15. Saved and Sound: How Christ Secures Your Salvation (1 Peter 3:18-22)

Suffering. Salvation. Scripture. Sacraments. Security.

This Sunday, we will see all of these important things in our passage. In 1 Peter 3:18–22, the Apostle Peter returns to the theme of Christ’s death and resurrection. Like before, in 1 Peter 2:22–25, Peter encourages suffering saints to look to the finished work Christ. Only now, it is not Jesus life that is in view, but his resurrection and exaltation.

Even more, Peter makes an analogy between the experience of suffering saints and the baptism of Noah in the flood. Throw in a final promise of Christ’s triumph over the angels, and you have in five verses a full scale declaration of the victory that Christ won on the cross and that secures believers today.

On Sunday, we will focus on this victory and how it encourages believers to keep the faith amidst ongoing threats and trials.

In preparation for Sunday, please read 1 Peter 3:18–22. Pray for yourself and for all who gather on Sunday that God would be glorified and that faith would be granted and strengthened. I look forward to seeing you then (DV).

For His Glory and your joy,
Pastor David

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Discussion & Response Questions for 1 Peter 3:18-22
1. What makes this passage difficult? How have you understood (or not understood) this passage before?
2. When you come to difficult passages, what do you do?
3. How does it fit into the letter of Peter? How does knowing the context help you understand its point?
4. What does this text teach us about Christ’s . . .
sufferings
death
resurrection
ascension
exaltation
5. What are some of the different interpretations of who the “spirits in prison” are, and what Christ is proclaiming to them? Which view makes the most sense to you, and why?
6. What is the correspondence between baptism and Noah?
7. How is baptism related to our salvation?
8. How should we respond to the work of Christ?
9. How should we respond to the exaltation of Christ?