translations differ, here is the
NKJV
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.
He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. "by a resurrection to spirit"
Was He not resurrected into Spirit? That is the hope we are given by His death and resurrection.
If Christ's physical body died but He was alive as a spirit ---- there is no need for a resurrection to spirit!
Our physical body dies and are we resurrected as spirit into the same spirit body as Christ has now. See Philippians 3: 21
If Christ had been resurrected back to a physical body, I pass I have had enough of this body of pain and death.
He was made flesh and blood so He could die, He had the Father's spirit with out measure, But He was not a Spirit until He rose from death.
How can one rise from death if they are not dead?
19 ""After"" being made alive, After being made alive into Spirit
in the spirit, then after being made alive
19 in which also he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—
I believe this is the only reference about preaching to the spirits
Attempting to make hard and fast doctrines
from one hard to translate scripture in not a good Idea.
Here is one point I believe you are missing --- if Christ did not die --- if He was alive as spirit and went to the spirits to give them a message --- there is no point in Him rising from death as a spirit - if he was always a spirit?
How do you rise from death if you are not dead?
explain how that makes sense.
If I am an immortal soul, I do not need to be resurrected to eternal life and neither would Christ.
Another thought just came.
Would Christ have gone to the imprisoned spirits before He was accepted by the Father on sunday morning? He was accepted after He was Resurrected.
Nope, until His sacrifice was accepted, Christ would not have done any thing, He did not even want the women to touch Him.