1Pe 3:13-4:11 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Pet 3:13-17: 3:13-17 This short paragraph emphasizes the Christian response to suffering—following Christ’s example (3:18 ). 3:13 Generally speaking, no one will want to harm someone who is doing good, but sometimes Christians do suffer even when they do good (3:14 ; see 1:6 ; 4:12-19 ).

Summary for 1Pet 3:13-17: 3:13-17 ^a This short paragraph emphasizes the Christian response to suffering—following Christ’s example (3:18 ^b). 3:13 ^c Generally speaking, no one will want to harm someone who is doing good, but sometimes Christians do suffer even when they do good (3:14 ^d; see 1:6 ^e; 4:12-19 ^f).
Summary for 1Pet 3:14-15: 3:14-15 ^g or be afraid of their threats: See Isa 8:13 ^h, where God exhorts the prophet to fear nothing except the Lord.

• worship Christ as Lord: By fearing Christ, they will be free from fear of their human persecutors.
Summary for 1Pet 3:18-22: 3:18-22 ⁱ As in 2:21-25 ^j, Peter again appeals to Christ, who was righteous and yet suffered, as an example for believers facing persecution (3:13-17 ^k). The unique work of Christ on our behalf reminds suffering Christians that they have a secure foundation for hope and confidence. 3:18 ^l He suffered physical death (literally death in the flesh), but he was raised to life in the Spirit (or in spirit): Flesh and spirit are often contrasted (e.g., Rom 7:5-6 ^m; 8:2-11 ⁿ). Here, flesh stands for ordinary human life; the Spirit stands for the new realm inaugurated through Christ’s death and resurrection. Christ died in the old realm and came to life in the new realm.
Summary for 1Pet 3:19-20: 3:19-20 ^o This difficult passage has been widely interpreted in three ways: (1) One interpretation holds that it refers to the spirits of people who have died and that Christ, after his resurrection, preached the Good News to these spirits. However, the idea that people might hear the Good News and respond after their deaths is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, and this meaning of spirits is not the most likely. (2) A second interpretation sees 3:19-20 ^p as describing Christ’s preaching through Noah to people who are now spirits in prison. This interpretation does justice to 3:20 ^q but does not fit well in the discussion of Christ’s death and resurrection (3:18 ^r). (3) In the third interpretation, the spirits in prison are evil spiritual beings. Jewish tradition, based on Gen 6:1-4 ^s, held that many angels fell in the time of Noah (see also Jude 1:6 ^t; 1 Enoch 6–10). Peter’s point would then be that Christ proclaimed his victory over the evil spiritual powers after his resurrection (cp. 1 Pet 3:22 ^u).
3:20 ^v Only eight people: That is, Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives (Gen 6:18 ^w; 8:18 ^x).
3:21 ^y a picture of baptism: Peter might mean that, as the water floated the boat in which Noah and his family were saved, so baptism saves believers. Or he might mean that, as Noah and his family passed through water to safety, so Christians pass through the waters of baptism to salvation. Finally, he might mean that, as the water judged sin in Noah’s day, so the water of baptism washes away the sins of Christians.

• Peter does not mean that water baptism saves a person regardless of that person’s heart. He adds that baptism saves only as a response to God from (or as an appeal to God for) a clean conscience, thus making clear that only people exercising faith toward God will benefit from baptism.
3:22 ^z all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority: In the ancient world, spiritual beings were widely believed to directly affect the course of affairs on earth. Christians needed to be reminded that Christ has already won his victory over these spiritual powers. It means that we don’t need to fear even the spiritual realm (cp. 3:14 ^aa).

‏ 1 Peter 4:1-11

Summary for 1Pet 4:1-6: 4:1-6 ^ab Peter urges Christians to decisively turn their backs on the former sinful way of life from which Christ in his suffering delivered us. 4:1 ^ac since Christ suffered physical pain: Peter introduced this idea in 3:18 ^ad; he now indicates its significance in Christian experience. In our own physical sufferings, we are to imitate Christ’s attitude (see 2:21-24 ^ae). Our suffering with Christ shows that we have identified with him (see Rom 8:17 ^af). Those who identify with Christ experience the victory over the power of sin that he won on the cross (Rom 6:1-10 ^ag).
4:3 ^ah godless people (literally the Gentiles): Peter takes this term from his Jewish heritage to describe those who do not know God.
4:6 ^ai Peter refers to people now dead who were exposed to the Good News while alive; he does not envision a chance to repent after death. If they responded in faith to the message in life, they can be confident that, although they were destined to die like all people, they will live forever with God in the Spirit.
Summary for 1Pet 4:7-11: 4:7-11 ^aj With this paragraph of miscellaneous exhortations, Peter concludes the third major section of the letter (3:13–4:11 ^ak). 4:7 ^al The end of the world is coming soon: At Christ’s coming, the “last days” predicted by the Old Testament prophets had begun (see 1:10-12 ^am). The next event in salvation history is the second coming of Christ, which will bring the end of the world as we know it. The end could come at any time; therefore, Christians must always be ready for it (see also Phil 4:5 ^an; Jas 5:8 ^ao; Rev 1:3 ^ap; 22:10 ^aq).
4:8 ^ar By its nature, love overlooks sins committed against us by others (see Prov 10:12 ^as; Matt 18:21-22 ^at; 1 Cor 13:4-7 ^au). Peter might also mean that our attitude of love, because it displays our relationship with Christ, covers our own sins and causes them to be forgiven (see Luke 7:47 ^av).
4:10 ^aw his great variety of spiritual gifts: See Rom 12:6-8 ^ax; 1 Cor 12:1-31 ^ay; Eph 4:7-16 ^az.

• Use (literally manage) them well: Believers are like managers: They have been entrusted by God, their Master, with gifts to be used to glorify him.
4:11 ^ba All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen: This doxology has led some to suggest that one original letter of Peter ended here and that another one was added to it. Doxologies in the New Testament do appear at the end of letters (Rom 16:25-27 ^bb; Phil 4:20 ^bc; Heb 13:21 ^bd; 2 Pet 3:18 ^be; Jude 1:24-25 ^bf), but also at the end of sections within letters (Rom 11:36 ^bg; Gal 1:5 ^bh; Eph 3:21 ^bi; 1 Tim 1:17 ^bj). Since there is no textual evidence for the existence of two separate letters, it is better to assume that this doxology marks the end of a major section of the letter.