<p>3:18- see on 2 Cor. 5:15; 1 Pet. 2:5; 5:1.</p><p><em>Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God</em><i>; being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit</i>- This could well have been written by Peter with a glance back at the way that after his denials, he the unjust went to the crucifixion scene and reflected just this. When in 5:1 he comments that he witnessed the sufferings of Christ, he could be saying that therefore these thoughts were his thoughts as he witnessed it: the just suffering for him the unjust, to bring him back to God.</p><p>Do we seek strength to endure unjust treatment and the grace to submit cheerfully to the loss of what we feel is rightfully ours? Be it discrimination in the workplace, persecution from the Government, perceived abuse or degradation by our partner or family...? Let the cross be our endless inspiration: &ldquo;For it is better, if the will of God be so a reference to the Lord&rsquo;s struggle in Gethsemane being our struggle, that ye suffer for well doing... <em>for</em> Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust&quot; (1 Pet. 3:17,18). Remember how under persecution, the faithful love not their lives unto death because of their experience of the blood of the lamb shed for them (Rev. 12:11).</p><p>Eph. 2:18 speaks of how &quot;Through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father&quot;. This access is not only in the moments of time we designate for prayer. Christ suffered for us and obtained our forgiveness, &quot;that he might bring us to God&quot; (1 Pet. 3:18), and we are in that position now, all the time, not just when we pray. Being in this position means that our Spirit, the essence of our spirituality, our deepest spiritual desires, are transferred to the Father by the Son.</p>