Proclaiming Jesus' Victory

 I Peter 3:18-22

Sometimes towards the end of an action or suspense movie, TV show, or book, we see the good character proclaim to the criminal or villain their fate or doom.  They have been inflicting havoc and devastation on people throughout the show, and now they have been caught.  In a dramatic scene the hero will declare the victory, that the bad character’s time is up, their fate and doom are sealed.  Perhaps there is a scene where the good character comes walking into the prison to see the criminal, the one who had opposed them throughout the show, causing nothing but trouble.  They walk in, just to let the villain know that they are now paying for their crimes, and that they, the good guy, have won.  In our Scripture passage today from Peter’s first epistle, we find a similar scenario.  Let’s see what God’s Word says.

Peter opens up this passage by reminding us all of the sacrificial death and atonement that Jesus provided for us (vs. 18).  Jesus Christ provided us access to God.  He was just.  He never sinned.  We are unjust sinners.  He took our place and satisfied God’s just penalty for sin, opening the way to God for all who believe.

After His death on the cross, Jesus went to proclaim His victory to the lost souls, those who had rejected God, those who had heard and rejected Noah’s preaching (vs. 19-20).  These were the largest group of mankind to ever experience the universal judgment of God at one time. What did Jesus do there? Like the victor in a show proclaiming the triumph of goodness to the evil person, Jesus was announcing His triumph on the Cross, which sealed the fate of these doomed souls.  Jesus suffered, but is now exalted at God’s right hand, while all of the demons who were responsible for His suffering are now subject to Him.

Peter continues on in our passage to discuss baptism (vs. 21).  Baptism does not save a person.  It cannot wash away the “filth of the flesh”, our stains of sin.  Baptism is a conscious testimony of one’s faith in the resurrection of Jesus, because it symbolizes our resurrection with Him.  Noah and his family’s salvation “through water” (vs. 20) symbolized baptism.  In baptism we identify with Jesus, who separates us from the lost and gives us new life.  It is not the ceremony that saves us.  It is faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Baptism is the symbol of the transformation that happens in the hearts of those who believe.

Another thing that the Lord teaches us in this passage is that Jesus suffered once for our sins (vs. 18).  It was a sacrifice that was made once for all, not something that had to continually be repeated.  The sacrifices the Jewish people performed each year was not sufficient to atone for their sins, as they had to constantly repeat the sacrifices.  However, Jesus Christ’s one sacrifice for sins was perpetually valid and sufficient.  It never needs to be repeated.

God has given everybody the opportunity to come to Him.  No one can ever claim that they never had a chance.  However, there is not a second chance for those who reject Jesus in their lifetime.  The souls that Jesus proclaimed His victory to were not then able to change their mind.  When the door of the Ark was closed, it was too late to get on and be saved from the flood.  We must accept Jesus during this life.  After death comes, it is too late to turn to Jesus.

Jesus is our Ark of safety from the judgment of God, just as Noah’s ark was for his family.  All throughout the years that Noah was building the ark he preached God’s message to the people.  No one listened.  No one believed.  When the rains did come, though, it was too late to escape God’s judgment and get on the ark.  Today we are also warned of the coming judgment of the Lord.  You need to get into the Ark of safety, the Lord Jesus, by faith in His death and resurrection.  If you have not already, now is the day to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.