TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 21:15-20
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Peter once asked Jesus: ""Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"" To Peter, seven times seemed quite generous--it was certainly more than the law prescribed. Perhaps he was hoping to impress Jesus.

But Jesus replied: ""I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times"" (Matt. 18:21-22). God's idea of forgiveness is infinitely greater than ours!

If Peter didn't fully understand Jesus' words at that moment, he must surely have reflected on them in the days following the Crucifixion and Resurrection. He had denied his Lord three times. Could he be fully forgiven? Would he be restored to Jesus' love?

Even before Peter fell into denial, Jesus assured him that his failure would not be fatal to his faith (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus was praying for Peter, that Satan would not gain a complete advantage over him.

After the denials, it was necessary for Peter to face what he had done. Jesus' prayer was answered in that Peter's faith did not fail. Even though he was broken and cried bitterly over his sin, Peter did not give in to despair as Judas did.

The text does not tell us why Peter decided to go fishing. It may have been simple habit. He may have been confused about what to do. Undoubtedly he was feeling remorse over his actions.

But even in this condition, Peter's leadership among the disciples was evident in that six others decided to follow him. Interestingly, Peter had the same degree of success he had the first time Jesus called him: not one catch (John 21:5; cf. Luke 5:5). And the same thing happened when Jesus intervened: a miraculous catch (John 21:6; cf. Luke 5:6). Peter was learning that he could do nothing without Christ (John 15:5).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
It's appropriate that we celebrate America's birthday today with a passage that speaks of repentance and restoration.

Our nation is in desperate need of these works of God. We know from Scripture that no nation in rebellion against God can long survive. But God's mercy and grace are still available to America, and we urge our Today in the Word family to join hearts today in prayer for America.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 1:1-2
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TODAY IN THE WORD
In the summer of 1969, then-President Richard Nixon engaged in hyperbole to express his excitement over America's landing on the moon. When the Apollo 11 astronauts returned to earth following the first-ever moon landing, Nixon called their mission ""the greatest week in the history of the world since the Creation, because as a result of what happened in this week, the world is bigger, infinitely.""

The President obviously got a little carried away by the thrill of man's first steps on the moon. But it was an historic moment. For the first time ever, human beings left the familiar confines of earth and traveled to a strange world, where they ""sojourned"" for a short time before returning home.

We might say that our Christian pilgrimage on earth reverses this movement. Almost from the opening word of his first letter, the apostle Peter lets us know that believers are just ""passing through"" this world. In 1 Peter 2:11, he even refers to God's people as ""aliens"" on earth.

Why are Christians only temporary travelers on earth? It's because heaven is our true home, toward which we are moving every day. Everything we value and hold dear originated in heaven and is designed to get us to heaven one day.

For example, our salvation was initiated by the electing work that the Father performed in eternity past. It was secured for us by the blood of Christ, shed at the cross. And our salvation is brought to maturity and completion by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, the process of conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ.

Peter knew those to whom he was writing, many of whom may have been strangers where they were living. He was writing to believers scattered throughout the five areas he lists, each a Roman province in Asia Minor. Some of these people may have been driven to their location by persecution (Acts 8:1 describes a similar situation).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We can't afford to forget that this world is just a ""rest stop"" for us on the way to our true home.

So how do you know if you're really living in the light of this truth? One way is by testing your reaction to the loss of any ""creature comforts"" that God might ask you to surrender.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 1:3-5
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Last spring's bizarre and tragic mass cult suicide in southern California underscored the dramatic difference between the Christian's hope and the false hopes of this world. The ""Heaven's Gate"" cultists' belief that death would free them to rise to the ""next level"" of existence became literally a dead hope when they acted on their leader's teachings and took their own lives.

The gloom, despair and death that shrouded this news story as it unfolded contrast sharply with the joy, praise and life that accompany salvation in Christ. Peter had special reason to exult in Christ's resurrection, which sealed the divine redemption that brought us from spiritual death to eternal life.

Peter was an eyewitness of the Resurrection, which not only placed him in special company but also energized his faith and removed any doubt or reluctance from his heart. Even more, as we saw earlier, Peter was forgiven and restored to service by the risen Christ. The former fisherman knew all about God's ""great mercy"" (v. 3).

