1Peter 3:18-22 are notoriously difficult to interpret and reminiscent of Peter's statement about Paul's writings (See note 2 Peter 3:16).

J. M. E. Ross writes that 1 Peter 3:18 is

one of the shortest and simplest, and yet one of the richest summaries given in the NT of the meaning of the Cross of Jesus

FOR CHRIST ALSO DIED (suffered) FOR SINS ONCE FOR ALL: hoti kai Christos hapax peri hamartion epathen (3SAAI):  (1Peter 2:21-24; 4:1; Isa 53:4-6; Ro 5:6-8; 8:3; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 1:4; 3:13; Titus 2:14; Heb 9:26,28)

For (3754) (hoti) means because, since. For shows us that Peter is beginning to explain why it is sometimes God's will for us to suffer for doing what is right as he has just discussed. He wants to remind them not to be surprised nor discouraged by suffering. Peter offers encouragement to his suffering readers because any suffering they might endure for Christ pales in comparison to His glorious suffering in our place, which is similar to what the writer of Hebrews said to his suffering Jewish audience...

You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin (See note Hebrews 12:4)

So although most believers will not be martyred, they will be called to suffer for Christ and can take heart that even as He triumphed over the suffering of the Cross, they too will eventually triumph over whatever suffering they might be enduring for His Name.

As Greek scholar A T Robertson says...

The example of Christ should stir us to patient endurance.

Wuest adds that Peter is encouraging his readers...

in their sufferings which they incurred by the doing of good, for Christ’s example made it clear to them that they also would receive blessing and reward for suffering when doing good. The word for is the translation of a Greek conjunction which means because. The resurrection of Christ and His consequent glorification in view of His suffering for sinners are presented as proof of the fact that suffering for well-doing on the part of Christians is also followed by blessing and reward in their lives. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos)

Peter is saying in essence

Yes you are suffering but He suffered also. So don't lose hope. Let the truth that follows about the suffering of Christ serve to encourage you.

He who was perfect Righteousness willingly suffered for totally unrighteous men. Obviously, believers can never suffer the way He did (for His was redemptive suffering), but we can suffer for righteousness because He suffered and brought us into the kingdom of light which automatically puts the believer in contact with the kingdom of darkness.  Remember that Peter's intent in this section is to help believers arm themselves (see note 1 Peter 4 :1) with the faith to suffer for the sake of Christ and His kingdom.

Many of those even in evangelical churches in America do not realize that suffering is the norm for believers in many (probably most) places of the world. Christianity in America as we enter the new Millennium is the exception not the rule. For example, evangelical missionaries entered Cambodia in the 1920's but were expelled in 1965 at which time there were by best estimates only about 600 believers. However from 1965-1975 civil war ravaged Cambodia and yet during that time the Christian population soared to an estimated 90,000, clearly indicative of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to spread and convert the lost. It was an amazing work of God. But when the Khmer Rouge took control and Pol Pot unleashed his maniacal fury on the nation, most of the believers in Christ were either martyred or fled the country. Surely the truths of Peter's first epistle helped them arm themselves for suffering even as their Lord suffered (see note 1 Peter 4 :1)

Died (3958) (pascho) describes in its essence what one experiences or undergoes and virtually always refers to a bad sense. It should be noted however that pascho suffered is not in the best Greek texts, which instead have the verb apothnesko or died. The thought the same in either case because Christ’s death obviously involved suffering.

For (peri) sins - Literally reads concerning sins  (see similar use in Hebrews 5:3 [note]) because the preposition peri means with regard to, with reference to, in relation to.

Sins (266) (hamartia) originally conveyed the idea of missing the mark as when hunting with a bow and arrow then missing or falling short of any goal, standard, or purpose.

Once for all (530) (hapax) means of perpetual validity, not requiring repetition.

Spurgeon...

One thing I know: Christ thinks more of our sins than he does of our righteousness, for He gave himself for our sins. I never heard that he gave Himself for our righteousness.

No soul ever ate a morsel more dainty than this one—substitution. I do think that this is the grandest truth in heaven and earth—Jesus Christ the just one died for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. It is meat to my soul. I can feed on it every day, and all the day.

Christ suffered for doing what is right. He is our example (see note 1 Peter 2:21) and we are to follow closely in His steps. Peter emphasizes Christ's example, because Peter learned (denying Him 3x when faced with the possibility of suffering for His Name's sake) that keeping a good conscience (see note 1 Peter 3:16) and suffering even though one does what is right (see note 1 Peter 3:17) is not something which frail, sinful flesh can accomplish in its own strength but can only be accomplished in Christ's strength (filled with, controlled by, empowered by His Spirit, see Acts 1:8, 2:2ff, Ephesians 5:18 [note]).

And Peter a Spirit transformed and controlled man practiced what he is preaching in this section, willingly suffering for Christ and not shrinking back as summarized in passages from Dr Luke's record...

And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:18-20)

But an angel of the Lord during the night opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, "Go your way, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life." (Acs 5:19,20)

"We (Jewish rulers, the Council, the Sanhedrin) gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."  But Peter and the apostles answered and said, "We must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:28, 29)

And they took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. (Acts 5:40, 41)

And in the end as indicated by the traditional account Peter apparently received his desire to be crucified upside down for His Lord. In short, Peter is fully qualified to speak about suffering and enduring for His Name's sake!

