1 Peter 3:18-22 (NKJV)

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,
20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls,
were saved through water.
21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the
filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities
and powers having been made subject to Him.

Notice the six features of His sufferings:

(1) They were expiatory, that is, they freed believing sinners from the punishment of their
sins.
(2) They were eternally effectual. He died once for all and settled the sin question. The
work of redemption was completed.
(3) They were substitutionary. The just died for the unjust. “The Lord has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6b).
(4) They were reconciling. Through His death we have been brought to God. The sin
which caused alienation has been removed.
(5) They were violent. His death was by execution.
(6) Finally, they were climaxed by resurrection. He was raised from the dead on the third
day. The expression made alive by the Spirit means that His resurrection was through
the power of the Holy Spirit. Believer's Bible Commentary

Verse 18 is a wonderful summary of the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. There are

a few verses in the bible worth memorizing, this being one, for it’s succinct and clear
teaching on a subject.

3:18–20 This passage is one of the most difficult to interpret in the Bible, there being
more than 90 variations of interpretation attempted by Christian scholars since the second
century. Generally, however, these may be reduced to four plausible understandings: (1)
Jesus descended into Hades (the realm of the dead) between His crucifixion and
resurrection to proclaim judgment upon those condemned in the O.T. period. (2) Jesus
descended into Tartarus (the place of confinement for fallen angels) to proclaim
judgment to the fallen angels. (3) Jesus descended into a realm of Hades known as
Paradise, in which O.T. saints were held until the atonement could be actually
(historically) accomplished. The preaching would be the message of the finished
atonement at Golgotha. (4) The Spirit of Christ (cf. 1 Pet. 1:11) preached through Noah
concerning impending judgment to the disobedient spirits of men in the antediluvian (pre-
Flood) civilization. The latter two views are the more popular among evangelicals and are
also the more feasible. The third view offers explanation of Eph. 4:8, 9 to the effect that
Christ descended to the lower parts of the earth and led captivity captive (a reference to
the loosing of O.T. saints). The fourth view better explains the specific mention of the
antediluvians and their disobedience. It is in accord with Peter’s assessment of Noah as “a
preacher of righteousness” (cf. 2 Pet. 2:5). In this fourth view, also, fewer difficulties are
involved in harmonizing the statements of Jesus from the cross, “Today you will be with
Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43) and “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke
23:46).
Believer’s Study Bible

3:18 This difficult passage, undoubtedly clearer to its first readers, has been variously
interpreted. It probably refers to Christ’s proclaiming, through the event of His
resurrection, the fruits of His victory to spirits in prison (demon spirits). These spirits
apparently were also behind the corruption of the world in Noah’s day. See Gen. 6:1-8; 2
Pet. 2:4, 5; Jude 6. This proclamation may be part of Christ’s subsequent sovereignty
over “angels and authorities and powers” (v. 22). Nothing is said of a response from the
hearers, and the passage ought not to be interpreted as referring to a second chance for
salvation for those who refuse the truth in this life. See note on Eph. 4:9, 10.
Spirit Filled Life Study Bible

3:19 Verses 19, 20 constitute one of the most puzzling and intriguing texts in the NT.
It has been made the pretext for such unbiblical doctrines as purgatory on the one hand
and universal salvation on the other. However, among evangelical Christians, there are
two commonly accepted interpretations.
According to the first, Christ went to Hades in spirit between His death and
resurrection, and proclaimed the triumph of His mighty work on the cross. There is
disagreement among proponents of this view as to whether the spirits in prison were
believers, unbelievers, or both. But there is fairly general agreement that the Lord Jesus
did not preach the gospel to them. That would involve the doctrine of a second chance
which is nowhere taught in the Bible. Those who hold this view often link this passage
with Ephesians 4:9 where the Lord is described as descending “into the lower parts of the
earth.” They cite this as added proof that He went to Hades in the disembodied state and
heralded His victory at Calvary. They also cite the words of the Apostles’ Creed
—“descended into hell.”
The second interpretation is that Peter is describing what happened in the days of Noah. It
was the spirit of Christ who preached through Noah to the unbelieving generation before
the flood. They were not disembodied spirits at that time, but living men and women who
rejected the warnings of Noah and were destroyed by the flood. So now they are spirits
in the prison of Hades. Believer's Bible Commentary

For those interested in exploring topics in theology that have no bearing on salvation –
verses 19-20 can be fascinating. That Jesus did descend before He ascended is clear –
what He did and to whom He preached is not. The outcome of the debate affects none of
the core doctrines of the bible and must be put in the category of interesting but not
essential. This is one of those passages that Peter will have to explain when we see him
in heaven.

There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism

This verse does not say that water baptism saves. It says the “antitype” of baptism saves.
Antitype = 1. later of associated biblical pair: in the Bible, somebody or something
considered as being foreshadowed by or having striking similarities to an earlier person
or thing type.

Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All
rights reserved.

Just as Noah was saved by being in the ark when the water flooded the earth, so too, we
are saved by being in Christ when His wrath is poured out. The water didn’t saved Noah
– the ark did. The ark is Christ and it is Christ and His death upon the cross that saves us.
Water baptism is a picture of us being buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of
life.

This section of scripture illustrates an important principle – when someone brings up an

outlandish new doctrine and uses a verse to support their new theory – do some research
of your own and find out what the verse means before accepting any new theories.