In relation to the inheritance stored up for us in heaven, Peter's words in today's passage echo the teaching of Jesus, which Peter heard during the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:19-21). The apostle proved to be a good pupil, reflecting his Master's view of a heavenly treasure which no earthly corruption can touch.

This teaching about their heavenly inheritance must have been encouraging to Peter's readers. Judging by both 1st and 2nd Peter, these people were undergoing persecution and suffering for their faith in Christ.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Need three great reasons to rejoice on this Lord's day? Consider what God has done for believers in Christ.

First, God has taken care of our past through our new birth (1 Peter 1:3). Although we were dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1), when we trusted Christ, we were given new life.

Second, God has secured our future by storing up an inheritance that is kept in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4).

And in the present, despite the trials that come upon us, nothing can take us down because we are being ""shielded by God's power"" (v. 5). We will enjoy that protection until Christ comes for us!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 1:6-9
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Trials have an uncanny way of revealing what's inside a person. Consider the behavior of some passengers aboard the doomed luxury liner Titanic. As the great ship was sinking and the few lifeboats were being filled, the command on deck was ""women and children first."" According to one survivor, most of the men and older boys obeyed the order. But some men ran back to the ship's staterooms and changed into women's clothing in an effort to gain a seat on a lifeboat.

The crisis brought out the worst in these men. What about us? When God sends trials our way, do we respond in fear or in faith? God intends trials and testings to produce good fruit in our lives. This is one of the classic paradoxes of the Christian faith: great rejoicing in the face of real troubles. A Christian's joy is not driven by circumstances.

What is its source, then? Peter answers that question beginning with the first two words in verse 6. ""In this"" refers to the exciting truth that God has secured our past, present and future (vv. 3-5).

When trials and testings are seen against the backdrop of God's complete work in us, we realize that His purpose in them is to strengthen us, not to sink us. Peter makes that truth explicit in verse 7. God's goal in testing is to produce in us a pure, priceless faith.

To some, this kind of reasoning sounds like ""pie in the sky."" But Peter is not talking about grinning and bearing it or pretending it doesn't hurt. He knew what it meant to be beaten and imprisoned for his faith (see, for instance, Acts 12).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Need three great reasons to rejoice on this Lord's day? Consider what God has done for believers in Christ.Peter doesn't deny that trials can bring temporary grief.

But the apostle also says we can find abundant joy in spite of our troubles when we lift our eyes to take a larger view. Although Peter may be referring primarily to persecution, a Christian's trials can also include physical suffering, financial setbacks or family disappointments.

Peter reminds us that these troubles can be tools in the Father's hand to refine and strengthen our faith, as well as to bring praise and glory to Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 1:10-12
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Various cults believe they have ""revelation"" that is additional to the Bible. Joseph Smith, for instance, founder of Mormon-ism, claimed to have discovered and translated divine golden tablets. ""Christian Science"" is firmly based on the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. And the Jehovah's Witnesses and others have actually tried to set dates for Jesus' return.

The beliefs of these and other cults illustrate the strong spiritual curiosity and hunger in human nature. But their quest for additional revelation is in vain. God's ""final word"" has already been spoken in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. We in the church know what saints and prophets in the Old Testament longed to know.

The Bible often speaks of the fact that in Jesus Christ God's revelation was complete (Heb. 1:2). Jesus was prophesied in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament.

It's clear from the Old Testament writings that the prophets did not have all the pieces of the puzzle. They wrote of the Messiah's coming and His sufferings, but according to Peter they strongly desired to know more.

It's a little overwhelming to think that in one sense the experiences of prophets such as Isaiah and Ezekiel are not complete without us in the church. Peter says this is so, however, and that these earlier believers were serving us in what they wrote. Even angels long to understand about salvation.

What a privileged position we enjoy, being on this side of Calvary and having God's complete revelation in our hands. Peter wrote to his scattered readers as one who was aware of his privileged position. As an apostle and a biblical writer, he was one of those to whom God entrusted His final revelation.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Need three great reasons to rejoice on this Lord's day? Consider what God has done for believers in Christ.It's amazing: the prophets of Scripture, and even the angels, are overcome with curiosity about our salvation.

