1Pet. 4:6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
Tells us that the gospel "was"(past tense) preached to those who "are"(present tense) dead. What meaning does this verse hold?.....Peter did not imply that the gospel was then being preached to the souls of the dead, as some teach. He said the gospel "was preached" to those who "are [now] dead." The preaching was done while they were still alive, and they will be judged on the basis of how they lived "according to men in the flesh," or while they were still alive.
Peter is undoubtedly talking about those who he referenced being preached to eight verses prior,(3:19,20) because he refers to their living again "according to God [as God lives] in the spirit." In other words, they will receive immortality in the resurrection and will have a life that measures with the life of God.
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1Pet.3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
There has been considerable misunderstanding of these verses of Scripture. It has been taught that Christ actually descended into the lower regions of the earth and preached to lost souls who were in prison in some type of purgatory or limbo. This is very far from what the text actually says.
Let' s look at it closely now and get the real message of these verses. It says, "Christ also hath once suffered for sins ... that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached."
First of all, notice how Christ preached to those spirits in prison. He did it by the Spirit, and that word is capitalized in your Bible. So whatsoever Christ did in preaching during this period of time, He did it through or by the Holy Spirit.
With that in view, let's ask this: "When was the preaching done?" The answer is plainly given in v. 20: "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing." So the preaching was actually done while the ark was being built, during the preaching of Noah to that antediluvian world. We even see Peter tell us plainly that Noah was a “preacher of righteousness”, (2Pe 2:5).
Now, one more question: "To whom was the preaching done?" The text says here "unto the spirits in prison." Throughout the Bible we find this terminology used in describing those who are bound in the prison house of sin. David prayed, "Bring my soul out of prison." (Psa. 142:7). Isaiah and Christ describe the same thing that happened to Noah, as happened to them!
Isa 61:1 The SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME; because the Lord hat anointed me TO PREACH GOOD TIDINGS unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty TO THE CAPTIVES, and the opening of the PRISON to [them that are] BOUND;
Luke 4:18 The SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, because he hath anointed me TO PREACH THE GOSPEL to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, TO PREACH DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,....21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Paul spoke of his experience in these words, "bringing me into captivity to the law of sin.", (Rom.7:23). What Peter is telling us here is simply that Christ, through the Holy Spirit, was present while Noah preached; Christ was there through the Holy Spirit to speak conviction to their hearts and appeal to them to come into the ark.
There is absolutely nothing in this text to indicate that Jesus left His body during the time He was dead, to go to any subterranean place to minister to wicked spirits. The three questions are clearly answered in the text itself: (1) that He preached by the Holy Spirit, (2) He did it while the ark was preparing, and (3) He did it to the spirits in prison, or to those individuals whose sinful lives were bound in the prison house of sin.
Tells us that the gospel "was"(past tense) preached to those who "are"(present tense) dead. What meaning does this verse hold?.....Peter did not imply that the gospel was then being preached to the souls of the dead, as some teach. He said the gospel "was preached" to those who "are [now] dead." The preaching was done while they were still alive, and they will be judged on the basis of how they lived "according to men in the flesh," or while they were still alive.
Peter is undoubtedly talking about those who he referenced being preached to eight verses prior,(3:19,20) because he refers to their living again "according to God [as God lives] in the spirit." In other words, they will receive immortality in the resurrection and will have a life that measures with the life of God.
_________
1Pet.3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
There has been considerable misunderstanding of these verses of Scripture. It has been taught that Christ actually descended into the lower regions of the earth and preached to lost souls who were in prison in some type of purgatory or limbo. This is very far from what the text actually says.
Let' s look at it closely now and get the real message of these verses. It says, "Christ also hath once suffered for sins ... that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached."
First of all, notice how Christ preached to those spirits in prison. He did it by the Spirit, and that word is capitalized in your Bible. So whatsoever Christ did in preaching during this period of time, He did it through or by the Holy Spirit.
With that in view, let's ask this: "When was the preaching done?" The answer is plainly given in v. 20: "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing." So the preaching was actually done while the ark was being built, during the preaching of Noah to that antediluvian world. We even see Peter tell us plainly that Noah was a “preacher of righteousness”, (2Pe 2:5).
Now, one more question: "To whom was the preaching done?" The text says here "unto the spirits in prison." Throughout the Bible we find this terminology used in describing those who are bound in the prison house of sin. David prayed, "Bring my soul out of prison." (Psa. 142:7). Isaiah and Christ describe the same thing that happened to Noah, as happened to them!
Isa 61:1 The SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME; because the Lord hat anointed me TO PREACH GOOD TIDINGS unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty TO THE CAPTIVES, and the opening of the PRISON to [them that are] BOUND;
Luke 4:18 The SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, because he hath anointed me TO PREACH THE GOSPEL to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, TO PREACH DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,....21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Paul spoke of his experience in these words, "bringing me into captivity to the law of sin.", (Rom.7:23). What Peter is telling us here is simply that Christ, through the Holy Spirit, was present while Noah preached; Christ was there through the Holy Spirit to speak conviction to their hearts and appeal to them to come into the ark.
There is absolutely nothing in this text to indicate that Jesus left His body during the time He was dead, to go to any subterranean place to minister to wicked spirits. The three questions are clearly answered in the text itself: (1) that He preached by the Holy Spirit, (2) He did it while the ark was preparing, and (3) He did it to the spirits in prison, or to those individuals whose sinful lives were bound in the prison house of sin.
