Today’s reading contains the most difficult passage in the New Testament to interpret: 3:19-4:6. In the UMC, when we affirm our faith with the Apostles’ Creed we say, “. . . suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven,”
Most of the rest of the Christian churches say it this way, “. . . suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven,”
The word ‘hell’ is used by tradition but the word should be translated, ‘Hades.” Hades was a place where all the dead went as opposed to hell which is a place of punishment.
The difficulty in this passage is in how to understand Peter’s meaning. Is he saying Jesus actually went to the place of the dead and preached to them? If so, what did he preach? I believe Jesus died. I believe God gave him new life, and that before Jesus appeared on Easter Sunday he did go to the place of the dead. He preached to them the Good News of God’s reconciling love and the dead had an opportunity to respond to God. I see Peter affirming the universal love of God. No one is left out. God’s love is not just for the people of Israel. All people have an opportunity to respond to God’s grace. (If you want to study this further I can recommend some commentaries to you.)
There are differing opinions as to whether people still have a ‘second chance’ to hear the Gospel after they die. Rob Bell, the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Michigan, wrote the book, Love Wins, suggesting that God never gives up on a person and that even after mortal death a person will have the opportunity to respond to God’s reconciling love. While Bell’s book is a testament to the tenacity of God’s love, it is not the orthodox position of the vast majority of Christian churches.
In the rest of today’s reading Peter is affirming Romans 12: 17-18, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
The bottom line for me is in the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln. When asked how he reconciled all the parts of the Bible he could not understand, Lincoln replied, “It takes all I can do to respond to the parts I do understand.”
If it is possible, so far as it depends on me, I will live peaceably with all. I’ll leave the rest in God’s merciful hands.
What does today’s reading
reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do
or remember about this passage.
Does God want you to change
anything in your life?
29-Sep-11 2 Peter
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