People will sometimes say I quote from The Lord of the Rings movies quite a bit. So, this morning, I’m taking a different approach and quoting The Lord of the Rings books instead. There’s a chapter in Return of the King that’s called “The Scouring of the Shire.”

This comes after the evil lord Sauron has fallen, after Aragorn has been crowned king in Gondor. Frodo and the other hobbits return to the Shire only to find it still overrun with gangs of ruffians, troublemakers. One of them eventually bows up to Frodo and mocks him. He threatens him: “If little folks try to push in where they’re not wanted, we can put them out of mischief. [You] see?” But Frodo responds boldly: “Yes, I see…For one thing, I see that you’re behind the times and the news here…Your day is over, and all other ruffians. The Dark Tower has fallen, and there’s a King in Gondor.”

In other words, the greater power behind these ruffians was already defeated. The new king reigned. Knowing this gave the hobbits courage. What gives you courage in suffering? In the face of fears and hardship and pain, what gives you courage to keep doing good? What keeps you standing firm, when suffering in Jesus’ footsteps?

Today, we’ll see that courage comes from knowing that the greater powers behind our earthly foes have already been defeated. There’s a king in heaven, and it’s only a matter of time before these ruffians are put in their proper place. The main idea goes something like this: courage to suffer for doing good comes from Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and Christ’s victory over evil powers. Let’s read it together—verse 18…

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Some of these verses are clear as day. Others? Well, “What in the world, Peter? Which spirits in prison? What did Christ proclaim? When did he do this? And baptism now saves? Peter, you talk about Paul writing things hard to understand (2 Pet 3:16)—what’s all this here?” Well, we’ll get to these things soon enough.

For now, it’s important to remember the context. Notice the way he begins verse 18, “For Christ also suffered.” That little word “for” shows how verses 18-22 relate to verses 13-17. In verses 13-17, we learned that Christians will, at times, suffer for doing good. Verses 18-22 then become the support: “For Christ also suffered.” Christ’s sufferings are supposed to encourage us in our sufferings.

But not simply by mere example. Peter also explains what Christ’s death accomplished. His sufferings were part of God’s larger plan to save us and defeat all evil powers; and that is to be our source of courage in suffering. Courage to suffer for doing good comes from Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and Christ’s victory over evil powers.

Christ’s Sacrifice for Our Sins

Let’s start with Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Verse 18: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” If you get anything today, let it be the clarity of the gospel in verse 18.

In some ways, our suffering for doing good is like Christ’s suffering. But in other ways, our suffering is incomparable to Christ’s suffering. He suffered in a unique, saving way. It says, “Christ suffered for sins.” The rest of verse 18 clarifies that he suffered unto death for sins: “being put to death in the flesh,” it says.

But what does it mean that he suffered “for sins”? Sin has to do with missing the mark. God has a perfect law; and all of us miss the mark. Our consciences bear witness against us, that we have fallen short of God’s moral standard. Because God is holy, he cannot overlook sin. Sin deserves death. In the Old Testament, this was pictured in the sin offerings, which were an atonement for sin. Atonement had to do with inflicting the death penalty for sin upon another in your place. When Jesus suffered and died on the cross, he poured out his blood like that sin offering.

However, his sacrifice was far better than those older sacrifices. Notice the word “once”: “Christ suffered once for sins.” In the Old Testament, the sacrifices had to be offered repeatedly. They never truly forgave the people’s sins. They never truly took away punishment. They could only foreshadow the greater sacrifice we needed. But Jesus’ sacrifice was once and for all. It was perfect and complete. Decisive and final. No other sacrifice needed to follow his; and no other sacrifice can live up to his.

You see, Jesus alone is the righteous one. He suffered once for sins, “the righteous for the unrighteous.” Jesus didn’t come for those who are well; he came for those who are sick. Jesus didn’t come to save the righteous; he came to save sinners. But notice how he does it. He lives the life we should’ve lived. He doesn’t miss the mark ever. He was righteous through and through. In every way he obeyed God’s law. In word, deed, thought, desire—everything about Jesus was righteous. That qualified him alone to be our substitute. The Righteous One stood in the place of the unrighteous ones like us.

And why did he do this? “That he might bring us to God.” That’s the purpose of Jesus’ sacrifice and death for our sins. The goal wasn’t just the forgiveness of our sins. The goal wasn’t just escaping punishment. The goal wasn’t even just a happy life in heaven somewhere down the road. The goal was to bring us to God himself. The goal was to restore the intimacy with God that humanity lost in Adam. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, God is offering you himself in all his love and grace and glory.