As alluded to above, it is notable how completely Peter's heart had changed after He received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The old Peter filled with a very different spirit strongly objected to the idea that Christ might have to suffer

And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You."  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." (Mt 16:22, 23)!

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a certain servant-girl came to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." (Mt 26:69-70)

What a difference a Day made

 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. (Acts 2:4).

And beloved we too must yield to the Spirit's Who will enable us to suffer for His sake as more than conquerors.

THE JUST FOR THE UNJUST IN ORDER THAT HE MIGHT BRING US TO GOD: peri hamartion dikaios huper (instead of, as substitute for) adikon hina humas prosagage (3SAAS) to theo: (Zechariah 9:9; Mt 27:19,24; Acts 3:14; 22:14; Js 5:6; 1 John 1:9) (Ephesians 2:16-18)

Just (1342)(dikaios from dike = right, just) (Click word study on dikaios) defines that which is in accordance with high standards of rectitude. It is that which is in right relation to another and so in reference to persons defines the one who is morally and ethically righteous, upright or just

Unjust  (94) (adikos from a = without + díke = justice) means falling short of the righteousness required by divine laws.

In order that (2443) (hina) introduces the purpose for which the perfect Righteous One suffered and died for unrighteous sinners.

Bring us to (4317) (prosago from pros = toward, facing + ago = to go) is used of a person who brings another into the presence of a third party. (Click study of related noun prosagoge) describes someone’s being introduced or given access to another. In classical Greek the noun form prosagoge refers to the one making the introduction. In ancient courts certain officials controlled access to the king. They verified someone’s right to see him and then introduced that person to the monarch. Christ now performs that function for believers. He opened the way of access to God.

Prosago is used repeatedly in the Septuagint (LXX) for the sin offering. For example Moses records...

Leviticus 5:8 'And he shall bring (prosago) them to the priest, who shall offer first that which is for the sin offering and shall nip its head at the front of its neck, but he shall not sever it.

This verb prosago conveys several pictures, all illustrating some aspect of this profound truth...

(1) Presentation of a sacrifice for reconciliation with God.

(2) The entry of the Levitical high priest into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement.

(3). The presentation before the Judge in a court of law.

(4). The bringing in of an individual for an audience with a King.

(5). The bringing in of the initiate before the savior-god in the mystery cults (truth always has a counterfeit!).

The meaning here is the aim of Christ's work to bring about man's reconciliation with God so that the cleansed sinner can be brought into the presence of the King by Christ, our Redeemer.

To bring us to God was Christ's mission

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mk 10:45).

Jesus was always a man on the Mission, declaring to His disciples who were worried about physical food..

My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. (Jn 4:34).

Later just before His suffering and crucifixion He once again reaffirmed His mission in His prayer to His Father declaring...

I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do. (John 17:4)

The divine tearing of the temple veil from top to bottom symbolically demonstrated the reality that He had opened the way to God. Matthew recorded this momentous event writing that just as Jesus cried out and yielded up His Spirit...

behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split (Mt 27:51)

The writer of Hebrews exampled that the temple veil tearing was but a picture of the tearing of our Lord's writing that now believers in His sacrificial, fully atoning death on the Cross...

have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil (of the Temple, separating man from the presence of God in the Holy of holies), that is, His flesh (alluding to crucifixion) and since we have a great priest over the house of God (see notes Hebrews 10:19; 20; 21)

Because of the work of Christ on the cross He became our "Forerunner" and High Priest

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (See notes Hebrews 6:19; 20)

As a result of His death in our place, believers have been "brought to God" and have continual access to the Throne room of God, Paul explaining that...

through Him we both (believing Jews and Gentiles) have our access in one Spirit to the Father. (See note Ephesians 2:18)

in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. (See note Ephesians 3:12)

In Romans Paul explains that because of His death, burial and resurrection, we are how justified by faith, have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...

through Whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. (See note Romans 5:2)

NT believers may now come boldly to His throne...

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. (See notes Hebrews 4:15; 16)

In summary, 1 Peter 3:18 is one of the riches summaries in the Scriptures of the meaning of the Cross of Christ.

HAVING BEEN PUT TO DEATH IN THE FLESH: thanatotheis (APPMSN) men sarki: (1Peter 4:1; Da 9:26; Ro 4:25; 2 Cor 1:24; 13:4; Col 1:21,22)

Put to death (2289) (thanatoo) means to kill or cause to be put to death and leaves no doubt that on the Cross Jesus’ physical life ceased. The passive voice (speaks of action that comes to the subject from an outside source) indicates the total culpability of His executioners and stresses what man did to Him.

Flesh (4561) (sarx) refers to Jesus' physical body, His "flesh and blood" body.

In His flesh points out that He was no docetic phantom (Docetists deny that the incarnation and the true human life of Christ ever took place) Who only appeared to have a human body, as "flesh" refers to the humanity Christ assumed at the incarnation (Jn 1:14, 1Ti 3:16). Used without an article "flesh" is qualitative and characterizes Him as a human being, a man among men here on earth.

