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. 

Our verses today were written by the apostle Peter, probably around 64 Ad – Nero was emperor, Rome had already burned and the Christians were being blamed for the devastation. Persecution was escalating and many of the Christians were imprisoned or murdered because of their faith. Peter is writing to encourage them and bolster their courage in those terrible times.

The Christians must have felt the whole world were unbelievers and these unbelievers were the ones with power – the power of life and death over them. In our verses Peter is reminding them that early godly people were also a minority and God had preserved them as only eight people had survived the flood. Peter is saying in effect the world has always been full of unbelievers but the godly should not be terrified at their numbers.  Peter reminds the Christians that Christ Jesus was the perfect example of one who suffered unjustly and is the clear and only source of salvation. The resurrection of Christ was the acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ by God and our faith is the completion of our salvation. Baptism is symbolic of what has already occurred at the moment of faith – it is a sign of the washing of the soul by the Spirit – by the blood of Christ. Baptism does not save us from sin but it is a pledge, a commitment and a public stand which echoes what has already happened in faith.  And Peter reminds those facing persecution not to seek Christ in things of this world but to prepare with baptism and keep always in mind the example and sovereignty of Christ.