Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!sdd.hp.com!usc!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: ta00est@unccvax.uncc.edu (elizabeth s tallant) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Preaching to the dead? Message-ID: Date: 11 Dec 90 06:03:59 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of NC at Charlotte Lines: 34 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article , wagner@karazm.math.uh.edu (David Wagner) writes: > In article wagner@karazm.math.uh.edu (David Wagner) writes: > >[This is a discussion of I Pet 4:6, which talks about Christ having > >preached "to them that are dead." At first glance, it seems to imply > >that they got a second chance after dead. David believes that because > >it says "are dead" and not "were dead", it is not talking about people > >who had physically died. I pointed out that this distinction isn't > >present in the Greek, which simply says "the gospel was preached to > >the dead." --clh] Don't forget that Christ said "let the dead bury the dead." Now, if someone's body has died, he or she is obviously unable to bury another person. What Christ meant is that the young man to whom he was talking should follow Him, and let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. Therefore, we are all "dead" until we have accepted salvation. Now, how do we become dead? As Paul points out, we have all sinned and are dead in sin until we recieve salvation. Then, in Romans, Paul tells us that when we are babtised by the Holy Spirit, we die with Christ. Then, a new and "alive" person emerges. Thus, Christ preached to the spiritually dead. After you have experienced a physical death, it's too late to have salvation. Elizabeth [Jesus was known for making hyperbolic and even (dare we say it) humorous remarks. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that "let the dead bury the dead" when taken literally was describing an impossible action. --clh]