BUT MADE ALIVE IN THE SPIRIT: zoopoietheis (APPMSN) de pneumati: (Ro 1:4; 8:11)

Made alive (2227) (zoopoieo from zoos = alive + poieo = to make) literally means to make alive. This verb is in the passive voice which indicates that there is operation of power from an outside source, the Spirit of...

But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you (See note Romans 8:11)

In the spirit (4151) (pneuma) is a reference to Jesus’ eternal inner person. Christ's eternal spirit has always been alive, although His earthly body was then dead; but three days later His body was resurrected in a transformed and eternal state.

John MacArthur writes that...

The phrase made alive in the spirit refers to the life of Jesus' spirit--not to the Holy Spirit. There's no article in the Greek text indicates that Peter was referring to the Holy Spirit. Rather, he seems to be contrasting what happened to the flesh (or body) of Jesus with what happened to His spirit. His spirit was alive but His flesh was dead.

Some think made alive in the spirit refers to Christ's resurrection, but that would necessitate a statement like, He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the flesh. The resurrection was a spiritual and physical occurrence. Thus Peter's point has to be that though Christ was physically dead, His spirit was still alive.

Though in spirit Christ was alive, He did experience spiritual death--not cessation of existence but separation from God. On the cross He said

My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? (Mt 27:46)

That shows the separation He temporarily experienced from the Father when He was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Similarly, unbelievers experience spiritual death (separation from God) in this life and eternal death in the next, but they never cease to exist.

The separation between Christ and the Father was over quickly, for shortly after our Lord's lament He said,

Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit (Luke 23:46)

That shows His spirit was alive again--no longer separated from God--and could be committed to the Father. (See full message Triumph of Christ's Suffering -2)

C H Spurgeon wrote...

One thing I know: Christ thinks more of our sins than he does of our righteousness, for he gave himself for our sins. I never heard that he gave himself for our righteousness.

---

No soul ever ate a morsel more dainty than this one—substitution. I do think that this is the grandest truth in heaven and earth—Jesus Christ the just one died for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. It is meat to my soul. I can feed on it every day, and all the day.

---

"The just for the unjust" I can understand. But the "just dying for the just" would be a double injustice—an injustice that the just should be punished at all, and another injustice that the just should be punished for them. Oh, no! If Christ died, it must be because there was a penalty to be paid for sin committed. Hence he must have died for those who had committed the sin. 

The Judge's Compassion - During his years as mayor of New York City, Fiorello La Guardia sometimes presided as judge in a night court. In one case, a man was found guilty of stealing a loaf of bread. He pleaded that he had committed that theft to feed his starving family. "The law is the law," La Guardia declared. "I must therefore fine you $10." When the man sadly confessed that he had no money, the judge took $10 out of his wallet and paid the fine. He also asked each person in the courtroom to contribute 50 cents to help the man.

At the heart of the gospel stands the cross of Jesus Christ. Its message is so plain that even a child can understand it: Jesus took my place and died instead of me. But its truth is so awesome that the wisest of humans can't fully fathom its meaning. The Bible says, "Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). It also says, "When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (see note Romans 5:6).

As we look at the judge's compassion, we catch at least a glimpse of God's measureless grace. The demands of the law were satisfied. The judge himself paid the fine. The lawbreaker was set free and even blessed with an undeserved gift. What a profound picture of our Savior! —Vernon C Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

IN WHICH ALSO HE WENT: en o kai tois en phulake pneumasin poreutheis (APPMSN) ekeruxen (3SAAI): (1Peter 1:11,12; 4:6; Neh9:30; Rev19:10)

In which - This phrase points to what happened to Christ's living spirit. While Christ's body lay in the tomb, He went in His spirit to another place.

Went (4198) (poreúomai from poros = a passing or passage) means to go from one place to another and is used in 1Peter 3:22 to describe Christ's ascension.  Unlike the spirits of the unrighteous, who immediately experience the wrath of God after death, the spirit of Christ was able to accomplish God's perfect purpose.

This passage has been subject to many interpretations. Some say Peter referred to the descent of Christ into Hades (Sheol is the OT counterpart) between His death and resurrection to offer people who lived before the Flood a second chance for salvation which is clearly without scriptural support.

For example  Heb 9:27 says

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once (Once for all time to die. No reincarnation) and after this comes judgment

Luke similarly records Abraham's words to the rich man in the "hot side" of Hades...

 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' (Lu 16:26).

Others have said this passage refers to Christ’s descent into hell after His crucifixion to proclaim His victory to the imprisoned fallen angels referred to in 2 Peter 2:4; 2:5 (notes), equating them with “the sons of God” (Ge 6:1-2, cp Job 1:6, 2:1, Jude 1:6,7), an interpretation that a number of conservative commentators do not agree with.

Others say that Christ descended into Hades and made proclamation to all of disobedient mankind at the time of the flood. But if that is so why would these men and women be singled out compared for example to those of Sodom & Gomorrah?

Some such as Wayne Grudem and D. Edmond Hiebert (both respected Bible scholars) feel that Christ did not descend into Hades at all after His crucifixion.

In sum, this passage is difficult one should not break fellowship with someone who holds a different interpretation.

