I Peter 3:13-4:6
Dear RTB’ers,
Some challenging verses today, especially … in which He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison… (3:19) and For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead… (4:6) These verses have confused me every time I have read them and again today. So I don’t think I can clarify them to the extent that I would like. However, there is one thing that I do know, that Jesus went to hell after His death. Here is the text from our Apostles’ Creed: [Jesus] was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead… Our Apostles’ Creed clearly states that Jesus went to Hell between His death and His resurrection. These words are not in our Nicene Creed (go figure!). It simply states that He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again… We pray both the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed in our worship services and we accept them both as true in our faith. We do not accept one and exclude the other. Yes, Jesus went to hell. Why? Ask Him!
Come to our RTB gathering this coming Sunday and we’ll discuss this further!
Blessings!
See also: November 17 (2021) / I Peter 3:1-22
Even though there may be a few phrases that are hard to understand or explain due to their involving realms that are not readily apparent to us in our daily experience, there is still plenty in today’s passage to chew on that is very much within reach of our understanding. We could all benefit from meditating long and hard on what Peter has to say here regarding suffering, for instance.
Good point, John. Thanks!