The Great Exchange

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 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. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
1 Peter 3:18–22
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The Great Exchange 
            At the center of the Gospel is Jesus Christ, true man and true God. And the Gospel truth which we are given in the Holy Scriptures is that our sins are forgiven, not on account of anything we do, but solely on account of what God has done for us in Christ. This objective truth is beautifully given in these verses. We are told, “Christ also suffered once for sins,” which is to say He died for our sins. And He did it “once” for all. This Gospel proclamation tells us that sin, death, and the devil have been defeated. The job is done, and we need not fear them any longer. And in Jesus’ death, “the righteous for the unrighteous” gave His life. This is the core and center of the Gospel. This great exchange, the substitution of the guiltless for the guilty, He for me, is our victory anthem. And why was all this done? “That he might bring us to God.” We cannot come to God, we cannot choose God, or invite Him into our hearts, we are fully reliant upon God’s grace, and in Christ, we are given it in full.