AND MADE PROCLAMATION: en o kai tois en phulake pneumasin poreutheis (APPMSN) ekeruxen (3SAAI):

Proclamation (2784) (kerusso) means to announce as a herald, to proclaim. In the ancient world, heralds would come to town as representatives of the rulers to make public announcements or precede generals and kings in the processions celebrating military triumphs, announcing victories won in battle. Kerusso is not the word Peter used with the meaning “to preach the Gospel” (See notes 1Peter 1:12, 1 Peter 4:6.)

Peter did not tell us what Jesus proclaimed, but if these were indeed demonic spirits, it could not be a message of redemption since angels cannot be saved (see note Hebrews 2:16).

MacArthur explains that...

Christ went to preach a triumphant sermon before His resurrection Sunday morning. The verb translated "made proclamation" (kerusso) refers to making a proclamation or announcing a triumph. In ancient times a herald would proceed generals and kings in the celebration of military victories, announcing to all the victories won in battle. That's what Jesus went to do--not to preach the gospel (euaggelizomai "to evangelize") but to announce His triumph over sin, death, hell, demons, and Satan. He didn't go to win souls but to proclaim victory to the enemy in spite of the unjust suffering they subjected Him to. (Ed note: I personally agree with Dr MacArthur but again would not break fellowship with you if you disagreed.)

Ray Pritchard writes...

I personally believe that Jesus preached to those demonic spirits and proclaimed his ultimate victory over them. To say that he “preached” to them does mean that he offered salvation to them. Salvation is for humans, not for angels or demons. The verb “preached” means to make a public announcement. It’s what a herald would do when he went from city to city announcing the king’s decrees. I believe that Jesus, either between his death and resurrection or after his resurrection, proclaimed his victory to those demon spirits that rebelled so greatly against the Lord in Noah’s day. (See full message - 1 Peter 3:18-22 The Triumphant Christ)

TO THE SPIRITS NOW IN PRISON: en o kai tois en phulake pneumasin poreutheis (APPMSN) ekeruxen (3SAAI): (Isa 42:7; 49:9; 61:1; Rev 20:7)

Prison (5438) (phulake from phulasso) (See word study of phulasso) describes the act of guarding and by metonymy the place where guarding is done.

To the Spirits - MacArthur feels that this does not refer to human spirits (or Peter would have used the word psuche for souls). Instead Peter used pneuma, a word the New Testament never uses to refer to people except when qualified by a genitive (e.g., Hebrews 12:23 “the spirits of the righteous”). Peter uses "psuche" for "persons" in the next verse which clearly indicates human beings. It would seem unlikely for him to spirits (of men) here in verse 19 and then souls of Noah et al in verse 20.

Nevertheless, in fairness, it must be noted that there are at least 3 views regarding the identity of the spirits in this passage...

(1) The spirits are evil supernatural beings. The word “spirits” can certainly be used in this sense, both of angels (Heb 1:14; 12:9; Acts 23:8 9) and evil beings (Mk 1:23; Lk 10:20; Acts 19:15-16). The story of the “fallen angels” who seduced mankind in the days before the flood (Gen 6:1-4) was a popular one in New Testament times. Furthermore, the story of their being kept in prison until the day of judgment was well known (2 Pet 2:4; Jude 1:6)

(2). Christ preached to the spirits of dead people, kept in the abode of the dead until the last judgment. More commonly we would speak of the “souls” of the dead, but the word “spirit” can be used in this sense (Nu 16:22; 27:16; Heb 12:23). The thought that they are in prison is found in early Christian writings. Because the contemporaries of Noah, who spurned God, were proverbial for extreme wickedness, we can readily understand that they represent the wicked in general.

(3). If Christ preached in the person of Noah, then spirits in prison describes the human beings who were disobedient during the building of the ark.

MacDonald writes that the verses 1Peter 3:19, 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. (or whether they were not men at all but demonic spirits). 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 (see notes) 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.” 

(Ed note: Those who hold this view include many of the "early church fathers", Henry Morris, John Macarthur, Wayne Barber, Kay Arthur -- although the latter 2 believe He preached after His resurrection and before His ascension to the Right hand of the Father, Warren Wiersbe [although he does not accept that the "sons of God" in Ge 6:2 as indicative of demonic spirits], College Press NIV Commentary, IVP NT Commentary on 1Peter by I. Howard Marshall and Kenneth Wuest)

The second interpretation is that Peter is describing what happened in the days of Noah. It was the spirit of Christ (cp 1:11) 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. (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)

(Ed note: Those who hold the second interpretation include Scofield, Ryrie, Puritan John Owen, MacDonald, Wayne Grudem, J. Vernon McGee, Augustine & many leaders of the Reformation, John Piper. Note that this interpretation hangs primarily on interpreting "spirits" as those of men rather than angelic...but the only place in NT where pneuma refers to spirits of men is Heb 12:23)

The Net Bible has the following comment on the phrase "and preached to the spirits in prison" writing that...

