The Good News of Death and Life

1 Peter 3:18-22 

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.

The gospel message proclaims Christ suffered for our sin, even though He was completely just and sinless.  He did this so we would not have to die to pay the price ourselves, which would not even be possible because a sacrifice for sin must be sinless, which we are not (Romans 3:23).  This good news of Christ suffering and ultimately dying sacrificially in our place killed the flesh as it promised life in return by the death of His flesh and resurrection to prove His Spirit did not die.  Therefore we also in Him die but live again (Galatians 2:20). This message of deliverance was rejected in Noah’s days, and was disregarded by all but the eight of Noah’s family who were saved through faith in God’s work, and were in that sense baptized into Christ as the Messiah to come.  God’s patience was long as Noah built the means of rescue, but those who did not listen died in their sin; Christ preached to them as to us, but we now have the chance to escape destruction by His deliverance by faith.  They had the gospel preached to them but have no second chance, just as we will not either if we die first (Hebrews 9:27-28).  We who believe are immersed in Christ as Noah’s family was in a sense through the flood, both showing the escape from the wrath of God against sin.  We now look with certainty to the resurrection through Jesus Christ, who sits in power and authority with all creation under Him, for we are under His authority over sin and death now.  This is good news indeed!