38. Choosing Sides

Read 1 Peter 3:18-22. Peter centers the passage on Christ: the righteous one suffered for the unrighteous to bring them to God. He was put to death and made alive, and he has gone into heaven, where angels, authorities, and powers are subject to him. Between those claims, Peter connects Noah's rescue through water with baptism. He clarifies that baptism is not simply washing dirt from the body; he describes it in relation to a clear appeal to God and the resurrection of Jesus.

Chapter 38 brings baptism and the Lord's Supper into a spiritual conflict frame. Heiser proposes that baptism can be understood as a loyalty oath: a public identification with Jesus' death and resurrection and a declaration of allegiance to him. He also reads the Supper in light of Paul's warning that participation in rival worship is incompatible with sharing the Lord's table. Christians disagree about baptism's meaning and effect, and about how the Supper relates to Christ's presence. The proposal in the chapter is an interpretation to consider alongside Scripture and your church tradition.

Peter's passage does not answer every question Christians ask about baptism. It does place baptism beside Christ's resurrection and authority, and it points toward a changed relationship with God. Notice how the passage directs attention away from a person's ability to save themselves. Christ suffers to bring people to God; Christ is raised; Christ reigns. Baptism's meaning here is bound to that story.

The strange reference to Christ proclaiming to spirits in prison has led to different interpretations. Heiser connects it to the conflict with spiritual powers. This passage itself does not spell out every detail of that event, so read the book's proposal with care and hold firmly to what Peter states plainly: Christ suffered, was made alive, and now has authority over all powers.

The Supper's connection to allegiance also calls for self-examination. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul warns Christians against sharing at the Lord's table while also taking part in idolatrous worship. His concern is divided worship, not a ranking system for spiritual beings. The table calls Christians to remember Christ and to live consistently with that loyalty.

These practices are not magic or a way to earn God's favor. They point to God's saving action and call the church to trust Christ. Because traditions differ, a thoughtful reader can ask what a practice means in their own community, listen carefully to other Christians, and avoid turning a disagreement into contempt.

Let the last line of Peter's passage have weight: the powers are subject to Jesus. Christian loyalty rests on his victory, not on fear of unseen forces.