The meaning of this preaching and the spirits to whom he preached are much debated. It is commonly understood to be:

(1) Christ’s announcement of his victory over evil to the fallen angels who await judgment for their role in leading the Noahic generation into sin; this proclamation occurred sometime between Christ’s death and ascension; or

(2) Christ’s preaching of repentance through Noah to the unrighteous humans, now dead and confined in hell, who lived in the days of Noah. The latter is preferred because of the temporal indications in v20a and the wider argument of the book. These verses encourage Christians to stand for righteousness and try to influence their contemporaries for the gospel in spite of the suffering that may come to them. All who identify with them and their Savior will be saved from the coming judgment, just as in Noah’s day. (Ed Note: this is not a bad thought but the problem is that "spirits" almost always refers to supernatural spirits, including evil spirits in the NT and not men).  (NET Bible)

Morris explains it this way...

While in Hades in the Spirit, He "preached"--that is, "proclaimed" His victory over death and Hades (Mt 16:18; Col 2:15; Rev 1:18; Lu 4:18). Note that "hell" in these verses is the Greek Hades, the great pit at the center of the earth where lost souls and many rebellious angels are confined. Before Christ's resurrection, the souls of believers were also resting there, but these "captives" were "delivered" by Christ when He rose from the dead (Eph 4:8-10) (Ed note: not everyone agrees with this interpretation). The Greek word for "preached" here is not the word for "preached the gospel" (euaggelizo) as in 1Pe 1:12,25; 4:6, but rather kerusso, which means "proclaimed" (Lu 12:3) or "published" (Lu 8:39). Christ was not giving a second chance, as it were, to those who had died in unbelief, for there is no second chance after death (Heb 9:27). Rather, He was proclaiming victory over Satan and his hosts. (Morris, Henry: Defenders Study Bible. World Publishing)

Regarding the spirits in prison Morris says that...

These "spirits in prison" almost certainly were the evil spirits who had sinned in the days of Noah by trying to corrupt and control all flesh (Ge 6:1-4,12). Whenever the word "spirits" is used in the plural and not clearly indicated otherwise (as in Heb 12:23 and 1Co 14:32), it always refers to supernatural beings, or angels. In support of this meaning, note that there are thirty such occurrences in the New Testament, with only two, as noted above, referring to spirits of men. At least twenty-six of these thirty occurrences refer to evil spirits, which strongly indicates that to be the meaning here.

WHO ONCE WERE DISOBEDIENT: apeithesasin (AAPMPD) pote: (Ge 6:3,5,13)

Disobedient (544)(apeitheo from a = without + peítho = persuade) literally describes one who refuses to be persuaded and who disbelieves willfully and perversely. Apeitheo in the present context means that these individuals possessed an attitude of unbelief because they deliberately disobeyed, consciously resisted and rebelled against authority and finally manifested an obstinate rejection of the will (truth) of God.

Who are "the spirits in prison"? See the preceding verse for the differences of opinion. We know they "once were disobedient" and that they lived during the days of Noah.

I favor John MacArthur's assessment...

Peter further identifies the demons to whom Christ preached His triumphant sermon as those who once were disobedient. As the reason that God bound them permanently in the place of imprisonment, that disobedience is specifically related to something that happened in the time of Noah. What was that disobedience that had such severe and permanent results? Peter’s readers must have been familiar with the specific sin committed by the imprisoned demons because the apostle did not elaborate on it. (MacArthur, J. 1 Peter. Chicago: Moody Press)

WHEN THE PATIENCE OF GOD KEPT WAITING IN THE DAYS OF NOAH DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ARK IN WHICH A FEW, THAT IS, EIGHT PERSONS WERE BROUGHT SAFELY THROUGH THE WATER:  hote apexedecheto e tou theou makrothumia en hemerais Noe kataskeuazomenes (PPPFSG) kibotou, eis en oligoi, tout' estin (3SPAI) okto psuchai, diesothesan (3PAPI) di' hudatos: (Isa 30:18; Ro 2:4,5; 9:22; 2 Pe 3:15) (days: Mt 24:37-39; Lu 17:26-30) (Ge 6:14-22; Heb 11:7) (Ge 7:1-7,13,23; 8:1,18; Mt 7:14; Lu 12:32; 13:24,25; 2 Pe 2:5) (Ge 7:17-23; 2 Cor 2:15,16; Eph 5:26)

When the patience of God keep waiting -

Patience (3115)(makrothumia from makros = long, distant, far off, large + thumos = temper, passion, emotion or thumoomai = to be furious or burn with intense anger)  is literally long-temper (as opposed to "short tempered), a long holding out of the mind before it gives room to action or passion. It describes a state of emotional calm or quietness in the face of provocation, misfortune or unfavorable circumstances.

Persons - is the Greek word for souls  and is used in 1Peter 1:9, 22, 2:25, 4:19, each use related to salvation.

Persons (5590) (psuche or psyche from psucho = to breathe, blow, English = psychology, "study of the soul") is  the breath, then that which breathes, the individual, animated creature. However the discerning reader must understand that psuche is one of those Greek words that can have several meanings, the exact nuance being determined by the context. It follows that one cannot simply select of the three main meanings of psuche and insert it in a given passage for it may not be appropriate to the given context. The meaning of psuche is also contingent upon whether one is a dichotomist or trichotomist. Consult Greek lexicons for more lengthy definitions of psuche as this definition is only a brief overview. (Click an excellent article on Soul in the Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology; see also ISBE article on Soul)

Were brought - The passive voice emphasizes that God saved Noah and family, the ark being the actual agent of their physical salvation. Noah was already saved (spiritually) by his faith & trust in God's promises (Heb11:7), a faith that was shown to be a genuine & authentic saving faith by his works as he did all that the LORD had commanded him to do (Ge6:22).

