At the end of his time on the cross, our Lord expressed the statement, it is finished.
So that there was no more satisfaction to render then that was already rendered. On the cross.
So there would be no need of Jesus experiencing any further. Punishment beyond that which he received on the cross. Throughout church history and even today, some heretical teachers have incorrectly taught that after Jesus suffered on the cross for our sins, he also had to suffer in hell for three days. But this isn't what the Bible teaches. Yet there are texts that speak of Christ descending into the lower parts of the earth.
and preaching to the spirits in prison.
So what do these passages actually mean? It's great to have you with us on this Lord's Day for Renewing Your Mind. Today, R. C. Sproll will consider a passage from 1 Peter 3 that speaks about our Lord preaching to the spirits in prison.
In this sermon, Dr. Sproll helps us to understand what this text means by outlining various interpretations from church history.
Next week, we'll hear our final message from this series in the book of 1 Peter. But if you'd like to continue your study, you can receive Dr. Sproll's commentary on 1 and 2 Peter when you donate today at renewingyourmind.org. Your GIF helps make this Bible teaching program available to Christians around the world, so thank you in advance for your support. But now, here's Dr.
Sproll with today's message. Last week we read that we are to be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is within you. And I begin then with that karma, with meekness. And fear. having a good conscience.
that when they defame you as evil doers, Those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be Ashamed. For it is better if it is the will of God to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust. that he might bring us to God. being put to death in the flesh.
but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, When once the divine long-suffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few that is, eight souls. were saved through Water. I can't read this text without thinking of a an experience I had many, many years ago. When I was in a discussion With a man who had his PhD in philosophy, and he was a professor of philosophy in the university. And he was very skeptical about whether we could give any significant reason for the existence of God.
and so I engaged him in a lengthy discussion. And I set forth classical arguments for the existence of God, which I believed then. Believe now, we're compelling. And uh As we went through all of this and he gave his objections and I would respond to them, he finally. said to me, Well, I can't argue with these, but you're an intellectual bully.
Yeah. And I thought, well, you know, I'm talking with a big boy here. You know, I thought that we could get down on the mat and wrestle this out. This wasn't somebody who was without academic credentials, and I didn't think that he should be so intimidated by such things, but it did bother me because I thought, you know. Even when dealing with academicians like that, Our defense of the faith has to be done.
with gentleness. and with meekness and Obviously I wasn't gentle enough for his taste at that time, and And I felt the rebuke of his accusation against me. And it is true that when we get engaged in debates and arguments that we sometimes allow ourselves to be Overcome with the heat of the moment and generate more heat than light. But at the same time that we're called to give the reason We are also called to give it with this spirit of meekness. And fear.
and to do it from the perspective of good conscience. And the point that Peter tells us there is that so that when we are defamed as evildoers, When we are the victims of slander. That those who revile us will be reviling us for good conduct. not for bad conduct. And that we are hoping that those, according to Peter, who revile good conduct in Christ may indeed.
Be ashamed. For it is better, he says, if it is the will of God to suffer for doing good. Then doing evil. But as Peter introduces this question of suffering, That Christ suffered the just for the unjust. That he might bring us to God.
Being put to death in the flesh. But made alive By the Spirit. By whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison. Who formerly were disobedient? When once the divine long suffering waited in the days of Noah, While the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved.
Through Water.
Now There are so many questions about this text. that time does not permit me to Examine them all. The questions include these. In the first instance, when it says that Christ would bring us to God, that he was put to death in the flesh. But made alive by the Spirit.
That can be translated, made alive in the Spirit. And so, when that reference to the Spirit here is in this clause, is this a reference to Jesus? Human spirit Or is it a reference? to the Holy Spirit. And then it says, by whom?
Also, he went and preached.
Now there's no debate. About this text that says that Jesus, at some point and in some manner, preached to somebody. But we're told here that he preached. To the spirits in prison. Who formerly were disobedient, and then made this reference back.
to the days of Noah.
So the question is Which spirit is in view here? human spirit of the Holy Spirit. Who are the spirits that are referred to as being in prison? What? Does The prison indicate or where is that prison?
And when that this preaching mission take place. And finally, why? did this preaching mission take place?
Now those are several questions, each of which have Various answers by biblical scholars, and I'll try to unpack them. Let me warn you this, however, that my own view. of the meaning of this text. is a minority report. in church history.