Earlier, in verse 15, Peter said to “be ready for a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Now we see Peter reasoning about our hope: “For Christ suffered once for sins…to bring us to God.” That’s a good reason for the hope that is in you. Through his death on the cross, God reconciled you to himself.

Many of us have gathered this morning to sing about these truths and celebrate them around the Lord’s Supper. But perhaps you came seeking to know more about this Christianity stuff. What’s the church about, you’ve wondered? What message is central to their community? What is the one thing that makes them what they are? You just heard me explain it in Peter’s words: “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” If you find a church centering itself on anything else besides that message, be very concerned. The gospel is central to the church because it’s central to our reconciliation with God.

If you reject his sacrifice, there’s no other way to God. Hinduism won’t do it with your works, knowledge, and devotion. The five pillars of Islam won’t do it. Torah-keeping in Judaism won’t do it. The eight-fold path in Buddhism won’t do it. Mormons will say Jesus died for sins too, but in the end, entrance into the celestial kingdom is based on your faith and your obedience. All other religions are based on your works, your righteousness; and that’s bad news when you’re talking about access to a holy God. But the good news is that Jesus, the only righteous one, suffered and died to bring you to God. Not because of your obedience, but because of his. So, trust in him today.

But let’s also remember that Peter’s speaking to Christians—Christians who are faithful. Some are already suffering in the footsteps of Jesus; they are suffering for doing good. They too need to hear the gospel. As Christians, we continue drawing courage from the gospel in our own sufferings. How might that play out?

One way it plays out is by reassuring us that Jesus has brought us to God. Suffering for doing good can be scary, because in it we face our own sinfulness. Suffering might even give occasion for sinful feelings toward others, like resentment or rage, hatred or bitterness. Instead of blessing our enemies and doing them good, we might repay evil with evil. We might sit and stew for a bit over “what they deserve.” What is our assurance that we can be forgiven in those moments? Christ is our assurance.

Also, following in Jesus’ footsteps might mean facing some of the hardest suffering that leaves us feeling alone. But we’re reminded here that we are not alone. Christ brought us to God. God is with us in our sufferings. In our times of need, the throne of grace is wide open to us. Moreover, if Jesus suffered and died to bring us to God, this also means we need not fear the threat of death. The threat of death can be a fearful thing in suffering, as it means we will soon face God. But if our sins are already taken away—past, present, and future—there’s nothing to fear, beloved. God will welcome you and shelter you forever in his presence.

But should we say even more, perhaps from the standpoint of how the gospel gives us courage to bless our enemies in suffering? What is a big temptation the moment we start suffering for doing good to others? “She doesn’t deserve this.” “Why would I keep blessing him—he treats me this badly?” What if Christ acted the same toward us? Nobody would be saved. Of course your enemies don’t deserve blessing. Neither did you. None of us deserve anything from Christ except judgment. Yet he, the Righteous One, suffered and died for the unrighteous. The more you draw from that good news, the more you’ll be able to love your enemies as Christ loved his enemies. Courage to keep suffering for doing good comes by Christ’s sacrifice for our sins.

Christ’s Victory Over Evil Powers

Courage also comes by Christ’s victory over evil powers. Verse 18 doesn’t stop with Christ’s death on the cross. It also includes Christ’s resurrection from the dead. It says of Christ, “being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” The basic point is that Jesus didn’t stay dead. He was made alive. God raised him. If Jesus was a sinner, he would’ve stayed dead. But the death he died was for our sins, not his sins. So, it was impossible for the grave to hold him.

At the same time, this is where things start getting interesting. Notice that final phrase: “in the spirit.” The ESV translates “spirit” with a lowercase s. The contrast, then, is between Christ’s two states of existence: earthly human life before death and glorified life after resurrection. But if you were discipling someone who had the NIV translation or the CSB translation, “Spirit” has a capital S. Jesus was made alive in the Holy Spirit.

Both options are theologically sound. They’re also compatible in that the Holy Spirit did raise Jesus from the dead and brought him into a glorified, resurrection life. But choosing between the two can influence how you understand verses 19-20. For instance, does verse 19 begin with “in which Jesus went and proclaimed”? That is, did he go and proclaim something in his glorified, resurrected state? If he did, then where and to whom and what did he say? Or does verse 19 begin with “in whom Jesus went and proclaimed”? Did he go and proclaim something in the Holy Spirit? If so, that opens a few possibilities for when he did this, including a time prior to his resurrection. What then?

