1 Peter 3:18-22 Gone Into Heaven, That He Might Bring Us to God

Peter has been teaching us to rest in our Living Hope Jesus Christ seated in heaven. That we have been born again and are secure in the life we have in Christ Jesus. In Chapter 3 he has been saying that We may suffer for righteousness’ sake “it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will than for doing evil.” Se we are called to live as a family of God, brothers and sisters. Christ will be the Lord of our lives, the Lord our loves, and the anchor of the big picture living Hope that we are both body and soul, and that though we might suffer trials on earth for following Christ he will bring us all the way home.

Today we will see that the suffering of Jesus on the cross takes away our sin. And the humility of Jesus gave way as our resurrected Lord to glory. And a glorious proclamation that Jesus is our Lord and our God. The Holy Spirit will be held up as the one who empowers the proclamation of Jesus’ life and victory as well as the proclamation that instead of Judgement our lives can be hidden in Christ. If we are brought to God by the Holy Spirit and united to Christ we will be made alive by the Spirit no less than Jesus is.

Read 1 Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, [19] in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, [20] because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. [21] Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, [22] who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. (ESV)

Again Pastor Doriani reminds us, The passage is a cousin of 1 Peter 2:18-25. Both present Jesus as the supreme example of the innocent man who endures mistreatment. In 1 Peter 2, Jesus suffers injustice and entrusts himself to God. In 1 Peter 3, Jesus suffers for doing good and experiences God's vindication. In each passage, Jesus both illustrates and empowers righteous action. Yet whereas 1 Peter 2 accents Jesus' sacrifice, 1Peter 3 calls attention to his resurrection, exaltation, and power over all (3:21-22), (Doriani, 147).

#1 Clear: Jesus’ Suffering and Vindication (v.18, 22)

#2 Unclear Passages and What to do with them: 3 Views of our passage (19-21)

#3 Its Going to be Ok: Jesus Saves Sinners. Jesus Wins. (18, 21, 22).

#1 Clear: Jesus’ suffering and vindication

[18] For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God

[[22] who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God [he has obeyed], with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. (ESV)

‘Jesus suffered – to save us from our sins, reconcile us to God (bring us to God). He was put to death but did not stay dead because God the Father resurrected him as he promised to and Jesus had predicted. And he has finished his work. He has sat down. Ceased from work. Sitting down means its done. (Such as a father when the recliner is sat in…except for earthly father’s sometimes its not actually done.). But for the regal king of the universe when he sits. Its done.

[18] For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the [S]pirit,

#2 Peter is going to give an Example – and there is a lot of interpretations of it. So we move to #2 Unclear passages and what to do with them: 3 Views of our passage

We can be greatly disturbed if we don’t understand every word. Everything the bible says, but a few considerations.

The bible has great clarity as we just saw with who Jesus is, what he accomplished. If you look at the core statements of belief the apostles creed, and great protestant confessions we agree on huge and primary beliefs.

And often even beyond that important are precious distinctive insights of protestant and reformational theology that may be agreed on…

But even then we may agree on a scriptural truth and yet differ on which exact passages teach that truth.

Often God blesses us with a truth clearly stated in 2 or three scriptures.

So so when you come come to a confusing passage you can rely on the clear as guardrails on the unclear. Think of bowling with the guardrails up. We have the clear passages of scripture on the one side. We have our confessional creeds and sta