The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 246
Christ’s Suffering and Ours
1 Peter 3:18-22 – For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us[fn] to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 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. 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, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.
Jesus, the Christ, God’s Messiah
Deuteronomy 29:29 – The secret things belong to the LORD our GOD, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
There are three main views concerning the section of 1 Peter 3:18-22; does this then cause a stumbling block for various religions found on the planet earth? Yes, it does. FAITH is overrun in the hype of many commentators as they poke around in the Holy Word of God to come up with a reasonable human answer. I do not know how to interpret this section of Peter’s first epistle, but I do know that he has not lost the thought his main subject, note again 1 Peter 1:3-5 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
When starting this series, I opened with 1 Corinthians 13:13 – and now abides faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.
God in His wisdom in eternity past chose to call ALL of mankind back to Him. He completed this work, this calling, this reconciliation, this return of mankind to their original life (sinless) through His only begotten Son. Who is this Son of God? The Cornerstone of Faith? YES, the Cornerstone of Faith. Jesus is the Chosen Stone and by faith, we are His chosen people! (1 Peter 2:4-10). We are His disciples, through His death, we died – through His resurrection – we live again; in this, we greatly rejoice (1 Peter 1:6-9).
In this, I will finish today. I like getting in the pool on a hot summer day and I enjoyed two decades of submarine life in the military. But, I do not like the water, I cannot swim! As I look back, I am reminded that I was so involved with water, yet I knew very little about the many baptisms I enjoyed, praise the LORD, in the flesh I survived them all. Now here is the rub! We have God, the only God, and Savior, He is personal and He proves His love for us through His Son – Jesus. He has delivered me from the power of darkness as He has done this for many millions of people of the past and on into the future. Baptism understood or misunderstood is a wonderful part of His Plan, so what if we do not fully understand it, God is in control.
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