As 1 Peter 3 comes to a close, Peter uses an illustration from the earliest days of history, of the Flood and Noah’s acts of faith during that time. But before he gets there, he makes one of the most misunderstood statements of the entire letter. Take a look for yourself in 1 Peter 3:18-20.
Remember, this entire section of Peter’s letter has been on the subject of unjust suffering. He calls those who face persecution to bear it, and remember for whom they are suffering. He gives us the ultimate example, that of Jesus himself, and his suffering for our own sake. Christ triumphed over death. He was victorious! And his sacrifice was sufficient, once and for all.
That’s how Peter begins this passage, with the reminder that Christ’s death was a one time event that was good enough for all people, everywhere, and at any time. No longer were the repetitive sacrifices of bulls and goats needed. Christ was righteous, and did what only he could do, in order to bring us close to God. One of the interesting textual variants of this passage makes the statement that Christ “suffered” for sins once and for all. This conveys the thrust of this passage very clearly.
But Peter also implies that because Christ suffered, we should expect to suffer as well. And we should be willing to follow the example of Christ as he suffered for doing good, although Christ’s suffering was different in nature, due to the atoning sacrifice he made on our behalf, that we could never accomplish on our own. And that work is finished. The death, burial and resurrection fully accomplished our salvation.
Peter next states that he was killed physically, but made alive by the Spirit. Of course, this is the cross and the resurrection. But what Peter states next has puzzled readers for centuries. It is an obscure passage that even the likes of Martin Luther could not completely fathom. He stated: “This is a strange text and certainly a more obscure passage than any other passage in the New Testament. I still do not know for sure what the apostle means.”
