彼前三18~20 ……在肉体里祂〔基督〕被治死，在灵里祂却活着；在这灵里，祂也曾去向那些在监狱里的灵，就是向从前在挪亚预备方舟的日子，神恒忍热切等待的时候，那些悖逆者宣扬……。

　　彼前三章十九至二十节告诉我们，基督的肉体死了以后，立刻在灵里刚强活跃，去向那些在挪亚时代的悖逆者宣扬祂的得胜。“在灵里”（18）不是指圣灵，乃是指那作基督神性素质的灵（罗一4，参约四24上）（李文集一九八四年第三册，二一六至二一七页）。

　　基督被埋葬以后，在祂活的灵里，去向那些在监狱里的灵（背叛的天使），宣扬神的得胜，就是神借着祂在基督里的成为肉体，以及基督在肉体里的死，胜过了撒但阻挠神圣计划的诡计。

　　钉十字架不是在基督的灵里把祂治死，只是在祂的肉体里把祂治死，这肉体是祂成为肉体时所得着的。在十字架上，基督的肉体死了，祂的灵却没有死，反倒因着生命的新能力得以活泼地活着，以致在基督的肉体死后，在祂复活以前，祂在这得了加力的灵里向堕落的天使宣扬（新约总论第三册，二九三至二九四页）。

　　1 Pet. 3:18-20 For Christ…on the one hand being put to death in the flesh, but on the other, made alive in the Spirit; in which also He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, who had formerly disobeyed when the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah…

　　First Peter 3:19-20 tells us that immediately after the death of His body, Christ was strong and active in His Spirit and went to proclaim His victory to those disobedient ones at Noah’s time. In the Spirit (v. 18) does not refer to the Holy Spirit but to the Spirit that is Christ’s spiritual nature (Mark 2:8; Luke 23:46). (CWWL, 1984, vol. 3, “God’s New Testament Economy,” p.158)

　　After He was buried, Christ went in His living Spirit to the spirits in prison (the rebellious angels) to proclaim God’s victory, through His incarnation in Christ and Christ's death in the flesh, over Satan's scheme to derange the divine plan.

　　The crucifixion put Christ to death only in His flesh which He received through incarnation, not in His Spirit. Instead of dying at the cross when His flesh did, Christ's Spirit was made alive, enlivened with new power of life, so that in this empowered Spirit Christ made a proclamation to the fallen angels after His death in the flesh and before His resurrection. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 782-783)

　　我们不该将〔彼前三章十八节的〕“在灵里祂却活着”，解释为基督的复活。……这节乃是指明，基督埋葬在坟墓里的时候，在祂复活以前，祂在得了加力的灵里，到无底坑去，向背叛的天使宣扬神的得胜。

　　〔十九节的〕“在这灵里”一辞指十八节的灵，指明并证实基督在肉体里受死以后，在这灵里仍是活动的。在祂被点活的灵里，祂特别是去向那些在监狱里的灵宣扬。历代以来，各派教师对于在监狱里的灵，有种种不同的解释。照圣经看，最可接受的解释如下：这里的“灵”不是指留在阴间里死人的脱体之灵，乃是指挪亚时代因悖逆而堕落（彼前三20，……）并且被拘留在幽暗坑中，等候大日审判（彼后二4~5，犹6）的天使（天使是灵—来一14）。基督在肉体里受死以后，在祂活的灵里到这些背叛的天使那里（可能是到无底坑—罗十7），也许是去宣扬神的得胜，就是神借着祂在基督里的成为肉体，以及基督在肉体里的死，胜过了撒但阻挠神圣计划的诡计。

　　彼前三章十九节的“监狱”指他他拉，幽暗的深坑（彼后二4，犹6），拘留堕落天使的地方。〔彼前三章十九节的〕“宣扬”一辞不是传扬福音，乃是宣扬神所成功的得胜，……这宣扬是向“从前……那些悖逆者”（20）。……在监狱里的灵不是指留在阴间里死人的脱体之灵，乃是指挪亚时代因悖逆而堕落的天使。那些天使离开自己的地方，降到地上，并且利用人的身体与人的女儿犯淫乱，玷污人类，而产生了巨人（创六4）。

　　基督为着救赎我们死在十字架上。祂虽然在身体里被治死，在灵里却被点活且得加力，甚至在复活以前就如此。在这被点活且得加力的灵里，祂去向背叛的天使宣扬神胜过了撒但，就是他们的首领。因此，基督的死不仅为我们完成救赎，也赢得对撒但及其跟从者的胜利。基督在祂受死以后，复活以前，向撒但的跟从者宣扬神借着基督的钉十字架胜过了魔鬼。这是基督在祂的埋葬里的工作（新约总论第三册，二九四至二九五页）。

　　参读：彼得前书生命读经，第二十四篇；新约总论，第七十二篇。

　　We should not interpret “made alive in the Spirit” [in 1 Peter 3:18] as referring to Christ’s resurrection…Rather, this verse indicates that when Christ was buried in the tomb, in His empowered Spirit, He went before His resurrection to the abyss to proclaim God’s victory to the rebellious angels.

　　The phrase in which [in verse 19] refers to the Spirit in verse 18, indicating and proving that in this Spirit Christ, after dying in His flesh, was still active. In particular, in His enlivened Spirit He made a proclamation to the spirits in prison. Throughout the centuries great teachers of different schools have had varying interpretations concerning the spirits in prison. The most acceptable according to the Scriptures is as follows. The spirits here do not refer to the disembodied spirits of dead human beings held in Hades but to the angels (angels are spirits—Heb. 1:14) who fell through disobedience at Noah’s time (1 Pet. 3:20…) and are imprisoned in pits of gloom for the judgment of the great day (2 Pet. 2:4-5; Jude 6). After His death in the flesh, Christ in His living Spirit went (probably to the abyss—Rom. 10:7) to these rebellious angels to proclaim, perhaps, God’s victory, through His incarnation in Christ and Christ's death in the flesh, over Satan's scheme to derange the divine plan.

　　The prison in 1 Peter 3:19 refers to Tartarus, the deep and gloomy pits (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6) where the fallen angels are kept. The word proclaimed [in 1 Peter 3:19] does not indicate the preaching of the good news but the proclaiming of the triumphant victory. This proclamation was made to those “who had formerly disobeyed” (v. 20)…The spirits in prison do not refer to the disembodied spirits of dead human beings held in Hades but to angels who fell through their disobedience at the time of Noah. Those angels left their own place, came down to earth, and used human bodies to commit fornication with the daughters of men, polluting the human race and producing giants (Gen. 6:4).

　　Christ died on the cross for our redemption. But although He was put to death in His body, He was enlivened and empowered in His Spirit, even before the resurrection. In this enlivened and empowered Spirit He went to proclaim to the rebellious angels God’s victory over Satan, their leader. Hence, Christ’s death not only accomplished redemption for us but also gained the victory over Satan and his followers. After His death and before His resurrection, Christ proclaimed to Satan’s followers God’s victory over the devil through the crucifixion of Christ. This was Christ's work in His burial. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 783-784)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Peter, msg. 24; The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 72