Hi all,
Just wondering what do you people think about the verse of 1 Peter 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.
It seems to me that this is rather explicit about a post-mortem “Gospel preaching” which will enable them to “live according to God in the spirit”.
What’s the state of discussion on this verse?
Thanks
It was also the same Peter who mentioned that Christ preached to the disobedient dead from the flood - while with them. Paul, on the other hand, says the dead are asleep. and remain so until the resurrection.
Well, traditionally, this would mean the “harrowing of hell”. This is generally understood to mean when Christ descended into hell and either a) took up the faithful jews or b) emptied it completely! depending on what tradition you follow. b) would be closer to what the early church believed.
I thought the harrowing of hell passage is 1 Peter 3:18-20 which is distinct from the context of 1 Peter 4:6?
Actually, it’s the same context, only poorly separated by a chapter division. And the “dead” in 4.6 are the same dead in 3.19-20.
18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison—20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. 21 And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
22 Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority. 1 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.
4 Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5 But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6 That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.
that is remarkable… i love the Peterine epistles, and feel they deserve more reading and study than they recieve.
this passage states that Christ preached to them that are dead, so that they might also be alive in the Spirit. is this a continual process, or an event happening only after the Crucifixion?
Hmm… I’m glad to find this text mentioned here… A friend and I were discussing this a few months ago… Outside of our “time” perspective here on earth, God is timeless. Is it possible that Jesus did go there to preach the Gospel to all who hadn’t received it (when he died on the cross), ultimately allowing all to know Christ personally upfront and make that free choice for him that leads to verse 6 in chapter 4 that is mentioned? My understanding of Jewish tradition is that Gehenna, Hades, etc. is more of a “holding place” for souls. Are those who chose Christ on this earth the “first fruits” of God, and then all others come in after? I always thought the movie Scooby Doo (the movie where they are on Spooky Island) depicting souls in the caldron more of an accurate picture of what the Bible talks about… for example when it talks about souls under the altar of God crying for justice for their martyred blood… That we seem to be in a state not connected to a physical body again until the resurrection… Anyhow…just some thougts on the 1 Peter text… and it would make sense to all the nations hearing the Gospel since the Bible talks about that over and over again in the NT also.
Funny, I just discussed this elsewhere recently, I think.
Sherman, that makes me want to restructure the layout of the Bible for myself. 