The Strand Study Bible

I PETER

2098

Written From Babylon (Rome)

3:8 If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague ( courteous ). 3:15 We should never allow the world (or another believer for that matter – I Tim 1: 19- 20 ) to cause us to question what we believe. We are not to “question” what we believe; we are to answer what we believe ( Phil 1:17 ). 3:19 There are three schools of thought when it comes to this portion of scripture (vs 18-20). One school of thought believes that CHRIST in His death descended into the lower parts of the earth (Sheol/Hades) in order to set OT saints free from their temporary captivity in paradise (Eph 4:8-9), and at the same time preach (proclaim) to the spirits in prison (those who rejected Noah’s message) as to why they were there. They quote the Apostles Creed, which states that Christ descended into Hell after His death, and Ephesians 4:8-9 as evidence of their view. W.A. Criswell in Expository Sermons on the Epistles of Peter notes:

In this difficult passage we see our Lord not only being put to death in the flesh, but also being quickened by the Spirit by which He also went and preached to the spirits in prison, those spirits who were disobedient in the days of Noah when the longsuffering of God waited for their repentance. What does that mean? I used to say that this passage referred to the spirit of Christ in Noah when Noah preached for 120 years, pleading with his hearers to repent. It was the spirit of Christ in the preacher who was pleading with them. I probably said that because I was afraid to admit that I did not know the real meaning of the passage and could not understand it – and still do not understand it fully. Many great scholars agree with this interpretation. But when I take another look at the text, I cannot escape the persuasion that that interpretation is not right. 1

The second school of thought believes that CHRIST in His death descended into the lower parts of the earth (Sheol/Hades), not to preach to those who rejected Noah’s message, but to proclaim His victory over the fallen angels ( spirits in prison ) who had co inhabited with women in Genesis 6. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck in The Bible Knowledge Commentary note:

Others have said this passage refers to Christ’s descent into hell after His crucifixion to proclaim His victory to the imprisoned fallen angels referred to in 2 Peter 2:4-5, equating them with “the sons of God” Moses wrote about (Gen. 6:1-2). 2

The third school of thought believes that the “ spirits in prison ” are those people in Genesis 6:1-8 who rejected the message of Noah concerning the righteousness of Christ (salvation - II Pet 2:5) and the WRATH to come. Because they rejected the plea to be saved, they are now “caged” in Hades (Rev 20:1-3,7), until the time of CHRIST’S GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT (Rev 20:11-15). Louis A. Barbieri, Jr. in First & Second Peter notes: It is the belief of this author that the phrase “spirits in prison” is explained in verse 20. The “spirits in prison” were people living in the days of Noah, when he built the ark. These were the people mentioned in Genesis 6:5-6: “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great… [and] only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” These were the rebels who rejected the testimony of the Lord through Noah… Since they refused the testimony of the Lord through Noah, the flood came to destroy them. Therefore, they were confined to the place of departed spirits to await the final resurrection of the wicked at the great white throne judgment of God (Rev 20:11-15). 3 This is why Peter could say that the Lord preached to “ spirits in prison ;” for when he penned these words, the spirits of these people were confined. Charles C. Ryrie in The Ryrie Study Bible agrees. He notes:

Some understand this to mean that Christ, between His death and resurrection, descended into Hades and offered to those who lived before Noah (v. 20) a second chance for salvation, a doctrine that is without scriptural support. Others say that it was simply an announcement of His victory over sin to those in Hades without offering a second chance. Most likely this is a reference to the preincarnate Christ preaching through Noah to those who, because they rejected that message, are now spirits in prison. 4

3:20-21 Sadly, there are some religious movements that have tried to use this Scripture to prove that baptism ( saved by water ) is essential to salvation and thus part of the saving Gospel. It is not ( Mk 16:16 ). Noah and his family were not saved by getting into the water, but by staying out of the water. The ark (a type of CHRIST ) is what saved Noah and his family, not the water. According to verse 21, baptism is nothing more than a “ like figure ” (a symbol or illustration) of spiritual cleansing. Baptism is simply an outward and visible declaration of an inward change, i.e., the public evidence of a penitent spirit (Rom 6:4-5). Only the Gospel saves, and baptism is not a part of the Gospel (Rom 1:16 and I Cor 1:17). W.A. Criswell in Expository Sermons on the Epistles of Peter notes:

It is a figure of our baptism in the water – we are buried and the old world is gone. We are dead to the old delights, the old tastes, the old visions and dreams, the old longings. We are buried under the flood and are born into a new life in Christ. Then, lest someone think that baptism does it, Peter writes in parenthesis that it is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the regenerating power of God that does it. He was writing to Jewish people who knew all about baptizing. They baptized their pots and pans, their feet, their hands, their heads – sometimes they baptized themselves all over. Peter says our baptizing is a symbol and a figure of a great spiritual reality that we have died to the old world, and, buried beneath the flood, we are raised to a new life in Christ. 1

1 Criswell, W. A. Expository Sermons on the Epistles of Peter , Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1976. Print. 2 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, USA, Scripture Press Pub. Print. 3 Barbieri, Jr., Louis A. First & Second Peter , Chicago, ILL, Moody Press, 1975. Print. 4 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible , Chicago, ILL, Moody Press, 1978. Print.