Through (dia) may have an instrumental force which would be rendered "by means of water". However it is difficult to see how the floodwaters can be viewed as the means of their salvation, when in reality it was the Ark that saved them. More probable is the idea that they were saved in passing through the floodwaters. Yet there remains the paradoxical truth that the floodwaters that brought death to the wicked were the very means of the "8's" deliverance -- the waters buoyed up the ark and brought Noah and his family safely to the new world. They had been rescued in spite of the water not because of the water. Here, water was the agent of God’s judgment not the means of salvation. The waters however did bear up the Ark of safety, even as the same waters destroyed the world.

Note that KJV translates "saved by water" ("through water") in the sense that they were saved from the deadly moral and spiritual pollution that had engulfed all the antediluvian world. The waters bore up their Ark of safety, but these same waters destroyed the old world.

So too the Cross has a "paradoxical" effect & is either the power of God unto salvation (1Cor 1:18) or the Rock of stumbling. (2:8, 1Co1:23 "Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block")

Allan Stibbs wrote,

"The ark passing safely through the flood provides a figure of God's method of saving men out inevitable judgment. First, God delayed the day of judgment long enough for an ark to be prepared. Then, the souls that went into the ark did not avoid the judgment. Rather in the ark they were saved through the very water which drowned others, and, because of it, they thus passed out of the old world into a new world. When they emerged from the ark they literally found that old things had passed away, and all things were become new.

"This figure is fulfilled in Christ...He was prepared of God to come in the fulness of time. The judgment due to sin and sinners was meanwhile delayed. Then the judgment fell upon Him, as the flood waters upon the ark. When sinners take refuge in Him, they do not avoid the judgment due to sin, they are saved through its falling upon Christ; and, because of it, instead of meeting their own doom, are brought safe unto God" (The First Epistle General of Peter [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971], pp. 139-40).

Summary: Only those who were in the Ark were saved. Only those who had in a sense "identified" with the Ark were saved. And thus Peter goes on make the analogy with baptism but not a ritual baptism like practiced in Peter's day. (Archeologists have found houses that possess "baptismal chambers" that the rich owners would use for daily "purification"). The "baptism" Peter is talking about is not this daily ritual but that which gives a clean conscience (Heb 10:19-21,22), when one is identified by grace thru faith in the finished work of Christ's death, burial & resurrection. Only then can a man have a "good conscience". And this truth of identification with Christ (baptism into Christ Ro 6:2ff) would encourage the believers who might be called to suffer and even die for the sake of righteousness. After all why should they now fear man? (cp Mt 10:28) What could man do to them? They could not be killed because they had already died with Christ and they now had everlasting life. So Peter's allusion to Noah, baptism & good conscience is to encourage them about who they are in Christ (in the "Ark" so to speak) no matter what fiery trials might come their way. And to show the completeness of this victory over present sufferings, Peter teaches that after His suffering & death, Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father and now all powers were subjected to Him. He triumphed over evil. You are on the winning team. Keep a good conscience before God. Live the way you are supposed to live by doing what is right! Amen.

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Today in the Word We've all seen cartoons featuring an oddly-dressed crank who carries a sign reading ""The End Is Near."" We laugh at the image, feeling superior. Perhaps the man is not quite sane. Perhaps he simply wants to attract attention. We don't really think he has ""inside information"" about the world's end or that his message is true.

AND CORRESPONDING TO THAT BAPTISM NOW SAVES YOU: o kai humas antitupon nun sozei (3SPAI) baptisma: (Ro 5:14; 1 Co 4:6; Heb9:24; Heb11:19)  (Mt28:19; Mk16:16; Ac2:38; 22:16; Ro6:3-6; 1 Co12:13; Gal3:27; Ep5:26; Col 2:12; Titus 3:5-7)

Corresponding (499) (antitupon from anti = over against, opposite to + tupos = mark of a stroke or blow, figure formed by a blow or impression) first of all means striking back or struck back (of sound - echoing, of light - reflecting back) and then corresponding to, a copy or an exact representation.

See the related discussion of type and antitype (Typology - Study of Biblical types, rationale, cautions, guidelines, contrasts with allegory)

In English antitype refers to a person or thing that represents the opposite of another. And so it can convey the meaning of the opposite, as the flesh is opposite the spirit, but it is not strictly speaking used that way in the NT. (but see example from Hebrews 9:24)

Thayer states that antitupon is "a thing resembling another, its counterpart; something in the Messianic times which answers to the type".

Here in the NT it refers to an earthly expression of a spiritual or heavenly reality. It indicates a symbol, picture, or pattern of some spiritual truth. Antitype is a thing that is foreshadowed or represented by a type or symbol, especially a character or event in the New Testament prefigured in the Old Testament.

Here is antitupon in a secular Greek writing - "I am placed opposite something that has gone before"

Antitupon is used only here and in Hebrews 9:24...

