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.”

In verse 14, Peter cites a passage from Isaiah 8:12. In this week’s passage, he uses the very next verse in Isaiah, but adapts it to his context, calling his readers to set apart Christ as Lord. You can see this passage in 1 Peter 3:15-17.

We need to remember that this entire section of 1 Peter is on the topic of suffering and persecution, especially suffering that occurs for doing right. Peter’s encouragement to his original readers is something we need to hear today as well. In verse 14, he stated that it is actually a blessing to suffer for the sake of Christ, and that we have nothing to fear.

In verse 15, he gives us the alternative to fear: We are to set apart Christ as Lord. Those who cause the suffering are not to be feared, because ultimately, they are not in control. Christ is, and he alone is worthy to be revered as Lord.

The next statement Peter makes is interesting, and one that is quite often pulled from its context and used as a proof text for apologetics. To be certain, apologetics, the defense of the gospel message, is a worth study. But that is not Peter’s point here. Remember, he is speaking in the overarching context of suffering for doing good. And if you keep Christ as Lord in the midst of such suffering, people will take notice of that. And some of them will want to know why we behave in such a way in such dire circumstances.

Peter warns us that this will happen, and encourages us to be ready with an answer when the question comes. We need to be able to articulate clearly the reason we have for our hope. It’s also interesting to note that he uses the word hope here instead of faith. For Peter, hope carries an eschatological meaning, looking forward to the inheritance that awaits all believers. We definitely need to know what we believe, and why we believe it – faith – but Peter also encourages us to know the reason for our hope – the eternity with Christ that is ours to come.