THERE is no doubt that these verses present difficulties which have produced confusing interpretations. Part of the problem seems to me to be because the translation given in the Authorised Version of the Bible has fathered interpretation which has coloured translations that have followed.

The passage falls into two parts. The first is from verse 13 to 17 in which Pater presses on us the life the Christian should seek to lead in a hostile world - hostile to the Christian, that is. The second is from verse 18 to 22 in which Peter seeks to support his teaching by the example of Christ. It is in this second section that the difficulties in understanding present themselves. What we have to keep in our mind is that Peter wrote this second half in order to encourage Christians to the good life he has urged upon us in verses 13-17.

VERSES 13 to 17.

Peter presses upon all Christians that they must seek to live good lives. By good lives he means lives which show the characteristics he has been setting forth from verse 8.

Peter understands that such good is not only rare in the world, but is not particularly popular in the world. However he first says that doing good is something that others are not justified in reacting against, and that doing good does produce gratitude from others.

However Peter recognises that doing good is not always received well, but even so it is better to suffer and do good, than to avoid suffering by refusing to do good.

He goes on to in verse 14 to encourage us not to fear the fear they threaten us with, but instead set apart Christ as Lord. By this Peter is telling us that we are governed by one great goal in life, and that is to be obedient to Christ, whatever the cost, and seek to please him.

In such devotion to Christ we must be prepared to explain to people why we live for Christ, and serve him rather than the world. Peter speaks of the hope that Christ gives us - the hope of glory and his love. However Peter makes plain that as we explain to people our faith and motivation in life, we must do it with gentleness, not in anger or malice, or pride or self glory. The way we present following Christ must be in such a way that the world will have no cause to criticise us, and so bring shame on Christ.

Serving Christ in doing the good he calls us to is always best, even if it brings suffering upon us.

VERSES 18 to 22.

Peter gives us the reason why we should do good. Firstly because of the way Christ suffered for us in giving his life for us; and secondly because through the suffering of Christ we have been brought near to God.

Peter then goes on to describe the good Jesus did which brings us so much blessing. Here I think it will be helpful if I try and give a more literal translation.

So from verse 18b "being put to death on the one hand in the flesh, on the other quickened in the spirit.. In which, (that is in the spirit) indeed going to the the spirits in prison he proclaimed (preached), that is to the disobeying ones then (at that time) when God in longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, the ark being prepared, in which a few, this is eight souls, were quite saved through water"

This tells us that the preaching of Christ was in the spirit, that is spiritually through the Holy Spirit. This preaching was at the time of Noah, and not to them after they had died. The word 'then' points to the fact that Peter is referring to the preaching done in the time of Noah. This word 'then', which is in the Greek, is totally ignored in translations. This proclamation was given by the Spirit of Christ to Noah, who then was inspired to preach to the people of his time. See Hebrews 11:7 "by faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."

Then from verse 21 "which figure also now saves us, even baptism, not of putting away of the filth of the flesh (i.e. cleansing the body by washing it with water), but an answer(response) of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ ......"

So what Peter is telling us is that the experience of Noah is a figure which illustrates how Christ saves us. Noah was saved through water, not by water. He was saved by the ark which he had been inspired to build. Noah believed God in building the ark, and entering into before the floods came. The rest of the world refused to believe the preaching and so were drowned.

Similarly we are not saved by baptism, but through baptism. In the illustration which Peter is using baptism is likened to the flood. The word baptism in its strict meaning in the Greek means to drown. So we symbolically go through baptism safely, not because of the act of being baptised, but by what it symbolises that we trust in our 'ark', which is Christ.

By this act of faith we are saved because Christ saves us from all our sins that would drown us under the wrath of God. We are saved by Christ's resurrection because the resurrection is symbolised by the Noah's ark coming through the flood safely to dry land, and a new land, again. The resurrection signals the fact that Jesus, our ark, has fully suffered all the wrath of God against us sins in our place.

We follow Christ and seek to do good because Christ has ascended victoriously into heaven to prepare a place for us in heaven, and reigns over all powers, even Satanic powers, to keep us safe for his heavenly glory.