There is a verse in I Peter that does not seem right to me. It says, “And it was by the Spirit that he (the Resurrected Christ) went to preach to the spirits in prison. In the past, these spirits were disobedient — when God patiently waited during the time of Noah” (I Peter 3:19-20a).
Are there spirits of dead people imprisoned somewhere waiting for a second chance at salvation? I’m a Protestant, and I don’t believe in Purgatory. I believe that “Now is the day of salvation.” (I Corinthians 6:2).
In Jesus’ “Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke 16:22-31), the poor man, Lazarus, who had faith, went to the arms of Abraham when he died and the rich man went to Hades. During his lifetime, the rich man had had every opportunity to help Lazarus, the afflicted beggar. Instead, he had been merciless and uncaring.
When he died, the rich man was not given a second chance at grace. He was told that no one can cross into heaven without responding to the grace of God in this life. Yet somehow, according to I Peter, by the grace and mercy of God, some deceased folks did just that when they responded to the Gospel preached by Jesus after He was resurrected.
Regarding Purgatory or some kind of repository of souls between Heaven and Hell, I would say that it is theologically dangerous to build a belief system on one verse. The value that I see in this verse is that it is even more dangerous to underestimate the extent of the mercy of God.
I have a feeling that the saving grace of Jesus Christ may be extended to some folks that we thought did not stand a ghost of a chance of entering Heaven. The people who lived in Noah’s day who had been judged not worthy of living were given a chance to respond to the Gospel of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
In our day, people we may judge damned are extended the opportunity to receive salvation in Christ. Who among us is without hope? In Christ there is always hope. There is hope for people who are unchurched. There is hope for our co-workers who take the name of the Lord in vain. There is hope for people living in darkness. There is hope for people who go to the wrong church or believe in the wrong religion. There is hope for the agnostic and atheist. There is hope for people in prison. There is hope for people whose atrocities have landed them a spot on death row. How big is the mercy of God? Bigger than we can imagine. There is hope for all of us.
Peter completed his thoughts about Noah by saying that Christian baptism is much like Noah and his family being saved through the flood (I Peter 3:20b-22). The deluge of Noah’s day meant death, but Noah and his family were saved because they were in the ark.
Christian baptism means death to our old way of life, but it also marks our new life and our entrance into the ark of salvation, which is the Church. Baptism is a emblem of salvation. Like water removes dirt from the body, baptism is a sign of Christians responding to the grace and mercy of God and receiving the cleansing of our souls before God.
Christ won our salvation on the cross, was buried in a tomb, and rose from the dead on the third day. If we are in Christ, we die with Him on the cross, are buried in the tomb with Him in baptism, and will rise with Him to new life. We live in the resurrection power of the Spirit.
On the ark, Noah and His family came through the death caused by the flood. They believed in God’s salvation and put their faith to work in building the ark. In the Church, baptism is an expression of faith in the saving grace of God. His mercy is big enough for us. It carries us through all the difficulties of life.
Jesus Christ is now at the Father’s right side, governing all the powers of creation (I Peter 3:22). In our suffering, we must remember who sits on the throne. Jesus is always there for us. The victory always belongs to Him.
We may be painfully oppressed, but God uses our problems to bring grace to us and others. Through the flood, we grow into saints of God. We are the people of God. We shall be victorious because Christ is always victorious. We will share completely in His Resurrection.
Dr. Dan Darby is a retired United Methodist pastor.
