1 Peter 3:17-22

17: For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
18: For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
19: in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison,
20: who once were disobedient, 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.
21: Corresponding to that, 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,
22: who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

*** 

To suffer for doing what’s right and endure it patiently is better than suffering for something you did wrong—which is just paying the consequences of your wrongdoing. In God’s eyes, you are following Christ’s example and proving your faith in Him by not lashing out when falsely accused or mistreated. Both are types of suffering—one for doing right and one for doing wrong. God is more pleased at your handling mistreatment patiently than paying for a wrong that you committed.

Jesus died for our sins—once for all. The just for the unjust. When we suffer for doing right God sees Christ in us and is pleased. He’s not pleased at our suffering, but pleased at our faith which is not evident until it’s put to the test. He’s pleased to see that we understand the suffering Jesus did for us, when He didn’t deserve it, and we follow the same example.

Jesus died to bring us to God. When He died, He went to the disobedient, imprisoned spirits—for example those who refused to repent in the days of Noah—and made proclamation of His victory over sin. Not that the disobedient could be saved at that point, but the obedient were.

In Noah’s day, only eight persons were saved from the flood. The rest—the unrepentant—were destroyed. Peter made the comparison between Noah and his family being brought safely through the waters on the ark, and baptism saving believers in Christ. It's not the washing off of the dirt of the flesh that does anything in baptism, but our appealing to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ--being born again, our hearts made new, our consciences cleansed.

Jesus is now at the right hand of God in the heavens. The angels, authorities, and powers have been made subject to Him. Authority and government are subject to the Lord. We know at the right time He will visibly return and make all things right. We have this hope which strengthens us through any troubles we endure prior to that.


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