I would hasten to add That just about anybody's view of this text would also be a minority report, since there is no majority report on the meaning of this text, but even among those who stand in the minority. I'm in a minority of the minority in how I understand this text. A lot of the discussion of this text is provoked by recitations of the Apostles' Creed. by that problematic clause within it, that says crucified, dead, and buried. Hey.
descended Into hell. Then the third day he rose again from the dead, and so on. And so, the question that I'm asked again and again and again is. What does the Creed refer to? When it speaks of Jesus' descent.
into hell, the decensus od infernos in the Earliest manuscripts. And I might say I had to check myself there because the earliest surviving. Copies of the Apostles' Creed do not contain that particular clause. That's why many churches put an asterisk next to it. But even though most Christians believe that somehow Jesus did go to hell.
The question is. Where And when And why? Calvin, for example, believed that it was suitable to say in our confession of faith That Jesus descended into hell. The only thing that Calvin suggested, however, was that the order or the sequence of the phrases be changed. The way Calvin would say the Creed, he would say it like this.
suffered under Pontius Pilot. Crucified descended into hell. Dead. And Barry. That is, he argues that there was a real descent into hell.
but it didn't take place after the death of Jesus or between his death and resurrection. But it was part of of the necessity and requirement of the atonement. That Jesus suffers the full measure of punishment that God had in store for us, which would be the punishment of hell and Christ becoming the curse on the cross. And being forsaken by the Father, Was his experience of hell? on the cross.
And the reason why Calvin and others would not speak of a later descent or a descent between death and resurrection is because, in the first place, At the end of his time on the cross, our Lord expressed the statement, it is finished. And to tell a sty is the word that he used. which is a word drawn from the commercial language of the day. indicating that the final payment had been made.
So that there was no more satisfaction to render then that was already rendered. On the cross.
So there would be no need of Jesus experiencing any further. Punishment beyond that which he received on the cross. However, many who believed that he went to hell afterwards believe that he didn't go there to take any more punishment. But he went there in victory. on a preaching mission to Various groups that we'll explore in a moment.
But the second reason Why classical Protestantism does not believe that Jesus went to hell between his death And his resurrection is because the Bible makes it very clear. where he was. Touching his Human body. It was in the tomb. And touching his human soul It was With the father.
because in his dying breath he said, Into thy hands I commend my spirit. And now There are those. Unfortunately, historically, with various movements, who have had a different anthropology. Who embrace what's called trichotomy, that say that man is made up not of A duality of body and soul. But that there is a threefold constituent nature comprising body, soul, and spirit.
I just add in passing that virtually every time that doctrine of Anthropology has emerged in church history. It has been used to carry the baggage of some heresy. or another. But in any case If you believe in the duality, Rather than trichotomy. There's no part of Jesus that could have been in hell.
between the cross and the resurrection. Because the scriptures make it clear where he was.
Now to the text itself. and the difficulties we find there. The English translation that I have in front of me. says that while Jesus was put to death in the flesh, He was made alive. By the Spirit.
Now that phrase can be interpreted Made alive in the spirit. Again, distinguishing Between Jesus' body And his Saul or in this case. His spirit That he suffered death in the body, but not. In the spirit I have a problem with that. First of all, because the Spirit of Jesus did not have to be made alive.
It already was alive. And if this reference is to the reference to Jesus' human spirit. It would have an incorrect understanding of what's happened to Jesus at his death. It would indicate some kind of. death of his spirit as well as his body.
So, I don't think that's what it refers to. I think it refers to the Holy Spirit. and the translation that we have before us. indicates That the power of the resurrection That power by which Jesus was raised from the dead. was the power of the Holy Spirit himself.
And that is consistent with what the scriptures teach elsewhere. that he was raised by the Spirit of God.
Now. It's what follows from this that becomes more and more entangled. Because it says Buy whom And if we're correct here, it's by whom that is the Holy Spirit, He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient.
Now, as I said, there's a question. who these spirits were, And what they Prison Refers to People argue as to whether these spirits are angelic spirits. Or whether they are the souls, the departed souls. of righteous believers. or the departed souls of evil.
ungodly people. Those are the three basic options that I've just mentioned. Again, the spirits refer to angels. To righteous human souls that have been in captivity. Or Corrupt human souls that have never come to repentance.
I'm going to suggest. a fourth alternative. Before I do that, I want to mention also That so much of the speculation of this text is based upon the fact That The reference of Jesus going on this preaching mission. is a reference That is mentioned. after the reference to his death.
