Sermonette: 1 Peter 3:19

Sermonette: 1 Peter 3:19

#112s
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Given 29-Jan-94; 20 minutes

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description: (hide) Richard Ritenbaugh, claiming that the idea of purgatory, Hades, or Hell has a long history, predating Christianity by centuries (a belief that a ‘land of the dead’ served as a holding pen for people awaiting judgment) , asserts that Roman Catholicism adopted the whole framework into its theology. A misreading or distorting I Peter 3:18-20 might lead some to see a biblical basis for this idea. The statement "preaching to the spirits in prison" has led some misguided but imaginative theologians to conclude that Christ preached to souls in hell, Hades, or purgatory. One logical explanation for the conundrum of verse 19 is that Jesus preaching is being linked to the preaching of Noah. The prison could refer to Satan’s imprisoning people through their sins. Consequently, Christ preached to these people though Noah. Another explanation concerns the translation of "preached" which in the context of I Peter3:19 connote "proclaimed" or "announces" rather than "evangelizing," as some have concluded. The word "spirits" in this verse refer to angels, not to ‘departed’ human souls. During the time of Noah, the demons had a heyday influencing mankind. Consequently, Christ after His resurrection could proclaim something to the imprisoned fallen angels who inhabit this earth, ‘sharing’ their quarters with human beings. To the fallen angels, Christ proclaimed victory. Through baptism, mankind can also have this same victory through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through His Resurrection, Christ proclaimed His pre-eminence over these fallen angels, giving us confidence that through baptism and repentance we also can achieve the same kind of victory.