1. 1 Peter 3:20 (ESV)
  2. Application

The salvation of the few

1 Peter 3:20 (ESV)

20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

Peter writes that a mere eight persons escaped the flood. This recalls the question once put to Jesus, Lord, will those who are saved be few? (Luke 13:23). Jesus did not provide a Yes or No answer to that question but stressed his hearers’ responsibility: Strive to enter… On the same theme, Jesus elsewhere wondered whether at his return he would find faith on the earth (Luke 18:8). By underscoring the reality of few Peter reminds his readers of how powerful and effective Satan’s destroying work is. Conversely, precisely that reality makes the proclamation of Jesus’ victory at his ascension so comforting.