When the Bible Gets Weird: Understanding 1 Peter 3:18–22 and the Victory of Christ
Every so often, as you read through Scripture, you hit a passage that makes you pause and say, “Wait… what?” For many people, 1 Peter 3:18–22 is one of those passages. Peter moves from Jesus’ death and resurrection, to Noah, to baptism, to imprisoned spirits, to angels and authorities—all in just a few sentences. One scholar joked that it feels like Peter tossed random ingredients into a blender to see what kind of theological smoothie would come out.
Because of that, some pastors skip the passage altogether. One even stepped into the pulpit, opened to 1 Peter 3, and said, “This passage is so weird… we’re skipping it.” Honestly, you can sympathize. It looks like one of those passages you read in a Bible reading plan, scratch your head, and move on.
But I have come to really appreciate what Dr. Michael Heiser says about weird Bible passages, “if it’s weird, it’s important.”
This strange passage becomes incredibly meaningful once we understand a crucial rule of interpretation:
Context Determines Meaning
When we’re confused by Scripture, our instinct is to force the text into our own assumptions. But that is backwards. To interpret Scripture faithfully, we must understand the context—the worldview, assumptions, and background knowledge of the author and the original audience.
Imagine someone from 1790 transported into a TV store in 2007. He sees a sports ticker reading: “The Patriots absolutely destroyed the Cowboys.” Lacking modern context, he panics—thinking cattle ranchers are at war with American revolutionaries under some fierce general named Tom Brady. He would walk away with completely wrong conclusions simply because he lacked the right context.
The same thing happens when we read Scripture without understanding the ancient world. So, before interpreting Peter’s words, we need to understand what his readers already knew.
Understanding Peter’s Background: Enoch and the “Watchers”
Peter’s audience was familiar with a well-known Jewish work called 1 Enoch. While not Scripture, it was widely read, respected, and directly referenced by Peter and Jude. It expanded on an enigmatic passage in Genesis 6:1–4, where “sons of God” (disobedient angels) took human women, producing the Nephilim—giant, violent offspring.
In 1 Enoch, these fallen angels—called “Watchers”—corrupted humanity, taught forbidden knowledge, and unleashed widespread evil. God commissioned Enoch to proclaim judgment to them. The Watchers begged for mercy, but God declared their doom. Their judgment was sealed, and they were imprisoned until the final judgment.
For a quick overview on the relevant passages in 1 Enoch, read my blog on the topic.
Peter and his readers knew this story. It shaped their worldview about spiritual rebellion, evil powers, and divine judgment. And Peter intentionally draws on that background in 1 Peter 3.
Jesus’ Victory Proclaimed to the Imprisoned Spirits
With this context, Peter’s words begin to make sense:
“…being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.” (1 Peter 3:18–19)
Peter is not describing Jesus preaching the gospel to human souls in the afterlife. The Greek word “spirits” in the New Testament always refers to non-human beings—angels or demons.
Peter is saying that after His resurrection, Jesus traveled to the place where these rebellious spirits—the same Watchers Enoch once confronted—were being held. And just as Enoch proclaimed judgment to them, Jesus proclaimed His victory.
This was not an evangelistic message; it was a declaration of triumph.
The crucifixion had not hindered God’s plan—it had accomplished it. Jesus was not defeated. His death was not a setback. He had conquered evil at its deepest levels. As Peter later says, Jesus is now seated “at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him” (v. 22).
Jesus is the greater Enoch, proclaiming once and for all that every rebellious spiritual power is defeated.
Noah, the Flood, and You
Peter then connects Jesus’ victory to the story of Noah:
“…when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah…” (v. 20)
Why Noah? Because Peter sees the flood narrative—especially the rebellion of the angels in Genesis 6—as a type or shadow pointing forward to Jesus’ work. Typology is when an earlier event foreshadows a greater, future reality that God reveals in Christ.
In Noah’s day:
A small group of eight remained faithful amid corruption
Spiritual rebellion was rampant
Judgment was coming
God provided deliverance through the ark
Sound familiar? Peter is telling us: You are like Noah. Surrounded by an unbelieving world, facing opposition, yet upheld by God and called to witness with boldness. And just as Enoch proclaimed judgement over the spirits in prison, Jesus proclaimed final victory over those same spirits. We must proclaim this message of victory!
Baptism: A Proclamation of Victory
Then Peter says something shocking:
“Baptism… now saves you.” (v. 21)
Is Peter teaching salvation by works? No. He clarifies his meaning immediately:
“Not as a removal of dirt from the body…”
In other words: it’s not the water.
Baptism isn’t magical. It isn’t holy water. It’s not a ritual washing.
Instead, baptism is:
An appeal to God for a clean conscience
A symbol of Jesus’ death and resurrection
A public declaration of allegiance to Christ
A proclamation of spiritual victory over fallen angels
In the ancient world—and especially in light of Genesis 6 and 1 Enoch—baptism was an act of spiritual warfare. Early Christians included a renunciation of Satan and his angels in their baptismal formulas. When someone publicly declared faith in Christ, they were announcing the defeat of every hostile power that had opposed God since the beginning.
Every baptism says to the spiritual realm:
“Jesus is Lord, and His victory is mine.”
Living in the Victory of Christ
So, what does all this mean for us today?
1. Stop living like you’re defeated.
We look at sin, addiction, patterns of failure, or painful circumstances and think, “This is just who I am.” No. If you are in Christ, His victory is your victory. He gives you the power to overcome.
2. See baptism for what it truly is.
It is not a cute ceremony. It is an act of war—a declaration of loyalty to Jesus in the midst of a cosmic conflict.
3. Proclaim the message of Jesus boldly.
Peter draws a straight line from Noah’s witness to ours. The world is full of evil. Spiritual forces are real. Judgment is coming. But just like Noah, we have a message that saves.
Christ Wins—Period
Peter ends with a breathtaking vision:
Jesus risen, enthroned, and reigning over every fallen angel, authority, and power.
Every rebellious spirit is defeated.
Every demonic scheme is overturned.
Sin and death do not get the last word.
Christ is victorious.
And the question every reader must answer is simple:
Do you share in His victory?
