I PETER 4:6

This is one of the most obscure verses in the whole New Testament. And after reading the various comments on it offered by scholars (see the selection below), I am afraid that I am even more confused than ever. The uncertainties include the exact definition of words such as “dead,” “spirit,” “flesh” and “judged”; whether I Peter 3:19-20 provides a parallel to this verse; and even disagreements concerning how many reasonable interpretations are possible in the first place. You may come away just as confused as I am, but here are some thoughts on the subject (in no particular order) which you may or may not find enlightening.

The NRSV of I Peter 4:6 reads, “For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, even though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.”

Hoehner outlines two basic ways of understanding this verse in its context: “Traditionally many believed that the point was that Jesus preached to the dead in Hades. This approach fits the traditional view of 3:19-20, which does appear in the fairly near context. A majority of scholars today, however, understand the verse as referring to the gospel being preached to those who are now dead (but were alive when the gospel was preached to them; cf. 1:25). On this latter interpretation, those who have been martyred by human judges will ultimately be on death raised from the dead, because God is the one who will judge ultimately (cf. 4:5).”

But Stibbs says, “Not a few, including Augustine, Bede, Erasmus and Luther, have interpreted the statement as referring to the spiritually dead, to whom the gospel is preached in this world (cf. Jn. v. 25; Eph. ii. 1, 5, v. 14) that they may enter into spiritual life. Points against this second view are that the word dead has just been used in verse 5 of the physically dead; and the verb was preached is in the past tense. A point against the first view is that the preaching was done with a view to something happening to them while they were still in the flesh, are alive on earth; it cannot, therefore, have taken place after death.”

However, “Despite its current disfavor, some form of the Augustinian interpretation of the passage [i.e. I Peter 3:18-22] is the most satisfactory interpretation.., since it best accounts for the particularity of reference to Noah and the evangelization of the dead in 1 Peter 4:6...In this reading Christ did not descend into hell or the underworld but was present by the Spirit in the preaching of Noah.” (Seifrid)

Stibbs settles on a third possibility: “Sinners who do not respond to the gospel invitation must face judgment hereafter (iv. 5). But those who do respond find that the judgment due to sin is wholly completed here in the flesh, through the judgment which Christ bore for them...when such people embrace the gospel, the judgment due to them as sinners is fully accomplished in this world, i.e. in the flesh; and in the spirit, both here and still more beyond death, they enter into life, and find themselves, through Christ's physical death and spiritual quickening, truly brought into God's presence.”

Thiselton also presents three possibilities, which he describes as follows: The first is that “the gospel was preached to the dead so like all men in the flesh, they might receive their sentence. In their case, since they were already [spiritually] dead, this has already come about. But, behind this there is the intention that they might live according to the will of God in the spirit. Alternative interpretations of 1 Pet. 4:6 suggest that it refers to the proclamation of the gospel by the preincarnate Christ to men in OT times which might be related to 1 Peter 3:20 (cf. 1 Cor. 10:4), or that it refers simply to those in the present age who have received the gospel and since died. The verse would then mean that, although they share the common destiny of sinful mankind in death, nevertheless they live now in the spirit.”

Boring simply states: “The dead are probably Christians who heard the gospel while they were alive.” But even that subject is controversial. Thus Raymer explains: “This has been interpreted as referring to (a) those who are spiritually 'dead in sin,' (b) those who heard and believed the gospel but have since died, (c) those who died without hearing or believing the gospel. Barclay preferred the third interpretation, assuming that 3:19 refers to Christ's preaching to the dead...This interpretation has no scriptural support and is contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine (cf. v. 5).”

Goppelt says that “the author portrays the effective development of the gospel for the dead according to the analogy of the gospel's activity in history. The questions that arise from speculative attempts to conceptualize all this remain open...One must take the statement as a kerygmatic [i.e. relating to the proclamation of salvation through Jesus Christ] confession without attempting to objectify it as an order of salvation for the dead or as a portrayal of a Hades proclamation. As a kerygmatic confession it declares that the universal activity of salvation accomplished by Jesus' suffering unto death encompasses even the dead, indeed all (cf. Rom. 14:9).” It is hard to gauge from this comment whether Goppelt believes in universal salvation or is just opting out of expressing any concrete opinion at all on the subject.

Polkinghorne feels this verse addresses the mistaken idea that those who have physically died were being judged by God as sinners. His wise reply is: “The final assessment of a Christian life cannot be made with earthly data only; the facts of the after-life must be brought in to redress the balance.”

Wheaton similarly feels that this statement was designed to counter “a possible source of attack on the Christians by their detractors...'Surely your people die no less that us: you are suffering the same judgment as we do.'”

And Davids adds: “The point of the passage...is that the judgment is also the time of the vindication of Christians. They, like Christ, may have been judged as guilty by human beings according to their standards [i.e. that death is linked to sin], either in that they died like other human beings, or through their being put to death (either through a legal process or through paralegal vigilante action)...But, also like Christ, God will have the final say, and his verdict in the final judgment will be life.”

Stibbs explains: “Some think it is possible to find here, and in iii. 19, an indication that an opportunity to hear the gospel is given to men after death. This interpretation is not clearly demanded by the actual statement; still less is it supported by their contexts. Nor does an idea of such far-reaching consequences find support elsewhere in the Bible. So we think it right to reject it.”

A variation of this belief is discussed by Hoehner who says, “Bray notes that church fathers tended to apply this to gentiles before Christ's coming, who had not had the chance to hear before; they diversely understood 'dead' here to mean dead in sin...or in hell...or the Gentiles...or to the worst of criminals. Given the likeliest reading of 3:19, which does not refer to the dead in Hades, there is no reason to suppose that those who embraced the gospel here are the dead in Hades. Rather, those who embraced the gospel and suffered were judged in the flesh (cf. 4:17) for Christ. Thus, 4:6 does not refer to the spirits in prison in 3:19.”

But Hoehner adds that 4:6 “does draw on the preceding context: as Jesus was executed in the flesh but raised by God's Spirit (3:18), even so believers may be punished in the flesh (i.e. physically) but will be raised by God's Spirit (cf. Rom. 1:4; 8:10-11).”

I will conclude this brief review of various opinions with the comments of Reicke although you will all probably agree that no firm conclusion can be derived from any of the opinions offered here. “That the final judgment is imminent, vs. 6a, is...evident from the fact that the gospel has already been preached to the dead. Exactly how this was done is not stated. It is possible to imagine Christ's descent into the lower regions after his burial as the time for this preaching of the gospel, but explicit information is not given. A certain relation to iii 19 and to Christ's preaching to the spirits in prison may be assumed, although the spirits in prison are not to be equated with all the dead. On the other hand these people are really dead, as is evident from the analogous expression in vs. 5. About them it is further stated in vs. 6b that they received the message about Christ in order to be judged in the flesh and made alive in the spirit...Even for the dead there will be a judgment in the flesh, through the resurrection of the body. And the result for each individual will depend upon his relationship to Christ. On account of this all must hear the message of salvation through Christ, the dead as well as the living.”