For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (see note Hebrews 9:24)

Peter is teaching that the fact that 8 people were in an ark and went through the whole judgment, and yet were unharmed, is analogous to the Christian’s experience in salvation by being in (union with) Christ, identified with Christ our "Ark" of salvation so to speak.

Peter is not teaching (as some twist the Scriptures) that immersion in water by a particular denomination saves you. Peter pictures the waters of baptism as corresponding to (prefigured by) the deliverance of Noah’s family by water. Noah and his family's identification with the Ark (by going into the ark when the flood came) is a type of the believer's identification with Christ (by grace through face) in which he or she identifies with Christ's finished work on the Cross and in so doing in a manner of speaking that person is now safe within the "Ark", Who is Christ Jesus Himself.

This is message of security in Christ is one that Peter's recipients who were experiencing persecution needed to hear, so that might be stabilized when the waves of affliction came upon them.

Application: Biblical Truth sets us free from our fears of what might occur in this life. If one is suffering for the sake of righteousness, they have nothing to fear but can entrust their faithful Creator, Who will deliver them either in the storm or through the storm. Trust in God's faithfulness is the same shield that Shadrach, et al, took up to deflect the fiery missiles of doubt and which enabled them to say...

"If it be so (that "you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire"), our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Daniel 3:17-18)

John Piper answering the question "does baptism save?" writes...

In verse 19, Peter reminds the readers that, in the spirit, Jesus had gone to preach to the people in Noah's day, whose spirits are now in prison awaiting judgment. (I don't take the position that verse 19 refers to Jesus' preaching in hell between Good Friday and Easter.) But there was tremendous evil and hardness in Noah's day and only eight people enter the ark for salvation from the judgment through water.

Now Peter sees a comparison between the waters of the flood and the waters of baptism. Verse 21 is the key verse: "And corresponding to that [the water of the flood], baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." Now there are some denominations that love this verse because it seems at first to support the view called "baptismal regeneration." That is, baptism does something to the candidate: it saves by bringing about new birth. So, for example, one of the baptismal liturgies for infants says, "Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that this child is regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give thanks."

Now the problem with this is that Peter seems very aware that his words are open to dangerous misuse. This is why, as soon as they are out of his mouth, as it were, he qualifies them lest we take them the wrong way. In verse 21 he does say, "Baptism now saves you" - that sounds like the water has a saving effect in and of itself apart from faith. He knows that is what it sounds like and so he adds immediately, "Not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (Or your version might have: "the pledge of a good conscience toward God").

But the point seems to be this: When I speak of baptism saving, Peter says, I don't mean that the water, immersing the body and cleansing the flesh, is of any saving effect; what I mean is that, insofar as baptism is "an appeal to God for a good conscience," (or is "a pledge of a good conscience toward God"), it saves. Paul said in Romans 10:13, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord - everyone who appeals to the Lord - will be saved." Paul does not mean that faith alone fails to save. He means that faith calls on God. That's what faith does. Now Peter is saying, "Baptism is the God-ordained, symbolic expression of that call to God. It is an appeal to God - either in the form of repentance or in the form of commitment.

What is Baptism? Now this is fundamentally important in our understanding of what baptism is in the New Testament. James Dunn is right I think when he says that "1 Peter 3:21 is the nearest approach to a definition of baptism that the New Testament affords" (Baptism in the Holy Spirit, p. 219). What is baptism? Baptism is a symbolic expression of the heart's "appeal to God." Baptism is a calling on God. It is a way of saying to God with our whole body, "I trust you to take me into Christ like Noah was taken into the ark, and to make Jesus the substitute for my sins and to bring me through these waters of death and judgment into new and everlasting life through the resurrection of Jesus my Lord." (See full sermon What is Baptism & Does it Save?)

NOT THE REMOVAL OF DIRT FROM THE FLESH BUT AN APPEAL TO GOD FOR A GOOD CONSCIENCE THROUGH THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST: ou sarkos apothesis rhupou alla suneideseos agathes eperotema eis theon di anastaseos Iesou Christou: (Eze 36:25,26; Zec 13:1; 2 Cor 7:1) (Acts 8:37; Ro 10:9,10; 2 Cor 1:12; 1 Ti 6:12)

Appeal (1906) (eperotema from epí = intensifies verb + erotáo =, to ask, inquire of, beg of)  was a technical term used in making a contract. Here it refers to agreeing to meet certain conditions required by God before being placed into the ark of safety (Christ). Salvation requires the desire to obtain a cleansed conscience from God and a willingness to meet the conditions necessary to obtain it.

The baptism Peter speaks of is not water baptism. The Greek word translated "baptism" is more specifically translated "immerse." Noah didn't experience Christian baptism, but was immersed in judgment though protected by the ark. Noah and his family didn't miss the judgment--they were there--but were preserved through it. That's what happens to believers in Christ. Peter made it especially clear he wasn't talking about Christian baptism when he said, "Not the removal of dirt from the flesh." He wasn't speaking of an earthly ordinance but a spiritual reality, specifically of "an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ".

