Question #2 - Are we able to save anyone? 

Read: Ezekiel 14:14-20

This is an important and popular question.  Scripture makes it clear that the work of salvation is God’s alone (John 6:44, Ephesians 2:8-9).  Since God does the work of salvation (by His grace) in our lives (through our faith), we can no more save ourselves than we can anyone else.  This does not negate the essential work of evangelism.  We are commanded to make disciples of Jesus Christ.  We have an integral part in evangelizing the lost as Romans 10:9-17 details. 

But just as the prophet Ezekiel states in Ezekiel 14:14-20, Noah in all his righteousness could not save anyone, not even his own sons and daughters.  I teach my children, I train them up in righteousness, I pray over them, and I pray that God will draw them by His grace into saving faith.  Our role is to teach, to share, to lead, to preach, to pray, to persevere.  But we cannot save.

Question #4 - Does our faith condemn the world? 

Read: Hebrews 11:7 

I’ve never considered the larger plan of God in the context of Noah’s faith.  God knew Noah would be faithful to His command to build the ark.  But what if he had not been?  The author of Hebrews gives us this unique perspective; the building of the ark was a form of condemnation on the sin of the world. Because Noah was faithful and built the ark,  God fulfilled his vow to flood the world. Hebrews presents this thought - If Noah had failed and had not acted on faith, if he had disobeyed God, if he had not built the ark, God would have waited and found another faithful man.  In essence, the condemnation of the human race would have been waiting until someone was found who would be obedient, through whom God would repopulate the earth after the flood.  This example demonstrates the grace of God’s sovereignty in balance with man’s free will in perfect unison together.

As believers, our lives should be pointing to Christ.  As we seek to live holy, sanctified lives, we should be pulling away from sin and embracing a lifestyle pleasing to Christ.  Our actions will absolutely be contrary to culture.  

Question #5 - Is there a second chance for salvation after we die? 

Read: 1 Peter 3:18-22

Meditate on the following passages: Hebrews 9:27, 2 Cor. 5:10, Luke 16:19-31

• What do you notice as the overall theme of these texts?
• When is it possible to be saved?
• Is it ever too late to come to salvation?

‘between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

After death, there is no “crossing over”.  While it’s tempting to think that God will save those in hell, the Bible does not support that thought.  If salvation were possible in the afterlife, then damnation would also have to be possible.  Consider for a moment being in heaven and having the possibility of losing your salvation and falling to hell.  Jesus states clearly that the chasm cannot be crossed.

So to whom did Jesus preach after His death according to 1 Peter 3?  Let’s break this text down piece by piece.  First, vs 20 states that God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark.  Recall that Noah was proclaiming or heralding the message of God via his obedience.  Those referenced here are all of the disobedient.  It took Noah at least 75 years to construct the ark, during which time God was patient with the disobedient.  Those who did evil all the time in every thought and action took no notice of Noah’s proclamation.  Instead, they continued in their extravagant evil, eating, drinking, and marrying.  

Second, vs 18 provides the necessary context of Christ’s death and its saving power.  Notice specifically that Jesus was put to death in the flesh AND made alive in the spirit.  This indicates that vs 19 does not necessarily take place during Chrsit’s three days in the tomb.  If vs 18 provides the context of both his death and resurrection, His preaching comes after this.  This can be further confirmed by Jesus’s words to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43).  

Finally, this brings us to vs 19, which also, refers back to the spirit of His resurrection.  In the spirit He went.  Proclamation is the word kérussó, it is a derivative of kérux, the same term used of Noah as a herald.  However, while Noah heralded by his actions, Jesus, in the spirit, heralds by His word.  This is why most English bibles translate this term as ‘preach’.

So what was the content of Jesus’s preaching and why did He preach?

Scripture seems to indicate that Jesus preached His message ‘to the spirits’ during His time on earth, after His resurrection.  According to Acts 1:1-3, Jesus preached for 40 days after His resurrection until His ascension into heaven.  We also know that He appeared and disappeared at will (Luke 24:15 & 31).  In His glorified state, in the Spirit, He moved freely between the physical and spiritual world.  The term spirits used in 1 Peter, is NOT a term that refers to dead humans.  (The term soul is used scripturally when speaking of dead humans; see Psalm 16:10, Matt. 10:28, Rev. 6:9). 

So what does this mean? Jesus in His glorified state in the spirit, preached to Spiritual beings who are not humans.  Referring back to the context of the flood narrative, Scripture explains that some of the fallen angels took human wives.  For this sin, they were cast into “prison” (review the devotional from two weeks ago).  Knowing that there is no salvation after death and that fallen angels have no hope of salvation at all, why did Jesus preach to them?

Jesus, like Noah, did not preach a message of repentance.  Instead, according to Strong’s concordance, the Greek word proclaim, translated as preach in 1 Peter 3:19 means to “preach the Gospel as the authoritative (binding) word of God, bringing eternal accountability to all who hear it.”  

Jesus did not preach repentance and salvation.  No, He preached wrath and condemnation to the spirits, the fallen angels, held in prison.  Contextually, we see the continuity of this passage as it explains at the end, “angels and authorities and powers being subjected to Him”. Jesus  proclaimed His victory over the spiritual world after His resurrection from the dead (1 Peter 3:22).

Question #6 - What did God promise never to do again and why is that important?  

Read: Isaiah 54:9 

God’s wrath in the flood served two purposes.  First, It cleansed the earth of all sinful human life and began the re-population with the salvation of Noah and his family. Second, it also separated the physical and spiritual world.  The fallen angels who intermarried with women were cast into prison.  This means that an avenue for the total depravity of mankind was somewhat removed.  Satan and his demons still exist.  They still torment and persecute people, as they seek to deceive as many as possible.  

However, God made the promise to never destroy the earth by flood waters again.  Furthermore, He promises to never leave us nor forsake us.  Look specifically at Isaiah 54:8-10.  This prophetic promise to Israel  is an echo of Deuteronomy 31:6, where God declares to Israel that He will never leave them nor forsake them.  This promise is conferred to us through Christ.  When a rainbow appears, it should give us pause and bring to our remembrance the wrath of God upon a sinful world.  Our minds should quickly remember the promise of God’s salvation through His one and only Son!