CHRIST'S BURIAL
"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and THAT HE WAS BURIED, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" - 1 Cor 15:1-4

Devotion 12 of 14

WHAT JESUS PREACHED TO THE SPIRITS
      Later in this book, Peter makes another statement that challenges our thinking--referring to the same preaching referenced in 1 Peter 3:18. "For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit  according to the will of God" (1 Pet 4:6). Again, we have a text that is the subject of much controversy. Great men like Augustine and Luther, for example, said this text referred to those that were "dead in trespasses and sins"   (Eph 2:1-2). The language of the  text, however, does not require this view. Peter does NOT say the Gospel IS  BEING preached to those who "WERE dead" (the precise language of Ephesians 2:1), but "HAS . . . BEEN" preached to those who "ARE dead." Those who have  believed the Gospel experienced the preaching of it in the past - "has . . . been." But they are no longer dead. Peter is referring to an event that occurred in the past to people that passed from this life.

      Secondly, it was the "Gospel" that was preached, not a message of repentance or warning. This rules out Noah. He had no gospel to  preach, nor was he commissioned to call men to repentance. God passed an  indictment upon the entire human race, save for Noah and his house. Noah was not called to populate the ark, but to build it to the saving of his own house (Heb 11:7).Throughout  Divine history there have been exceptional occurrences--things that departed from the norm.  The event we are considering is one of them.

      Thirdly, the Gospel was preached to "spirits," not to men in the body. I suggest to you that during the time of Jesus' burial, only the Lord Jesus could possibly proclaim the Gospel to spirits. The thought that He did is refreshing. It indicates the greatness of the salvation which we experience in Christ Jesus, even though it causes some problems for certain finely-tuned theologies. 

      Fourthly, the reason for the preaching is given. Although they had already been judged in the flesh, they were allowed to live in the spirit. The NIV version accentuates the situation. "For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit." The thought that some will be in glory that left this world in a hail of Divine judgement is challenging. However, it should not shake our faith. That God, in His infinite wisdom, could extract trophies from the unseen world without violating their will or compromising His character, is a marvelous thing. It is not the standard mode of operation in salvation--but that is the point of Peter's proclamation. Suffice it to say, the Lord Jesus was busy while His body was buried. No wonder His burial is part of the Gospel!

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank you for an active Savior! I know that He is even more active now, interceding for Your sons, and mediating the New Covenant.  I thank you for Him, and desire to know Him more fully.

-- TOMORROW: WHAT IS ETERNAL LIFE? --