1 PETER—NOTE ON 1 Peter 4:6 the gospel was preached even to those who are dead. Some think that Peter offers a chance to accept Christ after death for those who rejected him while they were alive. This view contradicts both the clear teaching of Scripture (e.g., Luke 16:26; Hebrews 9:27) and the immediate context. In this context, “those who are dead” are Christians to whom “the gospel was preached” when they were alive but who have since died. This fits with the meaning of “dead” in 1 Peter 4:5. Believers will experience physical death (that is, they are judged in the flesh the way people are). But believers who have died live in the spirit the way God does. That is, they live in heaven now, and they will live at the resurrection when Christ returns.

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