Did
Jesus Really Descend Into Hell?
“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: By which also
he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;”
(1 Peter 3:18-19).
Throughout the Church’s history, 1 Peter 3:18-19 has proved highly divisive,
with interpretations ranging from the bizarre through to (so as to avoid
controversy) the nonexistent. Yet this text reveals some exciting truths we
ought to be aware of. After all, it was specifically written to encourage people
in similar circumstances to those facing many Christians today. This article,
then, outlines briefly several popular interpretations before exploring the text
for itself. However, I must state from the outset that this is a problematic
passage (Martin Luther considered it the Bible’s most difficult!), and space
constraints here hardly do it justice. Instead, my hope is this brief discussion
will ultimately provoke interest and encourage further independent, in-depth
study.
Many cite this text as evidence for a doctrine of Probation (the view that Jesus
descended into hell to preach the gospel in order to save lost souls). A second
view likewise suggests Christ descended to hell, not to preach the Gospel, but
rather to proclaim His triumph over its inhabitants so that their condemnation
was final. A third suggestion is that Christ, after His death, was sent to hell
to preach to Noah’s generation (v. 20) in order that they might be set free. Yet
another interpretation argues that the imprisoned spirits were fallen angels (or
their offspring) from Noah’s day (see Gen. 6:1-6), who are now imprisoned in
hell awaiting final destruction. Thus, Christ was sent to proclaim triumph over
them.
Before exploring the text, let us consider briefly several problems these views
raise. Firstly, with reference to Jesus’ preaching (v. 19) Peter employs the
Greek verb kjrusst, meaning to
proclaim, rather than euangelizt (to
preach the Gospel). This casts doubt on the first and third views, which state
Christ preached to save lost souls. In fact, there is little additional biblical
evidence for a doctrine of Probation (some cite 1 Pet. 4:6, but this is better
translated “to those who have since died”). Meanwhile, regarding the third view,
one might well ask why, out of countless others, Noah’s generation alone should
be singled out to receive Christ’s attention. (This is also a weakness with
Augustine’s interpretation; he rejected Christ’s descent into hell, suggesting
He preached to Noah’s generation in a spiritual sense; again, however, one
wonders why that particular generation alone should receive such an honor.) The
second view assumes the captive spirits are people. Yet consider Peter’s
reference several verses on to principalities (i.e., spirits) being subjected to
Christ, (1 Pet. 3:22). This idea is also echoed in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, (note
that 2 Peter and Jude have a lot in common). In light of this recurring theme of
imprisoned spirits as fallen angels, it seems unlikely that 1 Peter 3:19 was
referring to people now in hell. Moreover, why should Christ descend to hell
merely to gloat over lost souls?
This leaves us with the fourth view. But this interpretation, together with the
three that precede it (except Augustine’s, see above), all yield a much more
serious problem, namely, the idea that Christ Himself descended into hell after
death. Surely such a view is inconceivable. Hell is reserved for Satan and his
angels, and hardly the Son of God. Moreover, how could Christ have spent His
days in the grave when, in Luke 23:43, he told the repentant thief, “Today I
will see you in paradise”? Some cite Ephesians 4:9 as additional evidence of
Christ’s descent into hell, yet such an interpretation is problematic, not least
because it assumes hell is located beneath the earth’s surface (a medieval
rather than a biblical concept). In fact, in the context of verses 8-10 Paul
here is surely referring to the Incarnation, that is, Christ originally
descended from Heaven to earth at birth and, upon His resurrection, ascended far
above all the heavens.
Christ’s descent into hell appears to be more of a creedal statement (the
product of church tradition) than a biblical doctrine. It appears in several 4th
century creeds, including the Apostles’ Creed (which is far removed historically
from the apostolic period). It also appears in the Thirty-Nine Articles (III).
Thus, after many centuries of this tradition’s incorporation into Christian
thinking, many people today automatically (and unwittingly) approach 1 Peter
3:18-19 with a preconceived idea, or presupposition, that Christ descended into
hell. This is not exegesis (biblical interpretation), but rather eisegesis
(reading into the text something that is not there). An extreme example in the
case of 1 Peter 3:18-19 is the doctrine promoted within the faith movement,
which argues that Christ descended to hell, lost His divinity temporarily as He
took the world’s sins upon Himself, was plagued by demons, and ultimately had to
be born again in order to show us the faith-way. Certainly, Christ became sin on
our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21), but only insofar as He bore our sins on the cross (Is.
53:6, 12; 1 Pet. 2:4) and suffered the ultimate consequence of sin, that is,
death (Rom. 6:23, 7:11). Thus the Holy One of God, who was free from the
clutches of sin, suffered the consequences of sin by dying so that we might
live.