No matter what setbacks and disappointments we may face in this life, as believers in Jesus Christ we are incredibly privileged people. It's good to step back from time to time to simply delight in the truth that we are children of God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 1:13-21
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TODAY IN THE WORD
A recent survey of Japanese and American parents revealed much about the values that people in various cultures hold dear. The question was submitted to these parents, ""What do you wish most for your children?"" The leading response among Japanese parents was that they wanted their children to be successful--a reflection of the high value Japanese culture places on marketplace success. The most frequent wish of American parents for their children was happiness--a reflection of our ""feel good"" culture.

Our Father God's greatest desire for His children is neither success nor happiness, but instead that we be like Him, ""holy in all [we] do"" (v. 15). This is a command, written into the Mosaic Law and never altered.

How do we fulfill our Father's desire--and His command--for us? Peter gives us several ways.

For example, he tells us to get ready for action as people who are self-controlled (v. 13). Peter's original readers were facing hard times, yet the Bible never tells Christians to hide out until trouble passes by. New Testament metaphors for the Christian life--a walk, a race, a war, even a boxing match--all suggest action and the need for self-discipline.

Another way we can achieve the holiness Peter speaks of is by setting our hope fully on Christ. This should sound familiar by now, because it is a favorite theme of Peter's. Looking ahead with hope and joy to the return of Christ is a call to action, not an invitation to a hammock in the shade.

Peter also calls us to be ""obedient children"" (v. 14) by not conforming to our old way of life. The original word for ""conform"" is the same one Paul uses in Romans 12:2, where we are called to be transformed rather than conformed people.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Need three great reasons to rejoice on this Lord's day? Consider what God has done for believers in Christ.Success and happiness are not evil in themselves. But they're not primary on God's ""wish list"" for His children.

One problem with pursuing success or happiness as our main ambition is that the pursuit itself can lead us into desires that definitely are evil. It's hard to live in ""reverent fear"" when we are running after temporal things.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 1:22-25
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Perhaps not even a single one of our readers has read all the way through the U.S. tax code. This document is about 9군 pages long, discouraging enough for even the most avid reader. But there's another challenge awaiting those who attempt to understand this massive piece of government regulation. The tax code is undergoing constant revision--and according to one certified public accountant, the manual for the 1996 tax year alone is more than 700 pages long!

America's ever-changing tax code provides a stark contrast to the unchanging, imperishable Word of God. The apostle Peter's reverence for the Word shines through in many places in his epistles. He certainly has the Old Testament in mind here, because it was a completed work in Peter's day and a source of changeless divine truth.

But Peter was also keenly aware that the gospel which he and the other apostles were preaching was the revealed Word of God (v. 25). He refers to the fact that his ""dear brother Paul"" was also writing Scripture at that time (2 Pet. 3:15).

The process by which Peter, Paul and the prophets wrote is called ""inspiration,"" a term Peter explains in 2 Peter 1:19-21. He makes it clear in those verses that the biblical authors wrote not from their own impetus, but as they were ""carried along by the Holy Spirit.""

The result of this divine overseeing is a Word that ""stands firm in the heavens"" (Ps. 119:89). The prophet Isaiah contrasted God's eternal Word with the short life span of grass and flowers, which fade and fall rather quickly.

Peter quoted Isaiah to remind us that our new birth rests on the unchanging guarantees of God's Word. We will be eternally grateful for that! Imagine what it would be like if the truth we are commanded to obey kept changing with every new fad of culture or religion.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Need three great reasons to rejoice on this Lord's day? Consider what God has done for believers in Christ.Notice again the last phrase in today's text. Peter reminds his readers that the preaching of the imperishable Word is God's method of transmitting His truth (1 Cor. 1:21).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 2:1-3
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Like many doting new fathers, President William Howard Taft was delighted with the birth of his first child, Robert. The elder Taft, writing in 1890, called his son ""the finest seven-month-old boy in the country"" and referred to the nightly ""interviews"" he and Mrs. Taft were obliged to have with their infant son.

Any parent of a newborn knows that those nightly ""interviews,"" as Taft called them, are really feedings. A baby doesn't try to hide or deny his hunger. He isn't hypocritical about it either, pretending he wants milk for any purpose other than to satisfy his hunger.

This is the way God wants us to approach His Word. If we are going to experience the full benefit of its nourishment, we need to rid ourselves of the attitudes that block God's work in our lives. Today's text contains five sins that can sour the ""pure spiritual milk"" of the Word within us.

