Did Jesus Descend into Hell?

Did Jesus Descend into Hell After He Died on the Cross?

A Non-Scholarly Look at the Decent Doctrine

This question was answered right in the middle of the Apostle’s Creed, or was it? I’ve researched this topic before because in my mind the question always was, “How could Jesus have descended into Hell at the same time he told the thief on the cross, ‘Today you will be with me in Paradise.’ (Luke 23:43)?”

On a side note, my aim with these types of questions is to provide some insight for us non-scholarly-normal people, not an academic treatise. I actually have written one of those on the “descent doctrine” to complete the requirements for my seminary degree, and if that is your cup of tea, you can find that over here. In this article I will try to show where this question comes from, the backing used to answer the question on each side, and then see what Jesus actually had to say about it Himself.

Does the Descent into Hell Doctrine Really Matter?

When studying theology, especially systematic theology that attempts to “formulate an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the Christian faith,” I always try to understand why it matters, why is it important to study this particular doctrine. To me, in this particular case, it is for Joseph in the photo above that I took last October when I was in Uganda. His picture hasn’t necessarily haunted me, but I think of him often. When we visited this facility, which was two hours into the middle of Uganda, he had been there for two years, and had no idea how much longer he would be there. He was isolated, alone, and really had no outward hope.

Christ died for this man. When Christ exclaimed “ Τετέλεσται” on the cross ( John 19:30), he told history’s past, present, and future, that his work was complete and fulfilled; payment for the sins of the world was paid in full at that very moment. There wasn’t anything else He had to do to make His work complete, at the very moment Christ “gave up His Spirit,” it was over. What this means for Joseph is hope in a coming Paradise, and there is nothing else he has to do, other than to believe in Christ. He doesn’t have to spend a certain amount of time in torment before he can arrive in the presence of God. There are many other “reasons” for studying this doctrine of course, but that is just what was on my mind as I went through this research.

Overview of the Descent into Hell Doctrine

I am not going to post my entire research, or even a large portion, since it will no doubt be long and boring to some. If you are interested in the details and how I came to the conclusions I did, please read An Overview of the Work of Christ: Did Jesus Descend into Hell After the Crucifixion, I would love to hear your comments or feedback if you are so inclined to read the paper.

Within the traditional wording of the Apostles Creed there is one statement, which has been recited by millions of believers for centuries, that says, “Jesus descended into Hell.”[1] This one statement, which was not in the original version, and a few select expositions of Scripture, has become the basis for the relatively undeveloped doctrine “Jesus Descended into Hell.”[2] This doctrine, which resides within the greater systematic theology of “The Work of Christ,” has been controversial for centuries, but yet is generally accepted by the lay faithful without much investigation into its credibility.[3] The understanding of this doctrine comes from a handful of various Scripture references between the Old and New Testaments, five specific verses anchored on 1 Peter 3:18–20, and the long history of the Apostles’ Creed. While the Apostles’ Creed has a history going back to the early church, “we must seek for a surer exposition of Christ’s descent to hell.”[4] This paper will argue that the doctrine “Jesus Descended into Hell,” when viewed through a proper exegesis of Scripture, is not sufficient to confirm the belief that Jesus did spend three days in the torments of Hell.

People have recited the Apostle’s Creed since it was written back in the 3rd to 4th century. The problem with using the Apostles’ Creed as the basis for developing this doctrine is that the line “descended into Hell” wasn’t added to the Apostles’ Creed until about the 8th Century A.D. Outside of the Apostles’ Creed, no where in Scripture does it explicitly state that Christ descended into Hell after the crucifixion, but there are five specific Scriptures used to defend the descent doctrine, mainly Acts 2:27, Romans 10:6–7, Ephesians 4:8–10, 1 Peter 3:18–20, and 1 Peter 4:4–6. As shown in the research, all of these Scriptures, when taken through a proper exegetical view, taken in context, refute the descent into Hell doctrine. To read the paper in full, just click the link above or go to my writing section.

dsfgf dsf gdfg

Update March 2012

[ For an update to this post on a more scholarly level please see Did Jesus Descend into Hell According to the Apostles’ Creed? ]

