1 Peter 3 through 5

1 Peter 3
Peter gives similar counsel to Paul's about the relationship of wives and husbands. Peter also counsels women who are married to men who are inactive to be patient and through their example they may be able to win them over. Verses 18-20 are difficult for other churches to explain, but with the restored gospel these verses are very logical and easy to understand. The Savior, after his death, went and preached to the spirits in prison, specifically those who had been disobedient in Noah's time. There are other writings such as those of Hermas, whose brother was a bishop in Rome that talk about preaching to those who have died. Hermas' writings say that after the death of the apostles, they went and preached to those who had fallen asleep before them.

1 Peter 4
Verse 6, which is related to 3:18-20), tells why the gospel is preached to the dead, "so they might be judged according to men in the flesh (be judged for their works while alive), but live according to God in the spirit." This makes it plain that there is yet hope after this life. A loving Heavenly Father understands that there are circumstances that make it virtually impossible for some to come to know how they can return to him. It is a loving and merciful God who will seek the salvation of all his children. His mercy and love are infinite, not limited. He will not suffer his children to be lost to Satan until he has done everything possible to save them.

Verses 12-19 remind us of how dangerous it was to be a Christian at this time. Like Paul, Peter urges the saints to not be fearful of the things they are going to suffer. There was a devastating fire that burned about a third of Rome. Nero blamed the Christians for the fire and began an intense wave of persecution and terror on the Saints. At the same time, the church is going into apostasy and Peter is urging them to not embrace ungodliness. He says an interesting thing, that God's judgement will begin with the House of Israel first, and then it will be upon the ungodly. Then he asks a sobering question, "If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Or, as he says in the previous verse, "if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

1 Peter 5
Peter must be a fairly old man at this time. If he was an established fisherman when he first followed Christ, he could easily be in his fifties, sixties or even older, especially for average age of death for their time. One thing interesting in this chapter is how he describes Satan and his efforts. The devil, he says, is like a roaring lion, walking about seeking whoever he can devour. I have never felt there is any reason to fear Satan. But we should have a healthy respect for how strong his efforts are. He knows that eventually he can not win. But how he does win is in the number of people he can separate and estrange f