"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." - 1 Peter 3:20 (NKJV)Peter uses Noah as his chief example for these persecuted believers, and this wasn't accidental. Noah was the most popular or well-known of all biblical figures in Asia Minor, even to t...

"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." - 1 Peter 3:19-20 (NKJV)This is where the waters get weighty, where we've got to be slow enough to really assimilate what's going on. After Jesus said, "It is finished," and after He said, "Into Your hands I co...

"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." - 1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)Sometimes we can live in a place for so long that we lose our gratitude for where we live. We become so accustomed to our freedoms that we forget what a gift they truly are. The same thing happens with our faith. In the...

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. Having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed." (1 Peter 3:15-16)Peter emphasizes "having a good conscience"—meaning your walk matches your talk, your l...

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." (1 Peter 3:15)"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork." (Psalm 19:1)There was a famous atheist, Anthony Flew, who wrote over 40 books on atheism, defending his belief that there was no God. Then...