Throughout this short epistle the author keeps one thing in mind: to encourage his readers as they ex­perience suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ. They must realize that this suffering is the natural effect of their faith. They will not be forsaken in the midst of their suffering. Their faith, for which they suffered, will give them the strength to endure all things. That faith must be rooted in Jesus Christ. His teaching will sustain them and His example will make them bold. They will also experience that God's program for His Son was by way of the cross to the highest glory and that His program for His people often fol­lows the same path.

No Need for Fear⤒🔗

They are to have a zeal for the good; they are to be zealous in keeping His commandments and so to do His will. This is required of all believers. Now then, who will harm you for this? Yet, that is precisely their problem! There are those who harm them, who cause them to suffer, even though they are zealous for the right. But, the Apostle teaches them, they cannot really harm you. You may suffer in the body, you may experience economic loss, you may be socially ostracized, yet, they cannot harm you in the most important part of your being. Sooner or later God's people experience the truth of Romans 8:28:

And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.

If you should suffer for doing what is right you need not be pitied but you are blessed! This is strong language and its truth is not immediately evident to those who have not made much progress on the way of sanctification. Paul considers it to be a great priv­ilege to be allowed to suffer for his Lord (Philippians 1:29). You need, therefore, not be afraid of those who would cause you suffering. You must not be immobilized by the fear of them. You may not so be gripped by fear of suffering that you will not be able to function as believers.

With Eyes Fixed on Christ←⤒🔗

Instead of the kind of a fear which would paralyze them they must keep their eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. They must look away from the troubles of their present state and look to Him. They must enthrone Christ as Lord in their hearts. When the Christ is enthroned in the heart they will be able to see everything else in the proper light.

They are to reverence Him as Lord! His Lordship will give them the proper perspective. It will also make it clear to them that He is in control over all things. No suffering will come without His will. At the same time, they will then do the things which He requires of them. If Christ is not recognized as Lord, sufferings will be grievous. If He is not acknowledged as the Lord of their lives, they will live without pur­pose or goal.

Always Ready to Give a Reason for One's Hope←⤒🔗

Having the eye of faith directed toward Jesus Christ and recognizing His Lordship over your lives, you are always to be ready to give a reason for the hope which you have. Surely, that hope had not been taken away from them! Their hope is in Christ. He has come and wrought salvation and He is coming again. The reason for that hope is found in His Word. He has given His promises and they have the Spirit-wrought faith as evidence. They are always to be ready to bear testimony to this. This, of course, demands a high spiritual plane which can only be attained by a close relationship to Jesus Christ. Fear for suffering must be eliminated because they are to confess Christ be­fore all men. They must be ready to give answer to any man who asks. Some of these might ask in order to know more about the faith they confess and live. Others might ask so that they might accuse the be­lievers. They are to answer everyone! This is the believer's calling! If he would be so afraid because of the things which might happen to him that he would be silent, the cause of Jesus Christ would be greatly hindered.

It will take a certain boldness to confess Christ before all men, but this confession is to be made with meekness and fear. It must be done in such a way that the antagonist may be won and that the inquirer may be taught. The manner of the believer's witness to his Lord is important. Herein, too, they must follow the example of the Lord Himself and His Apostles.

The reason for the believer's hope must be made known in such a way that it will attract others. That hope is beautiful and must be presented as much.

Having a Clear Conscience←⤒🔗

Your conscience must be clear when opponents of the gospel revile you. This has reference to their whole life, but also to the manner in which they give answer concerning the reason for their hope. There are those who bring persecution upon themselves. Their whole manner of life must be controlled by the Lordship of Christ. Then there will still be those who speak evil of them but that will be to their own shame. So must the Christian live in this world that he is beyond reproach. Then it will even be a shame to the unbeliever if he reviles that kind of life.

