6 Now it was for this very purpose that the gospel was preached to those who are now dead, so that though they were judged in the flesh by human standards they may live spiritually by God's standards.
vs. 6 - Verse six could easily be linked to the previous verses, 3-5, regarding living in a fallen world. The sense that your faith in Christ will cause you to live differently than you did before you believed is foundational. The understanding that you cannot live this new life by your own power is critical. We must live in the power and control of the Holy Spirit. We are not saved from the penalty of sin by our doing. It is all on Christ. We cannot live the life Christ calls us to by our own doing. It is all on Christ and the Holy Spirit.
It is illogical to think God would save us by His power and grace, and then tell us we are on our own. Paul said it clearly in Gal. 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me".
"for this very purpose" - I believe it should read like this: "The gospel was preached so that men may live in the spirit according to the will of God (even those who are now dead) because the flesh has already been judged." Christ's death and resurrection sealed the doom on the flesh. We can live eternally only through the power of the Holy Spirit, because God wills it so. This verse is not saying that Christ preached the gospel to the spirits of dead people while in the grave. We know from Matthew's account of the crucifixion that believers who had died were resurrected and appeared in Jerusalem. See:. Matt. 27:53. We don't know if these believers were contemporary to Jesus's ministry, or if the resurrected were from ancient times. This is phenomenon is similar to the coming rapture when the Lord returns.
"... live spiritually by God's standards." - Most of this letter is addressing the problem of persecution. Peter is preparing the church for handling or dealing with the inevitable persecution. Part of the message is to live upright livers so you will not be arrested and accused because of bad behavior. The other part of the message: the world, corrupt and ruled by Satan, will hate you because it hates God and Jesus. That hate will not be retrained. It must spill out, and be acted out. You, the believer, will bear the brunt of thes hatred. By 'human standards" you will be judged as a loser, and must be punished. By God's standards, you will live forever in His presence - 'live spiritually'. His standard is based on what you do with Jesus Christ.
Through the cross and in the death of Jesus on it, the 'flesh' - this world - has been judged. It is doomed. The sentence has been passed, and it is death. The resurrection of Jesus is the first of the new life that is lived spiritually. This is yours if you believe.
| The Gospel is preached so you may believe and become a child of God. |
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