S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

The "spirits in prison" are mentioned in the context of what Jesus did in the time between His death and resurrection. First Peter 3:18-20 says, "He was put to death in the body but made alive in t...

Login or Sign Up to view the rest of this answer.

July 01 2013 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Aurel Gheorghe Supporter

1 Peter 3:18-20 is a difficult text to digest and naturally, there is a considerable misunderstanding of its meaning. The text is saying that Christ suffered for sin that He might bring us to God being out to death in the flesh. But quickened by the spirit by which also He went and preached. Notice that Christ preached to those spirits in prison and He did it by the Spirit, which in KJV Bible is capitalized, and refers to the Holy Spirit. 

So whatever Christ did in preaching during this period of time, He did it through or by the Holy Spirit. And verse 20 clearly tells us when the preaching was done; in the days of Noah, while the ark was being built (1 Peter 3:20). Also, we learn that the preaching was done there to the spirits in prison. Throughout the Bible we find this terminology used in describing those who are bound in the prison of sin (Romans 7:23; Psalm 142:7; Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18). 

What Peter is telling us here is simply that Christ through the Holy Spirit was present while Noah preached; Christ was there through the Holy Spirit to speak conviction to their hearts and appeal to them to come into the ark. 

There is absolutely nothing here which indicates that Jesus departed from the body during the time He was dead to go to some mysterious place to minister to wicked spirits. The text clearly say three things: 
1.That Christ preached by the Holy Spirit
2. He did it while the ark was preparing 
3. He did it to the spirits in prison or to those individuals whose sinful lives were bound in the prison house of sin.

May 27 2016 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report