The Summation of All Things in Christ

Studies in Ephesians with a Local Church Emphasis

Lesson 81 : Excursus – Preaching to the Spirits in Prison  (1 Pet 3:19-22)

Verse 19 is the controversial verse of ‘preaching to the spirits in prison’  –  ‘Went’ in 3:19 is the same verb as in 3:22 which refers to the ascension  –  ‘Preached’: what did Jesus ‘proclaim’?  –  Does the word demand an evangelistic message?  –  Does this word make this passage refer to angels and not Noah?  –  While the spirits are ‘in prison’ now, they were alive when Noah preached to them  –  What is meant by ‘prison’?  –  Where is this ‘prison’?  –  ‘Who disobeyed in the time of Noah’  –  ‘The spirit of Christ preached through the OT prophets’  –  The relationship between faith and obedience  –  Practical applications from Peter’s observations  –  The antitype of baptism  –  How does Peter’s comments relate to our ‘purpose’ clause?  –  Does 1 Peter 3:19 support Christ’s ‘descent into hades’?