Note on 1 Peter 3:18-22

Martin Luther said of this passage: "This is a strange text and certainly a more obscure passage than any other in the New Testament. I still do not know for sure what the apostle meant."

If Martin Luther struggled with the meaning of the passage then it is no surprise that we find ourselves stumped and confused ourselves. Consider the text: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, through whom also he 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, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also -- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand -- with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him," (1 Peter 3:18-22).

These are the most difficult verses in the NT to try to interpret. Many have taken these words to mean such a variety of different things that some are led astray by their misinterpretation. Verse 18 is simple enough to grasp; it is the pure doctrine of the Christian church. Christ died for our sins once for all - his death on the cross is effective for all our sins for all times. Where it gets difficult is the next verse which speaks of Christ going down (somewhere) to preach to spirits in prison. Before making any conclusions about these verses we have to ask several questions:

1) What does Peter mean when he says "Christ was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit"? Does Peter mean to separate the body and the spirit in this statement? There is a danger for Christians to adopt a Greek understanding of death (separation of body and spirit) through Peter's statement. What happens when we die?

2) Where did Christ go when he went to the spirits in prison? Many have understood this to be hell. But hell, also known as sheol, tartarum, and hades (all "places of the dead") is never in the NT referred to as "prison."

3) What did Jesus say to the spirits in prison? Did he preach the gospel to them so that they might be saved? Augustine was concerned about this interpretation because it led to a belief in post-mortem salvation, or in other words, the possibility of salvation after death. Scripture simply does not speak of this possibility. On the contrary, Scripture speaks of the urgency to accept the gospel in the here and now before we die. There are no second chances after death.

4) Who were the spirits that Jesus spoke to in prison? Peter tells us that these spirits were those who disobeyed in the age of Noah. Why them? Why not everyone from Adam to just before Jesus? The audience of Christ's proclamation makes this passage even more of an enigma.

5) What was Peter's intention for including the Noahic episode in his teaching about suffering? The connection is not obvious, nor is the baptism reference.

6) When did Jesus preach to the spirits in prison? It has often been assumed that Jesus went to "hell" and preached to the spirits in prison thereby "leading captives in his train." In part, this interpretation has been derived from the old creeds that taught Christ descended into hell between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This is the only passage that suggests this and since we have no idea what the original readers understood concerning this reference we cannot assume that Christ descended into hell between Good Friday and Easter.

Some commentators suggest that Christ preached through Noah to the people of Noah's day. Others that it was Enoch who preached during the pre-flood era. We simply don't know.

For these reasons I felt it was better to focus on the other verses, 13-17, to bring a practical doctrine to bear for Sunday morning. The heavy theology of these obscure verses might better be addressed in a Sunday School room than from the pulpit, depending on the congregation.

Further helps and tools in discerning this passage come from Bob Deffinbaugh. Bob offers some good insights to help us approach this and other passages of this kind.

Handling the Tough Texts

(1) Recognize that we are in good company when we find some texts or truths hard to handle. The prophets had difficulty understanding the things revealed to them (see 1 Peter 1:10-12). During our Lord’s earthly ministry, the disciples failed to grasp the meaning of our Lord’s words (Mark 9:32; Luke 18:34). Peter finds Paul’s writings difficult to grasp at times (2 Peter 4:14-16). Why should we expect to understand all things pertaining to an infinite God, especially in this life (see 1 Corinthians 13:9-13; 1 John 3:2).

(2) Do not feel compelled to have a satisfactory explanation for every text in the Bible or a solution to every biblical problem. Tough texts humble us, reminding us that God is infinite and beyond our ability to understand or put in a box (see 1 Corinthians 13:9-12). It is good for us to be mystified by Scripture so that we realize we do not have it all under control.

(3) Problem passages should not be the basis for new and novel doctrines or interpretations. Never accept a doctrine based solely on a problem text. Any truth vital to our understanding will be taught clearly, emphatically, and repeatedly. The cults often use difficult texts to establish bizarre doctrines which have no support elsewhere in Scripture.

(4) Be suspect of interpretations of difficult texts which do not have broad acceptance throughout the history of the church (2 Peter 1:20-21).

(5) We should not be overly dogmatic about the conclusions we reach concerning a problem passage. We should hold these interpretations and applications more tentatively and not make them a test of spirituality or orthodoxy.

(6) Avoid becoming obsessed with the gnats of the text and thus miss the camels. The mysterious elements of Scripture can sometimes become an obsession to the neglect of the main teaching of the text. Often the main thrust or message of a problem text is clear, even if some of the particulars are uncertain. We should not lose sight of the message, even if we do not understand the minute details of the text. Seek to determine the main flow of argument and to discern the main point. In our text, the message is clear, even if the minutia is not.

(7) In seeking to interpret difficult texts, determine if there are any parallel texts similar in teaching, and interpret the more obscure text in light of those which are clearer.

(8) Determine the issues, the interpretive options, and then choose the interpretation that best fits the context, the argument of the entire book, and biblical theology.