John Calvin Commentary 1 Peter 3:19

"in which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison," — 1 Peter 3:19 (ASV)

By which also Peter added this, so that we might know that the life-giving power of the Spirit, of which he spoke, was not only manifested in Christ Himself, but is also poured out upon us, as Paul shows (Romans 5:5).

He then says that Christ did not rise only for Himself, but that He also made known to others the same power of His Spirit, so that it penetrated to the dead. From this it follows that we will no less experience it in giving life to whatever is mortal in us.

But as the difficulty of this passage has, as usual, produced various explanations, I will first disprove what has been put forward by some, and secondly, we will seek its true and genuine meaning.

The common opinion has been that Christ’s descent into hell is referred to here. However, the words do not mean that at all, for no mention is made of the soul of Christ, but only that He went by the Spirit. Moreover, these are very different things: that Christ’s soul went, and that Christ preached by the power of the Spirit. Furthermore, Peter expressly mentioned the Spirit so that he might counter the idea of what might be called a real presence.

Others explain this passage as referring to the apostles, suggesting that Christ, by their ministry, appeared to the dead, that is, to unbelievers. I do indeed grant that Christ, by means of His apostles, went by His Spirit to those who were kept, as it were, in prison. However, this interpretation appears incorrect for several reasons: First, Peter says that Christ went to spirits, by which he means souls separated from their bodies, for living people are never called spirits. Secondly, what Peter repeats in the fourth chapter on the same subject does not allow for such an allegorical interpretation. Therefore, the words must be understood literally as referring to the dead. Thirdly, it seems very strange that Peter, speaking of the apostles, should immediately, as if forgetting his train of thought, go back to the time of Noah. Certainly, this way of speaking would be highly inappropriate. Therefore, this explanation cannot be right.

Moreover, the strange notion of those who think that individuals who were unbelievers concerning Christ's coming were freed from their sin after His death does not need a lengthy refutation. For it is an undeniable doctrine of Scripture that we do not obtain salvation in Christ except by faith; therefore, there is no hope left for those who continue in unbelief until death. Those who say that the redemption obtained by Christ benefited the dead—who in Noah’s time had long been unbelieving but repented a short time before they were drowned in the flood—speak somewhat more plausibly. They then understood that they suffered in the flesh the punishment due to their perverseness, and yet were saved by Christ, so that they did not perish eternally. But this interpretation is untenable; it is indeed inconsistent with the words of the passage, for Peter ascribes salvation only to Noah’s family and consigns to ruin all who were not within the ark.

Therefore, I have no doubt that Peter speaks generally: that the manifestation of Christ’s grace was made to godly spirits, and that they were thus endowed with the life-giving power of the Spirit. Thus, there is no reason to fear that this power will not flow to us. But one may ask: Why does he describe the souls of the godly as being in prison after they have left their bodies?

It seems to me that φυλακὴ rather means a watchtower, in which watchmen stand for the purpose of watching, or the very act of watching, for it is often understood this way by Greek authors. This meaning would be very appropriate: that godly souls were watching in hope of the salvation promised them, as if they saw it from a distance. And there is no doubt that the holy fathers, in life as well as after death, directed their thoughts to this object. But if the word prison is preferred, it would not be inappropriate. For, as while they lived, the Law, according to Paul (Galatians 3:23), was a sort of prison in which they were kept, so after death they must have felt the same longing for Christ, because the spirit of liberty had not yet been fully given. Therefore, this anxiety of expectation was to them a kind of prison.

Up to this point, the Apostle’s words seem to be consistent with each other and with the thread of the argument. However, what follows is attended with some difficulty, for he does not mention the faithful here, but only the unbelieving; and this seems to overturn the preceding interpretation. Some have for this reason been led to think that this passage only means that the unbelieving, who had formerly persecuted the godly, found the Spirit of Christ to be an accuser—as if Peter were consoling the faithful with the argument that Christ, even when dead, punished their persecutors. But their mistake is revealed by what we will see in the next chapter: that the Gospel was preached to the dead so that they might live according to God in the spirit, which specifically applies to the faithful. And it is also certain that he repeats there what he now says. Besides, they have not considered that what Peter especially meant was this: that just as the power of the Spirit of Christ showed itself to be life-giving in Him, and was recognized as such by the dead, so it will be toward us.

Let us, however, see why he mentions only the unbelieving. For he seems to say that Christ in spirit appeared to those who formerly were unbelieving. But I understand him otherwise: that then the true servants of God were intermingled with the unbelieving and were almost hidden because there were so many unbelievers. I grant that the Greek construction is inconsistent with this meaning, for Peter, if he meant this, should have used the genitive absolute case. But as it was not unusual for the Apostles to put one case for another, and as we see that Peter here accumulates many ideas, and no other suitable meaning can be derived, I do not hesitate to offer this explanation of this complex passage, so that readers may understand that those called unbelieving are different from those to whom he said the Gospel was preached.

After saying, then, that Christ was manifested to the dead, he immediately adds, When there were formerly unbelievers. By this, he indicated that it was no disadvantage to the holy fathers that they were almost hidden by the vast number of the ungodly. For he addresses, I believe, a doubt which might have troubled the faithful of that day. They saw almost the whole world filled with unbelievers, who enjoyed all authority and held the power of life and death. This trial might have shaken the confidence of those who were confined, as it were, under a death sentence. Therefore, Peter reminds them that the condition of the ancient fathers was no different, and that though the multitude of the ungodly then covered the whole earth, their lives were nevertheless preserved safely by the power of God.

He then comforted the godly, so that they would not be discouraged and disheartened because they were so few. And he chose an example, the most remarkable in antiquity: that of the world drowned by the flood. For then, in the common ruin of humankind, Noah’s family alone escaped. And he explains how, saying that it was a kind of baptism. In this respect also, then, there is nothing inappropriate.

In summary, the world has always been full of unbelievers, but the godly should not be terrified by their vast number. For though Noah was surrounded on every side by the ungodly and had very few as his friends, he was not diverted from the true path of his faith.

When once the long-suffering of God waited—this should be applied to the ungodly, whom God’s patience made more complacent. For when God delayed His vengeance and did not immediately execute it, the ungodly boldly disregarded all threats. But Noah, on the contrary, being warned by God, kept the flood constantly in mind for a long time. Thus, he was diligent in building the ark; for, being terrified by God’s judgment, he shook off all lethargy.