1 Peter 4:6

‘For to this end was the gospel preached even to the dead, that they might be judged indeed according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.'

His reference to the judgment of the dead raised a question that puzzled many early Christians concerning the position of believers who had died before the expected coming of Christ (compare 1 Thessalonians 4:13). Why had the Gospel come to them if they had not lived to see its final fulfilment? And this was especially so for those who had been martyred, like Stephen and James (Acts 7:12). There may well have been in mind here some who had recently died violently for Christ in the area to which Peter was writing, victims of mob violence, or of the scourges of cruel masters. What was the situation with regard to them? Had they lost out? Peter now gives the explanation. The reason why the Gospel had been preached (before they died) to those who were dead was precisely so that while as human beings it might have been their destiny to be called to account in order to be judged by men, a judgment which might even have ended in martyrdom, they would then like Jesus go on into the afterlife and live according to God in the spirit, being with Him Who had been made alive in spirit, as ‘the spirits of just men made perfect' (Hebrews 12:23). We should note in support of this interpretation that ‘the dead' in 1 Peter 4:6 must surely be seen in the light of ‘the dead' in 1 Peter 4:5.

It will be noted in fact that these ‘dead' are following in the footsteps of Christ Himself. He too had been judged according to men in the flesh (1 Peter 3:18), after which He had been ‘made alive in the spirit' (1 Peter 3:18). And that will be so for all who follow Him. We ‘follow in His steps' (1 Peter 2:21). If we are judged and put to death, we will live again with Him.

An alternative is to see this as referring to both the living and the dead referred to in 1 Peter 4:5, with a double meaning being given to ‘dead'. Thus some have now physically died, whereas others are ‘dead in Christ' (1 Peter 4:1). But in either case they have been subject to the judgment of men and they also now participate in His new life in the Spirit. This dual aspect of life and death is in fact found in the teaching of Jesus in John 5:24. There Jesus' teaching concerning being ‘made alive' includes receiving new spiritual life (‘eternal life') in this life (John 5:24) with judgment in mind (John 5:27), and receiving everlasting life in the future (John 5:28). So both are true.