WEEK ONE

 

I Peter- 3:18-20 “For Christ died for our sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom he also went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ark was being built.  In it only a few people, eight in all were saved through water…”

 

What in the world was Peter talking about here?  What are “spirits in prison”???  This verse is considered by many to be one of THE most confusing in all of the Bible!  For years, theologians have struggled to makes sense of it.  Martin Luther once said “I have no Idea what Peter was saying there..”.  So, we will make our own attempt tonight to make sense of this passage. 

 

Through the years there have been many interpretations of just what this passage means.  In the next section we will look at the 2 MOST popular ideas, and why these do not seem to add up.  These are just a few of many theories, including some claiming he preached to the children of angels and women, or he preached in “limbo”, or he preached while ascending to Heaven.  The sheer volume alone of different interpretations should be proof that this passage has perplexed mankind for many years:

 

1-     Christ went to Hell-  This theory states that between Christ’s death and his resurrection, he went to Hell  or Hades where he proclaimed the message of salvation to souls of sinners trapped there since the flood (the souls of those who had refused salvation in Noah’s day).

2-    Preach through Noah- This theory purports that the “pre-existent” Christ in his spirit, proclaimed salvation thorugh Noah to the people who lived before the flood.

 

 

So let’s take a look at these theories and see what we think:

 

The 1st theory says that Christ went to Hell/Hades and preached to sinners.    There far too many problems wit this view:

·        This suggests a doctrine of 2nd chance!  The Bible clearly teaches against such an idea!  Read Hebrews 9:27, Luke 16:19-31.  Why would people before the flood be given a second chance, and NOT people after the flood??

·        What would Jesus preach to these folks?  According to God’s word judgment is based only on what a man does while on earth, according to the deeds done in his body!  Read Matt. 25:31-46 or II Cor. 5:10

 

The 2nd theory says that Christ preached THROUGH Noah.  Are there any problems with this view?  It has in fact, recently gained many supporters.

 

The context of the passage is clear.  He encourages us to live according to God even in suffering. Suffering seems to be the key.  And the fact that Christ should be our example stands out.

 

So think about this……. Christ was raised by the Spirit yes.  This claims that by that same Spirit, he went to preach to the disobedient in the times of Noah.  And just like water saved them, it now saves us, through Christ’s victory over death-the resurrection!  This goes along with the context of the passage does it not?

 

The text does not say “when” Jesus went to preach.  It merely says it went through the same Spirit that he was raised in also!  Could this mean that he in fact did preach THROUGH Noah.  This idea is in harmony with all other scripture.  In I Peter 1:10-11 we already know that the spirit was at work through OT Prophets.

 

It makes sense to me!  Jesus preached, by the spirit, through Noah, calling those of his time to repentance and salvation!  All apparently rejected the teaching except 8, who were saved, while the others are all awaiting judgment!  The Bible tells us the Noah was a preacher of righteousness!  We know Christ reached through others as well!  And we believe that he still preaches through his Spirit in men today!! 

 

READ GOD’S WORD!  FIND THE TRUTH!