These sins of the heart and the lips are for the most part self-explanatory. Peter borrows from one of them to show how God's Word is utterly different from anything that is tainted with sin. He calls the Word ""pure,"" the opposite of the word used in verse 1 for ""deceit.""

There is nothing deceitful at all in God's Word. ""The words of the Lord are flawless...purified seven times,"" the psalmist writes (Ps. 12:6). We don't need to worry that we will receive anything but pure spiritual nourishment when we take in the Scriptures.

And the goal of being nourished, of course, is to grow. Good parents don't feed their babies just to silence their cries. Feeding on milk is part of the growth process.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Everyone knows how much newborn babies crave the milk they need to live and grow on. Nothing else can satisfy them.

Wouldn't it be great if we as God's people felt that same kind of intense hunger for His Word? We can!

One key to developing that kind of hunger is found in verse 3 of today's reading. If you have ""tasted that the Lord is good,"" you'll want more. In what ways have you tasted the Lord's goodness over the past few months or weeks?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 2:4-8
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TODAY IN THE WORD
More than 120 years after General George Custer and his 7th Cavalry were destroyed at the Little Bighorn River in southern Montana, the famous battlefield is adding a new memorial stone. A monument was erected in 1881 to honor Custer and the soldiers and Indian scouts who fell with him. Now the National Parks Service has announced plans to add another monument in tribute to the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors who defeated Custer on June 25-26, 1876.

Memorial stones are important markers. The Bible speaks of another important stone--not an historical monument to people now dead, but a ""living Stone"" and a living Person, Jesus Christ (v. 4).

In today's Scripture reading Peter shifts his thought from our desire for the Word of God to our longing for the God of the Word. The coming to Jesus that Peter has in mind is clearly not salvation, since the verb form suggests a repeated coming. What the apostle is talking about is our fellowship with Christ, the heart of our Christian experience.

Peter's picture of Jesus as a cornerstone, rejected by some but precious to others, is borrowed from the prophets, particularly Isaiah. The cornerstone is that stone on which a building rests, which gives it its visible support.

Jesus the Messiah came as Israel's cornerstone, but the nation rejected Him. Its leaders stumbled over Jesus because they disobeyed His message of repentance and faith in Him.

As Jesus' apostle, Peter felt the sting of that rejection. But he was also privileged to participate in the construction of God's new building, the church.

Notice the lofty language Peter uses in verse 5 to describe the church. We are a ""spiritual house"" and a ""holy priesthood."" Priests offer sacrifices, so we offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God and give Him a sacrifice of praise (Rom. 12:1-2; Heb. 13:15). As God's priests must be holy, so we are called to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The picture of the church as a group of ""living stones"" formed into a spiritual house tells us that for believers in Jesus Christ, church is not optional.

Someone has said that if Christ was willing to lay down His life for the church, it shouldn't be a problem for us to show up regularly in our churches.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 2:9-12
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TODAY IN THE WORD
When the secular world tries to define what is ""Christian,"" the result is often a bad case of confusion. Two recent surveys verify that fact. In one study, people suggested that the most widely read ""Christian"" magazine is the Reader's Digest! In another survey, the respondents said the most listened-to ""Christian"" radio programs were a popular newscast and a well-known conservative political talk show.

We should not be surprised by such thinking from the secular world. But the sad reality is that the Christian world often seems to be similarly confused about what makes believers distinctive.

Anyone who needs a short refresher course on this subject can find it in today's reading. In a series of rapid strokes, Peter paints a remarkably clear portrait of who we are in Christ and what we are supposed to be about as Christians.

That is, we Christians are not different because of the things we do or do not participate in. Nor are we different because we go to church. Fundamentally, we are different because God has called us out of the darkness of sin into the light of His salvation.

We are chosen because of the electing work of the Father (1:1-2). We are royal because we are children of the King. We are holy because God declared us righteous through the sacrifice of Christ. And we belong to God because He bought us with the precious blood of Christ (1:19).

That's a profound difference from the world! No wonder that we are considered ""aliens and strangers"" (2:11) in this world. But our uniqueness is not designed to make us feel proud or superior to unbelievers, or to cause us to withdraw and huddle together until Christ returns.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
There's nothing like a brightly shining light to drive away the darkness and dispel confusion.