Conscience (4893) (suneidesis from sun = with + eido = know) literally means a "knowing with", a co-knowledge with oneself or a being of one's own witness in the sense that one's own conscience "takes the stand" as the chief witness, testifying either to one's innocence or guilt. It describes the witness borne to one's conduct by that faculty by which we apprehend the will of God.  The Greek noun Suneidesis is the exact counterpart of the Latin con-science, “a knowing with,” a shared or joint knowledge. It is our awareness of ourselves in all the relationships of life, especially ethical relationships. We have ideas of right and wrong; and when we perceive their truth and claims on us, and will not obey, our souls are at war with themselves and with the law of God Suneidesis is that process of thought which distinguishes what it considers morally good or bad, commending the good, condemning the bad, and so prompting to do the former and avoid the latter.

The book of Hebrews clearly teaches that one acquires a good conscience by faith and not by works of the flesh.

Hebrews 9:9 (note) which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect (Complete, accomplish or bring to an end, to the intended goal) in conscience (Comment: The old sacrifices were never meant to cleanse from sin but only symbolized cleansing. The conscience was never freed from the feeling of guilt because the guilt itself was never removed. The cleansing was predominantly external. Consequently, the worshiper could not obtain a clear conscience, that derives from a deep, abiding sense of forgiveness. Only the working of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God and the efficacy of the blood of the Messiah could give a good conscience.)

Hebrews 9:14 (note) how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works (I have never heard of a dead person doing live work—it just can’t be done. Anything that you do to try to earn your salvation is a dead work.) to serve the living God?

Hebrews 10:19 (note) Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Comment: In Hebrews we see the only way one can obtain a clean conscience is by having one's heart sprinkled (with the blood of Jesus) representing the blood of the New Covenant in which the unregenerate person is born from above and receives a new heart with a new "good" conscience)

Baptism is a symbolic picture of the resurrection of Christ as well as our own spiritual renewal.

Peter's point is that just as the Flood immersed in the judgment of God everyone yet some passed through safely, so the final judgment will fall on all, but those who are in Jesus Christ will pass through judgment safely. Being in Christ is like being in the ark: we ride safely through the storms of judgment. Believers go through the death and burial of Christ because of their union with Him, and come out again into the new world of His resurrection.

Summary: Only those who were in the Ark were saved. Only those who had in a sense "identified" with the Ark were saved. And thus Peter goes on make the analogy with baptism but not a ritual baptism like practiced in Peter's day. (Archeologists have found houses that possess "baptismal chambers" that the rich owners would use for daily "purification").

The "baptism" Peter is talking about is not this daily ritual but that which gives a clean conscience (see notes Hebrews 9:9; 9:14; Hebrews 10:19; 20; 21; 22), when one is identified by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Only then can a man truly have a "good conscience". And this truth of identification with Christ (baptism into Christ - see notes Romans 6:2,  6:3,  6:4) would encourage the believers who might be called to suffer and even die for the sake of righteousness. After all why should they now fear man? (cp Mt 10:28) What could man do to them? They could not be killed because they had already died with Christ (baptized into His death = identified with Him in the New Covenant, by grace through faith, now experiencing oneness and union with Christ through this spiritual baptism - see notes on Greek word baptizo) and they now had everlasting life.

WHO IS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD HAVING GONE INTO HEAVEN: os estin (3SPAI) en dexia (tou) theou poreutheis (APPMSN) eis ouranon: (Mk16:19; Ac1:11; 2:34-36; 3:21; Heb6:20; 8:1; 9:24) (Right hand: Ps110:1; Mt22:44; Mk12:36; Lu20:42; Ro8:34; Ep1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3,13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2)

After describing all the suffering Christ endured, Peter ends this section of Scripture in a glorious final note of triumph. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, the right hand of God is affirmed as the place of preeminence, power, and authority for all eternity. That's when Jesus went when had He accomplished His work on the cross, and that's where He rules from today.

AFTER ANGELS AND AUTHORITIES AND POWERS HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO HIM: hupotagenton (APPMPG) auto aggelon kai exousion kai dunameon: (Ro 8:38; 1 Co 15:24; Ep 1:21)

MacArthur comments that "after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him"...

looks back to when Christ declared His triumph to the demons in prison. It clarifies that the cross and the resurrection are what subjected the angelic hosts (angels, authorities, and powers are all descriptive of angelic beings) to Him.

Subjected (5293) (hupotasso from hupó = under + tasso = arrange in orderly manner) (Click word study on hupotasso) means literally to place under in an orderly fashion. In the active voice hupotasso  means to subject, bring under firm control, subordinate as used in (see note Romans 8:20) is in the passive voice indicates that God did the subjecting.

Subjected in military terms indicates that Jesus Christ outranks all spiritual entities (angels and authorities and powers).

The main point Peter emphasizes is Christ’s complete victory over all “angels and authorities and powers”, the evil hosts of Satan (see notes Ephesians 6:10; 6:11; 6:12).

As Christians, we do not fight for victory, but from victory—the mighty victory that our Lord Jesus Christ won for us in His death, resurrection, and ascension. This truth should encourage believers undergoing suffering: Take this one thought with you in preparation for your suffering. No harassing, oppressing, deceiving, accusing demon is free to do as he pleases. All angels, authorities, powers, devils, evil spirits, demons and Satan himself are subject to Jesus Christ.