◄ What Does 1 Peter 3:18 Mean? ►

The Lord Jesus Christ is the righteous One, the sinless Man that suffered and died for the sins of the whole world. He suffered and died once for all the unrighteous race of humanity so that He might bring all who believe in Him into eternal fellowship with God.

As fully Man He was required to die as a man, body, soul, and spirit, but as the sinless Son of Man Who willingly gave His life as a ransom for many, He paid the purchase price that God demanded and received the full fury of God's wrath for those three devastating hours. His blood paid the price for all sin, and His sacrifice redeemed all Who would believe on Him. But His Resurrection was the infallible proof to you and me that His sacrifice was accepted by God.

For three dark hours, the Lord Jesus was dead spiritually. For three black hours within time and eternity, the Son was separated from the Father and disconnected from the Spirit. "It is finished," was His triumphant cry and so He breathed out His life. He breathed out His spirit, which returned to God.

But for 3 days and nights, His soul descended into the place of the dead in the bowels of the earth, and for 3 days and nights His body lay shrouded in a rich man's tomb.

Christ was "put to death in the fleshly realm," when He shed His blood on the Cross for you and me, but He was quickened by the Holy Spirit and "made alive in the spiritual realm," with a body of flesh and bone so that we too might have newness of life in the spiritual realm - forever.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for suffering and dying for me and for the indescribable agony that You bore on the Cross when You were separated from the Father for the first time in eternity, for three dark hours. Thank You, Father, that Christ's sacrifice for sin was accepted so that by believing on Him I too might have life eternal. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.