This question was brought up in class last Sunday and it was something that I recall knowing but could not validate it with any biblical scripture. So I decided to look into it and after talking to some people, reading the bible, and reading Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology book this is what I found.
The phrase "he descended into hell" is not found in the Bible but is found in the Apostles Creed. The Apostles Creed was a Creed that took shape from A.D. 200 to 750 but this phrase was not included explicitly until A.D. 650. This phrase at that time didn't have the same meaning that we would think of it having today. At that time it meant that Christ was "buried" or in another way "he descended into the grave." (The Greek form has hades, which can mean just "grave", not geenna, "hell", place of punishment.")
There are verses that are used to support the phrase "he descended into hell," primarily Acts 2:27, Romans 10:6-7, Ephesian 4:8-9, 1 Peter 3:18-20, and 1 Peter 4:6. After reading these, none of them seem to support this phrase. Other interpretations seem to reflect more accurately the meaning of each passage rather than the idea that Jesus descended into hell after his death. One clear biblical verse that contradicts this idea of Jesus descending into hell is Luke 23:43 when Jesus is talking to the thief on the cross and says "Today you will be with me in Paradise." Jesus implies in this verse that his soul (spirit) will immediately go to be with the Father. This would mean that Jesus was not going to hell but to the Father.
Please comment or chat with me on this if you have a questions. If there are question I will be sure to look into them and try and provide an answer for the class.
References:
Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
-The Atonement: f. Did Christ Descend Into Hell? (depending on the copy pg. 586)
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3 comments:
Are you saying that the Father was in Paradise? Is Paradise the place where the saints who by faith were resting before Christ released them through His own death on the cross?
Sorry for my delayed response.
1. The Father is in Paradise.
2. When a believer dies, their spirit goes to be with the Lord in Paradise. Instead of writing a lengthy comment I found that RC Sproul just recently fielded this question and you can listen to it by clicking the link below. It is the second question on this Q/A link.
http://broadcast.ligonier.org/playlists/rym20080711-low.m3u
Just out of curiosity, is there any prophecy concerning this "weekend in hell" doctrine?
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