) to a persecuted minority, and God will save them. We take it, then, to mean that, directly Christ's human spirit was disengaged from the body, He gave proof of the new powers of purely spiritual action thus acquired by going off to the place, or state, in which other disembodied spirits were (who would have been incapable of receiving direct impressions from Him had He not Himself been in the purely spiritual condition), and conveyed to them certain tidings: He "preached" unto them. bodies; and especially that carnal and unconverted men are ever Such was Hades, into which the spirits of all men went after death. Many in repeating the creed have found the phrase "He descended into hell" either meaningless or bewildering, and have tacitly agreed to set it on one side and forget it. Whereas the previous example of Jesus stressed the way He suffered while doing good, this one emphasizes the theme of Jesus vindication, which is major in 1 Peter following the quotation of Psalms 34 in 1 Peter 3:10-12. He who ascended into Heaven is he who first descended into the lower parts of the earth ( Ephesians 4:9-10). His traditions wrap him up in fog. (iii) Peter's answer is this. In the Temple the layman might come so far; he could pass through the Court of the Gentiles, the Court of the Women, the Court of the Israelites--but there he must stop. Salem Media Group. It is a logos ( G3056) that the Christian must give, and a logos ( G3056) is a reasonable and intelligent statement of his position. It was during the height of the hippie thing around here where these hippies had these old vans and held together with bailing wire, you know; material things didn't mean anything to them, paint all over them. It was not necessary to speak of them precisely as they were at the time when it was delivered, but only in such a way as to identify them. too often saints going astray, comparatively seldom persevering as the rule, if we speak of their consistent fidelity and devotedness. only to their responsibility, not to their faith; and if it be responsibility, whether to do the law or to believe the Messiah, it is all one as far as the result in man is concerned. Bear in mind that the one is just as truly Christian as the other. Least of all can the Jews be said to be sown in the land of Palestine. called preaching; and besides, not believers, but unbelievers, It is worth while to collect together the great New Testament passages about unity, in order to see how great a place it occupies in New Testament thought. So opening the prison. This particular Greek word is a difficult word to translate.