These are not easy questions. But let me see if I can summarize three primary views. One is that verses 19-20 picture Christ proclaimed in hell after his cross but before his resurrection. A late version of The Apostles Creed reflects this interpretation when it added [that Christ] was “crucified, died, and buried” and that “he descended into hell.” Read this way, “the spirits in prison” are the souls of Old Testament believers. They were kept in a holding place of some kind until Jesus completed his work on the cross; and at that point, Jesus went and proclaimed his victory to hell and set his people free. I mean, what else was Christ doing between his death and resurrection?

Problem is, this view requires you to take “flesh” and “spirit” as two parts of Christ’s humanity—what he did in body (died) in contrast to what he did in soul (preached). But the point of verse 18 lies elsewhere; it’s walking us through the main events of Jesus’ redeeming work: crucifixion and resurrection. Soon he will add the ascension. Also, when Peter does speak of humans, he uses the word “souls” and not “spirits.” And why free only some Old Testament saints? “The spirits” in view are, he says specifically, those who disobeyed during Noah’s day.

Another view is that Christ proclaimed through Noah in the Holy Spirit. Earlier in 1:11, Peter mentioned how the prophets of old would prophesy about God’s future grace in Christ. But even before Christ came, it was still “the Spirit of Christ” predicting “the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.” So, it could be that Peter is reiterating something like that here. The “spirits in prison” would again be seen as human spirits. They didn’t (back then) listen to Noah when the Spirit of Christ was speaking through Noah. That’s a better possibility. And, when Peter mentions Noah again in 2 Peter 2:5, he does call Noah a “herald of righteousness.”

However, almost every time “spirits” appears in the New Testament without qualification like this, it’s describing demonic powers, not human spirits. Also, pay attention to the word “he went and proclaimed” in verse 19. Peter repeats the same verb down in verse 22. Only this time the context clarifies what he’s talking about: “who has gone [same exact word in Greek] into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” It seems like Peter resumes in verse 22 what he started talking about in verse 19—the time of Jesus’ ascension.

That leads to a third view: Christ proclaimed victory after resurrection. So, “put to death in the flesh” is the crucifixion. “Made alive in the spirit” is his resurrection. And “in which he went and proclaimed” describes one aspect of his ascension to glory. Somewhere between his resurrection and ascension, Jesus proclaimed victory over the evil spirits in prison. Of course, that leads people to ask, “Who are they?” Apparently, verse 20 says, they are beings that disobeyed formerly when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared.

2 Peter 2:4 and 5 might help a little further. Peter brings the subject up once again. He says, “If God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly…[verse 9] then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” So, Noah, wicked angels, a prison—it’s all there. Maybe this points back to the “sons of God” in Genesis 6. I don’t know—that’s another discussion.

Anyway…I lean toward this view of Jesus proclaiming victory over these evil powers after his resurrection. I don’t think it satisfies every question; but, in my judgment, I think it satisfies more than the others. I also know that I’ve made what could be a very long discussion very short. There’s a lot written on these verses, and they are some of the hardest to understand in the New Testament. You should know that and weigh what I’ve said. If you take one of the other positions, that’s okay, as long as we’re all working toward consistency with everything else that’s much clearer.

I love how the old confessions put it: “All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly [set forth] and [explained] in some place of Scripture or another, that not only the learned, but the unlearned…may achieve a sufficient understanding of them.” So, don’t worry if you don’t understand this—or a year from now. What you need to understand for salvation is clear.  

Speaking of what we can understand. Verse 22 is clear: Jesus is victorious over all evil powers. He has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, it says. That comes from Psalm 110:1. God says to the future Messiah, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” To sit at a king’s right hand was to sit in the place of honor. Applied to God, it’s the place of absolute honor, absolute authority. Jesus has that position right now. Angels, authorities, powers—all of them have been subjected to Jesus. The hobbits could say, “There’s a king in Gondor.” We say, “there’s a king in heaven!” We’re just waiting for all enemies to be put in their place.

But what does that mean for those suffering for doing good? In what way is this truth a source for courage? Well, here’s the main way Peter encourages us: your baptism means that Jesus’ victory (over evil powers) is your victory.

Look at verse 21. God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, “while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.” Then he says, “Baptism, which corresponds to this.” He’s saying the flood was a type, an Old Testament picture that foreshadowed a greater reality that we experience in Christ. There were patterns in the flood that pointed forward to what God would later accomplish in Christ. Peter then he teases that out.