It seems to be a truism when the Apostle teaches that it is better to suffer for doing the good than for evil doing. However, this was not quite so clear to his readers. They stumbled at the will of God which caused them to suffer for doing the good. This was not only a suffering in the body but a suffering in mind and soul as well. How could He allow this? From all that has gone before it should now be clear to these people that it was far better to suffer for well-doing. God has His purpose in all this.

With Christ as One's Example←⤒🔗

Christ is their example in this. He also suffered for sins once for all. He was righteous, and therefore should not have had to suffer. He, as the righteous One, suffered for the unrighteous. Those who were unrighteous would never have been able to come to God, but by His suffering for them the way has been opened. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

If there ever was an example for these pilgrims and strangers, it is Christ. By way of suffering He entered into glory. Their suffering is, of course, dif­ferent from that of the Christ. He suffered for others and stood as the Substitute for men. However, if God did not spare His Son from this suffering, is it so strange that His followers go through the same kind of an experience? He is far more than an ex­ample — but — He is also their example!

Through Suffering to Victory←⤒🔗

The following verses of this chapter are difficult and have received a variety of explanations. The Catholic and Lutheran theologians teach that these verses explain the descent into hell, of which the Apostle's Creed speaks. After Christ died He went into hell or the domain of the dead and preached His triumph over them. But, would the descent into hell then not be the first step in His exaltation rather than the final step in His humiliation? What would be Peter's purpose in teaching this right in the midst of his teaching con­cerning the purpose of the suffering of the people in the dispersion? We may not neglect the context in which these words are written.

Peter speaks of the fact that Christ preached to "the spirits in prison." Who were these people? Peter answers this question very clearly. They were the people who were disobedient during the days of Noah. How did He preach to them? In the previous verse he writes that Christ was put to death in the flesh but was made alive in the spirit. In that spirit He preached to them. In the first chapter he spoke of the Spirit of Christ which spoke through the proph­ets of the Old Testament time. The victory of Jesus Christ, or the promise of the victory which God would achieve over the sin of man, was preached to the people of Noah's day. The preaching of Noah during the 120 years that the ark was in process of being built pointed to the Christ Who was to come. He was the preacher of righteousness and called the people of his day to repentance. Through repentance they would be saved. But, they were disobedient and only Noah and his family were saved in the ark. God had been patient with them for the space of 120 years and — then comes the deluge.

Noah and his family were saved through water, says Peter. That water was the grave for the disobedient. They spurned the word of warning which came to them and were destroyed. The destruction was total because of the enormity of the sins they had committed. By this water the earth was cleansed so that the family of Noah might begin anew and not be confronted by the wickedness of those who had perished in the flood. In this way the flood saved them. At the same time, the water which destroyed the wicked bore up the ark of Noah and his own.

The waters in the day of Noah remind the writer of baptism. That is the water which stands between the believer and the unbeliever. Baptism is not in­tended as a cleansing agent for the filth of the body, but to show the spiritual cleansing which we need. It strengthens the conscience in the knowledge of the forgiveness of sins. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have received the assurance that sin has been slain and that we now have forgiveness.

The readers of this epistle have suffered much — but they should remember that suffering is not the end of the matter. Christ has suffered more than anyone ever has and the glory He has received is also greater than anyone ever experienced. The only way to that glory, however, was by the way of suf­fering. He not only rose from the dead — He has ascended into heaven and is at the right hand of God having all creatures and all things subject to Him. All creation must acknowledge that He is Victor. This is of great significance to the believers in suffering. Not only are they called upon to suffer for His sake, they will also rise again to newness of life and shall reign with Him eternally!

Questions for Discussion:←⤒🔗

1. Does the suffering of believers for the sake of Christ always strengthen them in the faith? Can it also do the opposite?

2. What is needed to be able to give an answer to everyone who asks concerning the reason for our hope? Can everyone do this?

3. What does the "descent into hell" mean? When did it take place?

4. What is really the meaning of baptism?

5. Why has the church made so little of Ascension Day? Is it of lesser importance than the celebra­tion of the other events in our redemption?