Wives, just as slaves in the last part of chapter 2, were two vulnerable groups which is indirectly employed as examples of proper submission for Christians. However, 'Christianity gave dignity to the status of both', and here Peter teaches 'the spiritual equality of man and wife as heirs together', just as Paul also teaches married couples to 'mutual submission' where 'the wife's submissiveness is to be matched by the husband's self-giving love', thus complementing each other.
Attitude to the fellowship (3:8–12)
Peter concludes the sections of special relationships with the exhortation of the attitudes Christian should display to one another.
Verse 9
"Bless" : means 'the calling down of God's gracious power and love on all people', including those doing evil to us.
"May obtain" : or "should inherit"
"A blessing" : a promise given in.
Suffering for doing good (3:13–17)
To follow Christ's example of unjust suffering does not mean 'passivity', but an 'active doing of good'.
Verse 14
Cited from b
Verse 15
"Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts": Referring to ; not by making God holy, but by proclaiming and declaring His holiness. The Arabic version reads, "bless the Lord God in your hearts." The Alexandrian, and one of Stephens's manuscripts, read, "sanctify the Lord Christ", as also in the Latin Vulgate and Syriac versions; for Christ is apparently the one intended in as concluded from compared with ;
"Defense" : Christians should always be ready to give a defense, in word as well as action, for Christian faith.
"A reason for the hope that is in you": Theologian John Gill regards the "hope that is in the saints" as "the Gospel" or the whole Christian doctrine, that is, the doctrine of faith, and the profession of Christianity, in which Christians profess their hope of eternal life and happiness through Christ. As a "reason" for this "hope" is to be given, believers should know well the ground and foundation of the Christian religion.
"With meekness and fear": The giving of a defense is to be done with "meekness", in an humble modest way; not to provoke or irritate, and with "fear" of God considering the subject and importance of the argument, and how much the honor of God is concerned in it, that no part of truth be dropped or concealed in order to please men, as was displayed before the Sanhedrin by Stephen, or before Antonius Felix, Porcius Festus, and Agrippa, by the Paul the Apostle. This reason, or answer, is to be given to everyone, who asks in a modest manner and with respect appropriate to the subject; as the phrases, "with meekness and fear", can be for the person who asks the reason, as well as the one who gives the answer; so that 'which is holy is not to be given to dogs', to impudent persons, mockers and scoffers, nor are 'pearls to be cast before swine', to irreverent persons. The Alexandrian manuscripts and some others, including the Vulgate Latin version, read, "but with meekness and fear". This is in agreement to the advice of R. Eleazar:
Christological grounding (3:18–22)
Jesus really died in his humanity when being 'put to death in the flesh', so 'made alive in the spirit' does not mean that a "part" of Christ survived death, but that 'God raised Christ to a new life in the divine realm'.
Verse 18
David Wheaton regards this verse as one of the 'most succinct and yet profound statements in the New Testament on the doctrine of the atonement', in which Jesus has repaired the broken relationship between God and the humanity in three ways:
by being the perfect offering for sins, fulfilling the requirements of the law.
by enduring the death penalty imposed on sinners due to unrighteousness according to the law
by removing the barrier caused by sins and opening for humans a way back to God.
Jesus is the one person whose perfect righteousness means that he never deserves to die, but he endured the punishments and took the place for all the unrighteous people, who did deserve to die, so thereby satisfying all God's own demands for reconciliation.
Verse 19
"The spirits in prison" refers to the days of Noah, whose 'experience of salvation' is very similar to "baptism".
