The Bible’s statements about life, death and resurrection are quite clear and consistent: dead people do not live. They are dead. This refers to the opposition of life. Those who do not see it this way fall back on a rather limited selection of “differently worded” biblical passages, with which the rest of the testimony of Scripture is then supposed to be invalidated. These biblical passages demand special attention if we are to understand Scripture in its own context.
Bible passage
The First Letter of Peter states:
“For to this end is the gospel preached even to the dead, that though they be judged according to the manner of men in the flesh, yet they live according to the manner of God in the Spirit.”
1Pet 4:6, Luther 2017)
Traditional interpretation
This text is also often quoted to “prove” that the dead are not dead but live on. Doesn’t this fit wonderfully with the Greek idea of a realm of the dead, in which the dead have a shadowy existence, but are still fully conscious? In this view, it is believed that Jesus, after dying, descended into the underworld and preached the gospel to multitudes of the dead before He was resurrected after three days.
Counterargument
In a nutshell: Gospel was once preached to the now dead. So the reference would be correct: In referring to those who are now dead, Peter speaks of the gospel being preached to them. At that time, however, they were alive. It is a correct description and imagery.
Justification
The text, read in context, brings to light quite different statements: the central theme here is not the dead or a doctrine about death, but the martyrdom of the faithful :
“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same thoughts.”
Peter describes in the following verses that the believers’ attitude toward life has changed. They face life differently than they used to. Once they lived similarly to the nations, with debauchery, lusts, drinking bouts and the like. But now, by trusting in God and His Word, they have changed their lives. Those from the nations saw this and wondered about it:
“This alienates them, that you no longer walk through the same puddle of dissoluteness with them, and therefore they blaspheme you.”
1Pet 4,4
So Peter is talking about these two groups: On the one hand, the believers who suffer evil similar to Christ. On the other hand, there are the scoffers who have not experienced the foresight of faith. About these Peter now says:
“But they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For to this end the gospel was preached even to the dead, that they might be judged as men according to the flesh, but live according to God according to the spirit.”
1Pet 4,5-6
The first “they” refers to the resisters from the nations. They will have to answer to God. The others, however, who were killed because of their faith, once heard the gospel. They have been judged, but they live before God in view of the resurrection. Compare also Mt 22:31-32 (post: “God is not a God of the dead, but of the living”).
Summary
The preaching of the Gospel was therefore during their lives. It has nothing to do with a proclamation to “now” dead people. One cannot justify a “life in death” with this biblical passage.
