1 Peter 3:11-21

11 And let him avoid evil, and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it;

12 because [the] eyes of [the] Lord [are] on [the] righteous, and his ears towards their supplications; but [the] face of [the] Lord [is] against them that do evil.

13 And who shall injure you if ye have become imitators of that which [is] good?

14 But if also ye should suffer for righteousness' sake, blessed [are ye]; but be not afraid of their fear, neither be troubled;

15 but sanctify [the] Lord the Christ in your hearts, and [be] always prepared to [give] an answer [to] every one that asks you to give an account of the hope that [is] in you, but with meekness and fear;

16 having a good conscience, that [as to that] in which they speak against you as evildoers, they may be ashamed who calumniate your good conversation in Christ.

17 For [it is] better, if the will of God should will it, to suffer [as] well-doers than [as] evildoers;

18 for Christ indeed has once suffered for sins, [the] just for [the] unjust, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in flesh, but made alive in [the] Spirit,

19 in which also going he preached to the spirits [which are] in prison,

20 heretofore disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in [the] days of Noah while the ark was preparing, into which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water:

21 which figure also now saves you, [even] baptism, not a putting away of [the] filth of flesh, but [the] demand as before God of a good conscience, by [the] resurrection of Jesus Christ,

1 Peter 3:11-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 PETER 3

In this chapter the apostle instructs wives how to behave towards their husbands, and husbands how to behave towards their wives; and then exhorts to various things common to all Christians, and particularly to suffer patiently for righteousness sake; to which he encourages them from the sufferings of Christ, and the benefits resulting from them, on which he enlarges to the end of the chapter. He begins with the duty of wives to their husbands, even unbelieving ones, which is subjection to them, urged from the profitable effect of it; since hereby they might be won over to the Christian religion, without the use of the word, as a means, by their conversation, which is explained of chastity and fear, 1Pe 3:1,2. And he proceeds to give some advice about their apparel, that they should have a greater regard to internal ornaments; particularly meekness and quietness of spirit, which is highly esteemed of by God, rather than to outward adorning; and which he enforces by the examples of godly women in former times, who were so adorned, and were subject to their husbands, particularly Sarah, the wife of Abraham, 1Pe 3:3-6. And next the apostle directs husbands how to conduct towards their wives, to dwell with them, and honour them, because vessels, and weaker vessels, and also heirs of the same grace of life; and besides, to use them ill would be an hinderance of their praying together, 1Pe 3:7. And then follow various exhortations to unity of judgment, compassion, brotherly love, pity, courteousness, and patience under the reproaches and revilings of men, which is the way to inherit a blessing they are called unto, 1Pe 3:8,9 and that these are incumbent on the saints, and that they shall be blessed, who are helped to regard them, is proved by some passages out of Ps 34:12-16, which passages are cited, 1Pe 3:10-12. And in order to encourage to the exercise of the above things, the apostle suggests, that they that so behaved should not be hurt by any; and if they did suffer for righteousness sake from wicked men, yet still they would be happy; nor should this deter them from making a public confession of their faith; to which should be added a good conscience and conversation, to the shame and confusion of them that spoke evil of them, and accused them, 1Pe 3:13-16. And though they were distressed and injured by men, they should not be cast down, nor murmur, since it was the will of God it should be so; and since it was better to suffer for doing well than for doing ill; and especially the example of Christ should animate to patience, since he, an innocent person, suffered for the sins of unjust men, to reconcile them to God; and he is now glorified and happy, and so will his people be, 1Pe 3:17,18. And having made mention of his being quickened by the Spirit, the apostle takes occasion from hence of observing, that by the same Spirit Christ preached in the times of Noah to disobedient persons, whose spirits were now in hell; and he takes notice of the longsuffering of God in that dispensation towards them, and of the goodness of God in saving Noah, and his family, in the ark, which was a figure of baptism; of which some account is given what it is, and is not, and which saves by the resurrection of Christ, 1Pe 3:19-21 who is described by his ascension to heaven, session at the right hand of God, and dominion over angels, authorities, and powers, 1Pe 3:22.

Footnotes

• [a]. See Ps. 34.12-16.
• [b]. Or 'him that is good.'
• [c]. See Isa. 8.12-13.
• [d]. Or 'a reason for,' logos, as ch. 4.5; it includes both ideas. In Matt. 12.36 it is 'account,' but in Acts 19.40 'a reason for,' as elsewhere.
• [e]. See Note m, ch. 2.12.
• [f]. See Note o, ver. 1.
• [g]. 'Just' is singular, 'unjust' plural. There is no article in either case. It is not 'the just' par excellence, as Acts 3.14.
• [h]. The article being left out, it is characteristic, in contrast with 'in flesh.' Both flesh and spirit are the manner and character of what is predicated of Christ. We could say 'present in spirit,' 'fervent in spirit,' because it is characteristic: but 'made alive in spirit' conveys to the English mind the idea of an accomplished fact. It cannot be simply characteristic. In Greek, on the other hand, although conveying a fact, it has a characteristic significance. The sense given here is right.
• [i]. Or 'disbelieving:' see John 3.36 and ch. 2.7,8.
• [j]. Makrothumia: see Note.f, Jas. 5.7.
• [k]. The Greek means 'arrive safe into a place of security through difficulty or danger,' as Acts 27.44.
• [l]. This does not mean, I think, that they went through the water to get in, i.e. through the course of the flood. The apostle's mind does not turn to the flood, but to the water as an instrument. Water was ruin and death, and they were saved through it.
• [m]. Or 'engagement,' or 'testimony.' The Greek word here translated 'demand' is a very difficult one, and has puzzled all critics and commentators. It means 'a question.' All the commentators speak of its use as a legal term with the sense of contract, or rather stipulations or obligations of a contract. I judge (as usual in these forms) that it refers to the question asked rather than to the asking of the question. The legal use arises from a questioning which settled the terms of the contract, hence called the questioning. I am disposed to think it is the thing demanded. It requires as before God, and has it in baptism as a figure by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It must be remembered that 'of a good conscience' in English may be the thing requested or 'he who requests.' The form of the word in the Greek would rather make it the thing requested or demanded.