Did Jesus Go to Hell When He Died on the Cross?
11/26 Reading Portions: 1 Chronicles 22; 1 Peter 3; Micah 1; Luke 10
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11/26 Reading Portions: 1 Chronicles 22; 1 Peter 3; Micah 1; Luke 10
1 Peter 3:19
in which He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,
PROCLAIMED
This has been a confusing portion for some, as there have been those who suggest that after the Lord Jesus expired on the cross, in the three days and nights between His death and resurrection, He went to hell to proclaim the gospel to those who have rejected the preaching of the prophets before His incarnation. This is a skewed view that doesn’t fit with the portions of its immediate context, nor is it justified by the chapter’s context overall, and more than that, neither does it fit with the Bible’s many, many passages attributing to the doctrine of atoning grace. The spirits of whom Peter speaks are those who “formerly did not obey” (1 Pet 3:20) the preaching of righteousness, including all of those…
…in the days of Noah. 1 Peter 3:20
By the Holy Spirit did Noah preach with the Spirit of Christ, foreshadowing the salvation that would come through the incarnation and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, who “suffered once for sins, [providing the great exchange of redemption], the Righteous [Lord Jesus] for the unrighteous” (1 Pet 3:18, emphasis added) —the unrighteous being you, me, and all others saved by grace through faith from Adam until the Lord Jesus comes again. Surely, when Jesus said, “It is finished!” from the cross (John 19:30), it was indeed finished. Moreover, in the overall context of the chapter, righteousness comes through the truth of the gospel; and that by the Spirit of Christ. Wives may win their unbelieving husbands without a word preached or proclaimed (1 Pet 3:1) because the power from Christ’s atoning death is sufficient to shine through as a testimony in an obedient wife’s saved life (1 Pet 3:2); and this exception to preaching (Rom 10:17), provides sufficient gospel witness in the marriage roles. For it is written,
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Ephesians 5:25
And since the Lord Jesus Christ “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been made subject to Him” (1 Pet 3:22), the power of His gospel truth, that is, found in the witness of sinners repenting and believing on God’s salvation in Christ, continues as a testimony in Christ’s people until He comes again. Hallelujah! What a great and mighty Savior!