This question is usually asked once a year after people remember what actually happened on Good Friday. I ask the question myself each year and go back and re-read the pertinent scripture information to refresh my understanding because the question is asked by believers, but it’s also asked by those with a secular worldview, atheists, and skeptics alike. When the secularist asks this question they are actually calling scripture into question itself by saying scripture says Jesus descended into Hell and Jesus said to the criminal on the cross “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), and both can’t be true. That worldview understanding comes from a populist misunderstanding of scripture and what we think of as pointing to this, the facts about Hell, or Apostle’s Creed, not actually what scripture teaches us about the subject.

Of course I am certainly no scholar on the subject what-so-ever, but the short answer to the question “Did Jesus Descend into Hell After He Died on the Cross on Good Friday?” is no, He did not, at least not according to scripture. His suffering ended on the cross when Jesus said “It is finished”.

As you might guess, scholars aren’t in complete agreement on this theological issue but if you dig deep into scripture specifically trying to prove one or the other you will probably succeed. If you follow scripture, in context, attempting to understand beyond just our postmodern view of life, the text points to the suffering of Christ taking place on the cross, and ending on the cross. This is what Jesus was in such agony about in the garden of Gethsemane.

Much of the confusion today comes from the Apostle’s Creed where our modern-day translation says “and he descended into hell”. We forget the Apostle’s Creed came from the early church fathers and really needs its own translation into our modern-day language. The translation of the word “Hell” from the Apostle’s Creed is more likely to be translated Sheol or Hades, which is not the same thing as Hell even though our modern understand places the terms Sheol, Hades, and Hell all as being the same locale. Often we see in scripture Sheol being depicted where the Saints went prior to the resurrection, one side being a heaven-like side of paradise prior to the ascension into Heaven, the other being a place of torment. This is depicted in scripture in the story of Lazarus in Luke 16:19–31 but scripture tells us “Sheol/Hades is a realm with two divisions (Matthew 11:23, 16:18; Luke 10:15, 16:23; Acts 2:27–31), the abodes of the saved and the lost”, and Christ’s suffering, completed on the cross then descended to Hades or Sheol, scripture never says Jesus was sent to a place of torment for 3 days, and in fact we have scripture, from Jesus’ own words saying he was in “Paradise”.

The best summation of the question comes from GotQuestions.org where the writer says:

When Jesus cried upon the cross, “Oh, Father, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), it was then that He was separated from the Father because of the sin poured out upon Him. As He gave up His spirit, He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). His suffering in our place was completed. His soul/spirit went to the paradise side of hades. Jesus did not go to hell. Jesus’ suffering ended the moment He died. The payment for sin was paid. He then awaited the resurrection of His body and His return to glory in His ascension. Did Jesus go to hell? No. Did Jesus go to Sheol/hades? Yes.

There are some who might say we aren’t to question our faith in this manner, many who say the question I pose is irrelevant, and others in the Christian faith who just don’t care. I have always grown in my understanding of the Christian faith by asking questions and then searching for the answers.

Update March 2012

For an update to this post on a more scholarly level please see Did Jesus Descend into Hell According to the Apostles’ Creed?

Other Scriptural Resources to Understand Jesus’ Death on the Cross

This is not an exhaustive look at scripture on the subject by any means. There are some great resources online that deal with the question about Jesus and Hell so if you are so inclined, below I have listed some further reading on the subject. At the bottom I have included two scholarly papers, which debate the issue from both sides. They are both very interesting arguments for and against the wording in the Apostle’s Creed.

Whether Christ spent time in actual Hell or not after His crucifixion, one thing is certain, Christ was raised from the dead and after appearing to more than 500 people here on our own physical earth, he ascended into Heaven and the new covenant was established.

[1] Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics, The Apostles’ Creed, http://www.reformed.org/documents/apostles_creed.html.

[2] R. C. Sproul, 1&2 Peter: St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011), 125.

[3] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 791.

[4] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1st Edition, trans. Henry Beveridge (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008), 2.16.10.