The unsaved people around you may not have their theology straight, but it's hard to overlook or deny the witness of your life as it's lived for Christ. Is there something about your life that cannot be explained apart from the power of God working in you?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 2:13-17
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TODAY IN THE WORD
The New York subway system has been trying what some are calling a ""grand experiment in efficiency and manners."" In an effort to cut subway train stops to less than 45 seconds and increase passenger flow, the New York City Transit Authority has painted orange arrows and black lines on the subway platform at Grand Central Station. The idea is for people to play by the rules by following the lines and making the train stops more efficient. After one month, officials reported that, to the surprise of more than one observer, commuters were for the most part obeying the rules.

Living as ""aliens and strangers in the world"" (v. 11) does not exempt believers from playing by the rules or the laws of society. On the contrary, we are also to set the example in this area.

This section of Peter's letter gives us further indication that his readers (in the five provinces he listed in opening the epistle) were undergoing some sort of persecution for their faith in Christ. It does not seem likely that organized persecution of Christians by the Roman government had yet begun. That was still to come, and under those conditions believers would face torture and death.

In the case of Peter's audience, it seems that the mistreatment was mostly in the form of slander and accusations (v. 12)--the ""ignorant talk of foolish men"" (v. 15) that was best answered by an exemplary life.

Since its earliest days, the church has wrestled with its relationship to the government. Peter himself gave us the principle that when obedience to the state and obedience to God are in conflict, ""we must obey God rather than men!"" (Acts 5:29; see also 4:19-20).

But Peter was also quick to admonish God's people to obey God-ordained authority. He even went so far as to tell slaves to bear with unjust treatment by a harsh master.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Do you ""play by the rules,"" even when no one is looking and when cutting a corner might save you time and hassle?

Scoffing at traffic laws, misusing the boss's property or time at work, or failing to show courtesy and respect for others in public are areas of Christian discipleship easily overlooked.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 2:18-25
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TODAY IN THE WORD
At the end of the 1500s, the Japanese church was thriving, with about 300ꯠ Christians. But at the beginning of the 1600s, the Japanese emperor decided that Christian-ity was a tool Western nations were using to gain political power. He issued a decree against the church and a time of severe persecution began.

In one incident, 70 Japan-ese believers were crucified upside-down on the beach at low tide. As the tide rolled in, the water rose higher on their bodies, finally covering their noses and mouths. The 70 Christians died by drowning and became martyrs for Christ.

The churches under Peter's care were also experiencing persecution, and the apostle wanted them to understand that suffering is part of the Christian life. His thoughts on this topic carry through to the end of chapter 2. Peter points to the sufferings of Christ as our ultimate example.

First, Peter states an obvious truth: suffering deserved punishment for doing wrong doesn't get us anywhere with God. If we are going to suffer, he says, make sure it's because we are doing right as Christians (see 1 Peter 4:16).

Peter has already told us several times how important it is for us to do good. Is he asking us to be ""do-gooders"" as the world uses that term? Hardly. Doing good in Peter's mind is the response of someone who has experienced salvation; good deeds are not themselves the path to salvation.

Verse 21 reminds us that for believers, suffering is not an accidental happening. We have been called to suffer as witnesses to the world of the character of Christ. We can imagine the images that must have been in Peter's mind as he recounted Jesus' sufferings and death, much of which Peter had witnessed.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Not all of the problems and setbacks we encounter in life are the result of our commitment to Christ.

But if you can point to a situation where you are making a sincere effort to do what is right, and yet you are suffering in some way for it, that's a different case. First, you need to know that you enjoy God's commendation for your determination to do right. And second, you need to realize that this is an opportunity for you to display the character of Christ to everyone involved.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 3:1-7
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TODAY IN THE WORD
A cartoon in a magazine for those in Christian ministry shows the front platform in a church, but instead of a pulpit there is a tank-like box with only a narrow opening at the top. Through the opening we can see the pastor's fearful eyes, widened in apprehension as he announces that his text for the morning is 1 Peter 3:1-7.

That cartoon is significant because it reveals the sense many believers have that when we venture onto the subject of submission, we are bound to get bad responses from all sides.

Peter didn't suffer from our modern tentativeness. He gave us the ""straight stuff,"" just as Paul did. In fact, our text bears at least one important resemblance to the passage in Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5:22 links a wife's submission to her husband to her submission to Christ. Similarly, Peter calls wives to submit to their husbands with the same spirit of submission Christ showed in going to the cross.