So if Christ did not descend into hell, what does 1 Peter 3:18-19 mean? At this
stage, let us return to a basic rule of exegesis: to examine a passage in the
context of the entire text (remember, “A text out of context becomes a
pretext”). This epistle, written to Christians scattered throughout
The climax of Peter’s argument is reached at the end of verse 18, where he
states Christ suffered in the flesh, but was made alive in the spirit. A better
translation is “in spirit”, (the Greek does not include the definite article
“the”). We may paraphrase Peter’s remarks as follows: “Follow the example of
Christ,” he writes, “who was also righteous; like you He suffered in the flesh,
but ultimately was made alive in spirit.” At the very beginning of verse 19, we
also read that it was in spirit Jesus went on to make His proclamation. What
does “in spirit” mean? It is clearly the opposite of “in flesh” (v. 18). Christ
came in flesh, He also died in flesh. Yet in spirit he was made alive. When
Christ rose from the dead, He did so with a new, gloried, spiritual body; the
corruptible was replaced with the incorruptible, the natural with the spiritual;
the one must precede the other (1 Cor. 15:42-49). So shall it be with men (1
Pet. 4:6). Therefore, it was through Christ’s glorified, resurrected,
incorruptible body that He made His declaration to captive spirits. The message
was not so much vocal as visual; neither did Christ descend into hell to make
this proclamation The enemies of God, the evil spirit world that undoubtedly
gloated at the death of Christ (consider Ps. 22:12-13, 21 cf. 1 Pet. 5:8), were
suddenly and unexpectedly confronted with the Resurrected Lord! Death was
vanquished and Christ was the Victor (1 Cor. 15:54-55). Satan and his hosts were
faced with a horrendous realization: Christ had won. Though He suffered in the
flesh He was vindicated in spirit, hence the Christological hymn in 1 Timothy
3:16 (“He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the spirit, seen by
angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in
glory.” NASB). It is the contention, of this article, then, that Christ’s
resurrection was itself the proclamation or sermon detailed in 1 Peter 3:19. The
Risen Christ was a testimony to fallen angels, a living word of the Living Word.
Subsequently, these spirits, who had caused so much havoc in Noah’s time were
imprisoned at that time when the Son ascended into heaven and principalities
were placed under His subjection (1 Pet. 3:22). No wonder Ephesians 4:8 says
that as Christ ascended He led captive a host of captives (who now await their
final judgment, 2 Pet. 2:4). What better way for Peter to encourage his readers
in the midst of suffering? Stand firm, he exhorts them, be faithful and remain
righteous, because just as Christ did so and was vindicated, so it shall be with
you.
All this raises one important question, namely, how many fallen angels were
imprisoned? A misguided exegetical approach has led many Christians to regard
the acts of Jesus and the Apostles as normative for all Christians. An example
is the view that tongues is the initial evidence of having received the Holy
Spirit, as detailed in Acts 2 (I have yet to see someone regarding Acts 2 as
normative for all Christians to follow this view through to its logical
conclusion, namely, that everyone’s initial tongues experience ought to have
been accompanied by a rushing wind and tongues of fire alighting the head of
each speaker!). By regarding Jesus’ ministry as normative for our own, many
Christians have come to believe that the demonic world is in its ascendancy, at
its zenith, and that believers should be in the business of casting out demons
that lurk in every corner. (Their view is aided by using Mark 16:17-18 as a
proof text; yet most scholars do not regard Mark 16:9-20 as the original ending
of Mark: it does not appear in the oldest manuscripts and its style and language
is different from the rest of Mark; moreover, how many of these believers also
consider picking up snakes or drinking poison as normative? cf. v. 19). Thus,
segments of today’s Church are quite obsessed with demons. In his preface to
Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote:
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about
devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to
feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” How, then, does 1 Peter
3:18-19 help to place the demonic world in perspective?
Jesus began His ministry by proclaiming the arrival of the
The arrival of the Kingdom, then, marks the beginning of Satan’s demise, while
Christ’s resurrection goes even further, with the imprisonment of fallen angels.
How many were imprisoned? Perhaps only the ones from Noah’s day, perhaps more,
perhaps even most? One thing, at least, is clear. At the Resurrection, the Enemy
suffered a death blow. Thus, demonic activity, which was at an all time high
before Christ began to institute the Kingdom during His earthly ministry, began
to diminish. By the book of Acts, there are far fewer reported cases than in the
Gospels, while the epistles rarely dwell on the issue. I do not suggest there is
no demonic activity today. After all, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,
but rather, principalities (Eph. 6:12). However, since