“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” So, “through water” in verse 20 parallels “through the resurrection” in verse 21. What does Peter want us to see? The waters symbolize judgment on evildoers. So, just like the days of the flood, in facing the waters of baptism, we’re saying that destruction is at hand for evildoers. But we’re also saying that in Christ our destruction is over. The death we deserved for sin fell on him in our place. When we’re submerged in water, we’re identifying with the flood of death that consumed him.

But that’s not where it ended. Jesus came out the other side alive. In doing so, Christ overcame death and destruction through his resurrection. If you are united with Christ in baptism, his resurrection victory becomes yours. Death and destruction don’t have the final say in your life; Christ does. Evildoers will not prevail over you. Just like the days of Noah, God will eventually sweep them away, but you will be spared. Baptism is no small thing in the Christian life. It’s a wonderful sign of Christ’s victory.

We’re so used to hearing what baptism is not—“It’s not what the Catholics do” and “It’s not what the Church of Christ do” and “The waters don’t do this”—that we sometimes forget what baptism is. It’s an important sign of Jesus’ victory in resurrection. When you go through the waters, you are declaring that Jesus’ victory is your victory.

Think about the importance of baptism here. Can you say these words without flinching: “Baptism now saves you.” That’s what Peter says. Now, it’s also true that the apostles saw repentance, faith, confession, baptism as all one piece in becoming a Christian. That’s why, at times, they can use baptism and faith interchangeably. Not because they didn’t see a difference in terms of order, but because they knew a person’s inner faith becomes visible through the act of baptism.

That’s why Peter also says, “not as a removal of dirt from the body.” The point isn’t an external washing. To use Tom Schreiner’s words, the point isn’t that the waters save “mechanically or externally as if there are magical properties in the water.”[i] No, baptism was pointing to an inner reality—what he calls “an appeal to God for a good conscience.” Baptism is “a solemn request, an acted prayer.” In effect it says, “O Lord, accept me on the basis of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It’s only through his resurrection that I have life, hope, salvation, and inheritance.”[ii] Baptism saves in the sense that, in faith, you are appealing to God for salvation in Jesus and Jesus alone.

In that way, baptism is an important part of becoming a Christian. The New Testament is very clear on this. Barring any physical limitations, baptism is assumed as the first act of repentance by every Christian. The public act isn’t walking the isle or praying a sinner’s prayer; it’s baptism. So, if you are here today and you are convinced that Jesus Christ died for your sins and is risen from the dead, then your first step needs to be baptism. Come talk to one of the elders, and we can start discipling you toward that.

But for those of you who’ve already been baptized, Peter is saying that you shouldn’t forget its significance. Your baptism means that Jesus’ victory is your victory.

Scripture is clear that invisible powers stand behind the visible powers. Ephesians 2:2, those who are dead in their sins, they “follow the prince of the power of the air.” Satan works through the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 6:12, the ultimate battle isn’t against flesh and blood, “but against rulers, against authorities, against cosmic powers over this present darkness.” We saw this in Revelation as well. On earth, it looks like normal people persecuting Christians. But behind the scenes, a Dragon, a Beast, a False Prophet are at work, spreading lies and inciting violence against the church.

So, when we suffer for doing good, greater powers are at work than just the persecutors immediately before you. But Peter says here those greater powers have already been defeated. Jesus conquered them through his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. He announced the victory already and sat down with power above them all. Sure, there’s some ruffians left who aren’t going to back down. They might even cause you some trouble and seek to oppress you and silence you. But if those great powers behind the ruffians are already defeated, don’t give in to the lesser powers on earth. Don’t fear them. Don’t start following them. Their end is just over the horizon.

The one you belong to in baptism has all authority. He’s not going to lose. Your sufferings won’t be in vain. Nobody can defeat Jesus Christ. If you’re on his side, you’re going to do just fine. He will win and his kingdom will prevail. So, don’t lose heart when suffering in Jesus’ footsteps. In the same way Jesus suffered for doing good and then came out the other side victorious, you also will come out the other side of your sufferings victorious. Even if that means people crucify you and kill you, your enemies will not have the last word. Jesus will.

The hobbits told those ruffians, “The Dark Tower has fallen, and there’s a King in Gondor.” Christians have a truer hope: “The Dark Powers have fallen. There’s a King in Heaven.” He “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” That’s the source of our courage. That’s the source of us standing firm in this day of evil. Courage to suffer for doing good comes from Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and Christ’s victory over evil powers. Let us keep looking to this good news.

________

[i] Thomas Schreiner, “Baptism in the Epistles,” in Believer’s Baptism (Nashville: B&H, 2006), 70.

[ii] Bobby Jamieson, Going Public (Wheaton: Crossway, 2015), 70.