He Descended Into Hell

“He Descended Into Hell”

Acts 2:22-33

            Some churches recite a creed—a statement of belief—each week in worship.  There are many creedal statements, but the two most common are the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed.  Both were produced by the early Church in gatherings of leaders who debated, and argued, and agonized, and prayed, trying to find a way to say what Christians believed about God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  The Nicene Creed is a more complete statement of faith, while the Apostles’ Creed is shorter and more succinct.  Perhaps that is why it is preferred by many churches.

            The Apostles’ Creed is only eight lines long.  Five of those lines are devoted to the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Perhaps the most interesting line in this paragraph is: “He descended into hell.” 

This statement is, to say the least, controversial.  In some worship books it is followed by an asterisk.  At the end of the Creed there is a corresponding asterisk followed by the words, “Some Churches omit this.”  I have worshiped with congregations that did indeed omit these words.  I have also been in worship services where, although the congregation repeated this statement, individual worshipers kept silent.   It seems the body of Christ cannot agree on what happened to its Head between the crucifixion and the resurrection.  The Nicene Creed avoids the controversy by saying, “He suffered and was buried,…”

There is very little Scripture available to help solve this disagreement.  There are relatively few references to hell in the Bible.  The most pertinent one is today’s reading. 

It is Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit has fallen on Jesus’ followers, and they have burst from their hiding place to confront the world with the gospel.  Peter delivers his first sermon—indeed, the first sermon of the new Christian religion.  In verses 25-28 he quotes Psalm 16:8-11.  In the middle of both the Psalm passage and Peter’s quote is the sentence, “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.”  The only difference between the two sources is capital letters.  The New Testament has them; the Hebrew Scriptures do not.  The Jewish Study Bible does not use the phrase, “holy one,” either capitalized or not.  Instead, the psalmist refers to himself as God’s “faithful one.”  We could continue to consult translation after translation and source after source, but the end result would probably be no less confusing.

What we should remember is that Peter changes the meaning of the quote.  In Psalm 16, the psalmist is referring to himself.  Peter appropriates it—as so many New Testament writers appropriate Hebrew Scripture passages—to refer to Jesus Christ.  Is this a fair change?  Should we accept Peter’s re-interpretation as being, if not an accurate quote, at least a possible usage?

I think it’s for each of us to decide, just as it is up to each of us to decide if Christ actually spent time in hell.  For one very knowledgeable person of my acquaintance, Christ’s presence in hell is essential to her belief concerning the gospel.  If Jesus Christ was not in hell then, for her, the sacrifice is incomplete.

Where do I stand on this controversy?  To be honest, I’m not sure.  While my friend’s statement is too strong for me, I can’t entirely dismiss the idea that Jesus Christ went to hell to pay for my sins, then burst forth, thereby defeating Satan and hell once and for all.  We who accept Jesus Christ as our Savior have victory not only over death, but over hell itself.

And that’s a victory to celebrate.