First Peter 3:18-20 offers the reader a challenging passage to interpret. Many a Christian has been baffled upon reading the content found within this portion of Scripture. To whom did Christ proclaim His message? What was Christ’s message? Did Christ go to hell? So on and so forth.
With that being said, why don’t we delve into one of the most difficult passages of Scripture.
Christ’s death and resurrection
In order to establish the context of 1 Peter 3:19-20, it is essential to touch upon the words of verse 18. Scripture says, “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” (KJV, 1 Pet. 3:18). Peter tells us that Christ has suffered once for sins. The phrase that is translated “for sins” in the English Bible is the same Greek phrase that is used to speak of the sin offering for atonement in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Thus, Peter had the Day of Atonement in mind when he wrote these words.
However, there is something quite different that is found in Peter’s rendition of the work of Christ. While the Day of Atonement consisted of an offering for sin (as did the death of Christ), there was also a recognition that it was a part of an ongoing sacrificial system that seemingly had no end in sight. Day after day and year after year, as depicted in the Day of Atonement, priests would offer their sacrifices for themselves and for the people. Peter tells us that Christ’s sacrifice was once and for all. Thus, the sacrificial system was ended when Christ came. He was, and is, the fulfillment of the sacrificial system, as well as the perfect sacrifice that God required for forgiveness.
When Christ took on flesh, He came with an intended purpose. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:18 that Christ was put to death in the flesh. Simply put, Christ came to die. He came to give His life for many and to serve those that were undeserving. He came to absorb the wrath of God on the cross and to take upon Himself the due penalty for sin. Thus, Christ took on flesh.
But while Christ came to die a sinner’s death, He was also granted a King’s welcome. Christ humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death, and as a result, the Father highly exalted Him. Christ’s sacrifice was accepted, and Christ rose from the dead, defeating death. But Peter does not stop here. Peter ventures down a path that has been difficult to interpret. Let’s take a look at the path.
What did Christ proclaim?
Scripture says, “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison” (1 Pet. 3:19). What did Christ preach? What did Christ proclaim? A word study of 1 Peter can be helpful at this point. In the book of 1 Peter, the word “preached” (in English) is used in 1:12, 1:25, 3:19, and 4:6. However, the same Greek word is used in only 1:12, 1:25, and 4:6. When someone looks at these latter three Scriptures, it is clearly stated that the Gospel message is being preached. For instance, Scripture says, “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Pet. 1:25). First Peter 1:12 and 4:6 can be seen to have similar sentence structures in that they unite preaching to the Gospel.
The Gospel message is the power of God unto salvation. In other words, the Gospel message is what someone believes and by which he is saved as a result. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. In it, man can see that he has sinned against God, Who is the Creator of man and is perfectly holy. Thus, man has incurred the wrath of God for his sins.
However, Jesus Christ came and took upon Himself the wrath of God and the punishment for sin. Jesus died in the place of guilty sinners so that man could be forgiven. Jesus also rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God. Jesus is now commanding all people everywhere to repent and believe in what has been revealed through the Gospel message (ultimately, in Christ for salvation).
But when Christ went and preached to the spirits, did He preach the Gospel? Some think that He did. However, this is not the case. Peter did not use the same Greek word for “preached” in 1 Peter 3:19, nor did Peter speak of the Gospel as he did in the other verses. Thus, we can be sure that the message preached was a message of judgment rather than victory.
Who are the spirits?
This next question gets a little harder. Scripture says, “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” (1 Pet. 3:20). While it is clear that the time period in reference is “the days of Noah,” it is not as clear who the spirits from verse 19 are. Two viable explanations are given in an attempt to satisfy the age-old debate.
First, it is thought that the spirits in prison were the people of the earth who disobeyed God during the time prior to the flood. God looked upon His creation and saw that the hearts of man were wicked. He also saw that there was violence in the land. God said that He would flood the earth. He also said that He would wait 120 years before flooding the earth. God was patient and desired that the people would repent. But they did not, and the flood came.
The people who died during the time of the flood are thought to be the people to whom Christ went and preached judgment. Christ was said to have died in the flesh but to have been made alive in the spirit. The people of the earth during the time of Noah are thought to have died in the flesh and then been made alive in the spirit. However, their spirits were confined to prison until the final judgment.
In this interpretation, it is also thought by some that Christ actually preached through Noah. In 1 Peter 1:11, it is said that the spirit of Christ was in the Old Testament prophets. In 2 Peter 2:5, Noah is declared to be a “preacher of righteousness.” In this interpretation, Christ preached to the ungodly human race through Noah and in the spirit during the time when Noah lived on the earth. When Peter wrote his words, Peter could say that the spirits of the ungodly race, whom Noah preached to, were now in prison.
The second interpretation is that the spirits in prison are fallen angels, known as demons, which were cast down to the earth and which were referred to as Nephilim during the time of Noah. These demons were thought to have been running to and fro throughout the earth and wreaking havoc on God’s creation. When God gave man 120 years to repent of his sin, it is also thought that the demonic forces played a part in the hardness of man’s heart and the lack of his turning from sin.
It is thought that the demonic spirits are whom Christ preached to and that they can also be seen in 2 Peter 2:4. Scripture says, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down into hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement” (2 Pet. 2:4). Here we see that God cast down the angels who sinned against Him and that these fallen angels are in prison now awaiting a future judgment.
Conclusion
Interpreting the passage that was discussed is no easy task. There will be times in which it may be better to present both sides of the matter. This appears to be one of those times. Study it out, and weigh the arguments. Pray for clarity, and hold your conclusions with an open hand.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for Your Word. I thank You that I can know that Jesus Christ came, died for my sin, and rose from the dead. I thank You that I can be forgiven for my sin. I pray that You would help me to know what Your Word says, even when it is hard to understand. In Jesus’ name, Amen.