And because it's mentioned later than the mention of the death. The automatic assumption people bring to the text is that it must therefore refer to something that took place. after his death. The text doesn't say that. The text only mentions it.
After it mentions his death. And that becomes of critical importance, I hope, that we will see. in a few moments. Also, there is a case where the argument That since it occurs after the reference to the suffering in the flesh, that therefore it has to refer after the crucifixion. Here's a case where an argument proves too much.
Because this mission of preaching to the spirits in prison. is mentioned after the resurrection. See, we have the suffering in the flesh. But Christ is made alive by the Spirit. And then we have mention of his going to this preaching mission to the spirits in prison.
So if we're going to follow the logic of whatever's mentioned in the third position has to happen at that time. We would say this would not refer to something that took place between his death and resurrection. But afterwards. Which of course Many people agree that yes, it took place. After the resurrection, and maybe between resurrection and ascension.
And others even argue that it happened at the ascension. But so again, we're left with the mystery of when this preaching. actually took place. And I'm suggesting to you that the text doesn't tell us. It simply mentions that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison By the same Spirit.
That raised him from the dead.
Now let me try. Another option for the text on you. It's one that I like. It's not without its difficulties. But when I think of Jesus preaching.
By the power of the Spirit. The first thing that comes to my mind Is Jesus' inaugural sermon in the synagogue? when he reads from the prophet Isaiah The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. You know the text. And then after he reads the text, he says, Today This is fulfilled in your midst.
At Jesus' baptism, He was anointed. By the Holy Ghost. and empowered by the Holy Spirit. for his earthly ministry. And to what people Did Jesus give the majority of his attention.
While he was on earth. He came first. to his own. He came to his people. Israel.
And you recall that when John the Baptist was thrown into prison. And he was asking for word about Jesus. and he wasn't sure whether he had identified the right person. And he sends a message to Jesus. Are you the one who was to come?
Or should we look for another? How did Jesus answer that question? Should go back and tell John. That the blind are receiving their sight, the deaf are receiving their hearing. and the poor are having the gospel preached to them.
Now clearly when Jesus sent that message to John the Baptist. He is saying John. Go back and read Isaiah sixty one. And see what the job description of the Messiah is. And if we look at that text, We see that at the heart of the task That the Messiah is given.
and for which he is anointed by the power of the Holy Spirit. is to preach Release To the captives. Which people Were the lost of Israel. I would suggest that it's very possible that what Peter has in view here. As he's writing to Jewish people.
that the spirits in prison are not dead people. But living people Not people who are in hell. But people who are held captive by their sin. Indicating that it is the same Spirit by which Christ was raised from the dead that enabled him to preach during his earthly ministry. To those people who were In bondage.
To sin.
Now, the Bible does use the term spirit to refer to living people. We do it ourselves. We say. Were any of you at such and such a place the other night and you say, No, not. Ah, soul.
And in fact in man's creation. When God breathed into Adam His breath. Man became a living nephesh. Or Numa. Spirit.
So there we see the Bible does refer to people who are alive. as spirits and living people who are in bondage to sin. held captive by sin, can certainly be referred to as spirits in prison. A difficulty, however, is with the reference to the days of Noah, with those who were formerly. disobedient.
And one thrust of the text can be that this condition of being captive. By sin. is one that we trace all the way back. Two The days of Noah. When men became so wicked, and the thoughts of their heart were only evil continuously.
that God judged the world. In the flood. And through the proclamation of Noah, Through his preaching, in the midst of such corruption, Only eight. We're saved. That's her the preaching.
of Christ. to this People. who have been held captive. for millennia. It's now brought forth the fruit.
of redemption. Scripture tells us that the Lord Jesus gave to his church pastors and teachers to help Christians understand the Bible. And as we've been studying this challenging passage to day, I'm grateful to God for the faithfulness of those who have labored in their studies and in their teaching to help us better understand God's Word.
Well, you've been listening to the Sunday edition of Renewing Your Mind. For the past couple of weeks, we've been enjoying Dr. Sproul's sermon series from the book of 1 Peter. but next week we'll be concluding our time in this study.
So if you'd like to continue studying First and Second Peter, you can receive the hardcover edition of doctor Sproll's commentary on these books. We'll send you this resource when you donate today at renewingyourmind.org. or you can use the link in the podcast show notes. Historically, Protestants have taught that baptism is both the sign and seal of our salvation. Join us next week as Dr.
Sproll explains how baptism relates to salvation by faith alone. here on Renewing Your Mind.
