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Death: Will There Be A Second Chance? 1 Peter 3.18-21 Introduction: This passage, especially verses 19-20 can be confusing and cause some to believe there will be a second chance for those that passed from this life to obey the Gospel. Based on the idea that after Jesus’ death He went to those that lived before the food and preached the gospel to them. In order to understand this passage we must look at the immediate context, what the Bible says in other passages, and properly discern what is being taught. I) Immediate Context: Be ready to suffer persecution and mistreatment, 1 Peter 3.8-17 A) Do not return evil for evil, v. 9 B) Refrain from speaking deceit, v. 10 C) Turn away from evil and do good, v. 11 D) The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, v. 12 E) Blessed are those that suffer for righteousness, v. 14 F) Always be ready to give a defense or answer for the hope that is in you, v. 15 G) Make sure your conduct is such that those that defame you are made ashamed, v. 16 H) Better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil, v. 17 II) General Context: Will There Be A Second Chance? A) If there is a second chance then: 1. Man will not be judged by the deeds done in the body, 2 Corinthians 5.10 2. No one will be lost for all will come out of torment, Luke 16.24 a. Who would want to remain in torment for eternity? b. Even the most vile and degenerate will realize their need to obey Christ, therefore, most if not all would confess and obey Him. 3. Why obey God at all if we have a second chance? All the warnings of the Bible are really not necessary, Mark 9.43-48 a. Why make such sacrifices since you could repent and go to heaven whole? B) The Bible Also Teaches 1. Faith and obedience in this life is essential to go to heaven. John 9.4; Ephesians 5.1-2 2. Once we die we wait for the judgment, Hebrews 9.27 C) All of the above causes problems for those that teach there will be a second chance after man dies to obey the Gospel III) What Does 1 Peter 3.18-21 Teach? Can not contradict what the Bible teaches in other passages, 1 Cor. 14.33 Must harmonize with other passages Be consistent with the context – a warning and source of encouragment A) Jesus died for our sins 1. He died once for our sins when He was sacrificed on the cross, Hebrews 9.28 2. The just died for the unjust. The Roman writer in chapter 3 makes the point of how can a just God justify the unjust? The answer is by having Jesus pay the price for our sins. B) He is now alive 1. Physically He was put to death 2. Spiritually He is alive; the idea expressed here is the same as in Acts 2.23-24 C) Jesus was alive in the spiritual realm before He took on the body of flesh, John 8.58 D) Jesus preached 1. How did Jesus preach? 2 Look at Ephesians 2.17. How did Jesus preach to them? By the Holy Spirit through the Apostles. 3. Jesus did not preach to them personally but He spoke to them. 4. Noah was a preacher of righteousness, 2 Peter 2.5 a. Noah had to preach while building the ark b. How did He preach? By inspiration, the Holy Spirit c. How did Jesus preach to the people during the days of Noah? Through Noah d. How long did Noah preach to them? For 120 years. E) What about those spirits? 1. They are disembodied. The body returns back to the earth and the spirit returns to God, Ecc. 12.7. 2. They are people that have passed from this life. 3. During the days of Noah only 8 people were saved, the rest were lost. 4. Upon death they entered torment or Tartarus. 5. Thus those that lived before the flood, during the days of Noah, Jesus preached to them through Noah. The disobedient died in the flood and are now in torment, waiting for the Day of Judgment. F) When were they disobedient? 1. One must keep the tenses right. Problem of speaking of a past event in the present tense and vice versa. 2. Whenever they were disobedient is when Jesus preached to them. 3. They were disobedient during the Days of Noah, Jesus preached to them during the days of Noah. G) Eight people were saved 1. By water, water was the instrument God used to separate the obedient from the disobedient. 2. Just as Noah was saved by obedience we are saved by obedience through baptism. Dennis Tucker @ Westside Church of Christ 02.18.07 |