Notice how several of Peter's themes surface in the context of marriage. The first theme is a Christian's submission to God-appointed authority, which Peter had just discussed in relation to government and individual masters.

A second theme is the Christian's calling to live such an exemplary life that no charge of misconduct can stick. Peter applies that principle to a truly ""mixed marriage,"" a Christian married to a non-Christian. Just as believers in general are to win over unbelievers, or at least silence their criticism, by the purity of their lives (1 Peter 2:12, 15), so a believing wife can win over an unsaved husband by the quality of her life.

The woman who lives by these principles is a true daughter of Sarah, the classic example of a wife who honored her husband. A wife who lives this way need not fear what others may say or do.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
This is a great time for a Christian couple to reaffirm their love and devotion to Christ.

If you are married, ask your spouse to read this passage with you and pray together that God will help you be sensitive and considerate toward each other. Agree ahead of time that either person will be free to discuss whatever is on his or her mind.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 3:8-17
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TODAY IN THE WORD
In a classic case of knowing versus doing, a recent survey published in the Journal of Health Education reported that only eight percent of 1ꯠ people polled met the so-called ""Five-A-Day"" goal, the recommendation to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day to maintain good health. The researchers pointed out that despite the widespread knowledge that eating fruits and vegetables is important, there is a great gap between what people know and what they actually do.

Every sincere Christian understands that gap. When it comes to godly living, most of us know far more than we do. Today's reading gives us more of the meat-and-potatoes (or we should say, fruits-and-vegetables) exhortations that form the basics of the Christian life. But Peter also gives us encouragement to act on what we know.

Having just dealt with husbands and wives, the apostle now draws the circle as wide as he can by aiming his words at all Christians. But one thing that does not change is his theme of the way believers should respond to ill treatment.

Although Peter does not mention Jesus by name until verse 15, it's obvious that He is our best example when it comes to returning good for evil. Peter has already said that Jesus did not retaliate when He was slandered (1 Peter 2:23).

Jesus is also our example when it comes to love for one another as brothers and sisters in His body. In verse 9 of today's reading we can hear echoes of the Beatitude concerning the blessing of being ill-treated for Christ (Matt. 5:11-12).

This is Peter's encouragement for us to be eager to do good. Even if our good results in suffering, we receive a blessing from God. And since life deals out some measure of suffering to everyone, it is better to suffer for doing good (v. 17) than for doing wrong.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One way you can be prepared to give an answer for your hope is by thinking through and organizing your personal testimony.

One simple outline you can use is to think about what your life was like before you met Christ, what He did for you in salvation, and how your life has been different since you have known Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 3:18-22
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TODAY IN THE WORD
We've all seen cartoons featuring an oddly-dressed crank who carries a sign reading ""The End Is Near."" We laugh at the image, feeling superior. Perhaps the man is not quite sane. Perhaps he simply wants to attract attention. We don't really think he has ""inside information"" about the world's end or that his message is true.

Unfortunately, that is how the world sees us as followers of Christ. People without God often view Christians as cranks, perhaps amusing or annoying, but not as people with a vital message of life. Jesus warned His disciples it would be this way. Just as the world misunderstood and persecuted Him, so it misunderstands and persecutes believers in Him.

That has been true throughout human history, as Noah could attest. He preached for 120 years, but his neighbors only thought he was a crazy man. In today's text, Peter referred to Noah's ministry to illustrate the necessity of keeping a good testimony in spite of unjust persecution.

We'll get to the difficult verses in this text below, but first we need to pause at verse 18, a text about which there can be no argument. One writer has called this verse a rich summary of the cross. It refers to the substitutionary nature of Christ's atonement, its finality, and its triumph in the resurrection.

In verse 19, Peter states that Christ preached to ""spirits in prison."" And verse 20 seems to indicate that the Spirit of the preincarnate Christ was speaking through Noah as he preached. Peter had earlier said the Spirit of Christ spoke through the Old Testament prophets (1 Pe. 1:11).

Some believe that Christ went to Hades in His spirit while His body was in the grave to announce His victory to human beings or to fallen angels. There is evidence for this interpretation, but the other explanation better fits the context.

Verses 21-22 get us into another controversy. Here we reject any notion that baptism saves us. We are saved by the death and resurrection of Christ.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Evidently some readers of 1 Peter needed to take a step of obedience that would please Christ and draw them closer to Him.