1 Peter 4:6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
This verse adds to the mystery of 1 Peter 3:19-20, where Jesus went to preach to those who lived during the pre-flood days. One idea about these verses is that those who died without hearing about Jesus have an opportunity to choose to believe in him. This goes along with the idea that the only thing that will condemn a person is refusing to accept Je sus. Some theologians expand this idea to include rejecting the light from God which they have received. The Bible hints at some possible corollaries of these ideas, but this is not enough to clear up these verses in 1 Peter. Good interpretive method warns us against forming doctrine on a difficult or obscure verse like this. The basic idea in this context is that God is just and will judge both the living and dead. How can God judge the dead if they have not had opportunity to put their faith in Jesus? The difficult verse that seems to say something different is Hebrews 9:27: “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” The purpose and context in Hebrews are different than here in 1 Peter, so we must be cautious about any firm interpretations. Another issue is to determine what “dead” means. Is this dead physically or dead spiritually? Peter seems to indicate the opposite, that these people are dead physically and not part of this world but alive spiritually in eternity. The grammar of this passage indicates that the reason the gospel was preached to the dead was “so that” they might be alive in their spiritual state.
If we step back and look at Peter’s overall purpose in this verse and the surrounding context, we see that he is encouraging his readers to endure suffering realizing that there is a reward for victory in the struggles of this life. Those who cause Christians harm will give an account for their actions and will be judged by God who is just. God is so just that God will not judge the dead according to the gospel they have not even heard. If God is so just, this ought to motivate us to live accordingly. It also helps us realize the depth of God’s grace towards us to offer us salvation in Jesus Christ.
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