Descended into Hell Opening Prayer Psalm 68:18-22 18 You have gone up on high and led captivity captive; you have received gifts even from your enemies, * that the LORD God might dwell among them. 19 Blessed be the Lord day by day, * the God of our salvation, who bears our burdens. 20 You are our God, the God of our salvation; * God is the LORD, by whom we escape death. 21 You, O God, shall crush the heads of your enemies, * and the hairy scalp of those who go on still in their wickedness. 22 The Lord has said, I will bring them back from Bashan; * I will bring them back from the depths of the sea; Lord Jesus, you came to us in our bondage, and led us to freedom by the cross and resurrection. May our lives praise you, and our lips proclaim your mighty power to all people that they may find their hope in you, and live to your honor and glory, now and forever. Amen. If any persons have scruples about admitting this article into the Creed, it will soon be made plain how important it is to the sum of our redemption: if it is left our, much of the benefits of Christ s death will be lost. John Calvin, Institutes, II.16.8 1
Have you journeyed into the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me if you know all this. My God, my God, why haste thou forsaken me? Exegesis Slight Disagreement Job 38:16-18 Ps. 22:1; Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34 Some include the statement (Reformed, Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran) while others, particularly those in the Wesleyan tradition do not. It was not included in most creeds until late the R creed did not include it. It was not included in all forms until the 9 th century. Wesley affirmed the doctrine in a letter to a Roman Catholic. Meaning 1. Notion of descent itself Philippians 2 2. Real death of Jesus all human beings die and Jesus was really human 3. Descended into the place of the dead to preach 1 Peter 3:18-20. 4. Victory over the powers of evil Ephesians 4:8; Ps. 68:18 The Heidelberg Catechism on Christ s Death and Descent (4.040-044 Lord s Day 16 ) Q. 40. Why did Christ have to suffer death? A. Because the righteousness and truth of God are such that nothing else could make reparation for our sins except the death of the Son of God. Q. 41. Why was he buried? A. To confirm the fact that he was really dead. 2
Q. 42. Since, then, Christ died for us, why must we also die? A. Our death is not a reparation for our sins, but only a dying to sin and an entering into eternal life. Q. 43. What further benefit do we receive from the sacrifice and death of Christ on the cross? A. That by his power our old self is crucified, put to death, and buried with him, so that the evil passions of our mortal bodies may reign in us no more, but that we may offer ourselves to him as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Q. 44. Why is there added: He descended into hell? A. That in my severest tribulations I may be assured that Christ my Lord has redeemed me from hellish anxieties and torment by the unspeakable anguish, pains, and terrors which he suffered in his soul both on the cross and before. Discussion 1. Do you believe that Jesus descended into hell; is it important? Why or why not? 2. In what ways today do we see the powers of evil as destroyed or overcome by the Christ who descended into hell? The Westminster Standards In 1643, the English House of Commons adopted an ordinance calling for the settling of the government and liturgy of the Church of England (in a manner) most agreeable to God s Holy Word and most apt to procure the peace of the church at home and nearer abroad. After the ordinance passed the House of Lords, an assembly to accomplish this work convened in Westminster Abbey. The Parliament nominated one hundred fifty-one persons to the assembly. Thirty were members of Parliament; the others were learned, godly, and judicious divines. Five Scottish clergymen were in attendance and had the right of discussion but not vote. Churches in Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and the American colonies were invited to send delegates, though none came. The assembly held 1,163 sessions, finally concluding in 1649. 3
The Westminster Assembly conducted its work in a crisis atmosphere. Internal conflicts had nearly torn apart both England and the English church. Political and religious problems were inseparable. Who should rule the church? Who should rule the state? What power should the king have? What power Parliament, local councils, and assemblies? The Anglican party stood for royal rule in England with the sovereign also head of the church s government. The Presbyterian party sought to vest authority in elected representatives of the people, both in Parliament and in church presbyteries. An emerging third party, soon led by Oliver Cromwell, wanted local autonomy for churches and limited powers for both king and Parliament. Even before the assembly met, civil war broke out between the contending parties. But the assembly went to work and eventually completed the Form of Presbyterian Church Government, a Directory of Public Worship, The Confession of Faith, The Larger Catechism, and The Shorter Catechism. Each document was approved by the English Parliament, which asked the assembly to add scriptural proofs. Cromwell s ascendancy precipitated the end of the assembly. In 1648, Pride s Purge forcibly excluded Presbyterian members from Parliament. With the execution of King Charles I in 1649, English Puritanism split into Presbyterians, who protested the regicide, and Independents, who supported it and aligned themselves with Cromwell. In 1647, the Scottish General Assembly adopted the Westminster Standards for use in the kirk, replacing the Scots Confession of 1560 and the Heidelberg Catechism. The standards came to New England with the Puritans (Independents) and to the Middle Atlantic states with the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians. In 1729, the standards were adopted as the confessional position of the newly organized Presbyterian synod in the colonies and have played a formative role in American Presbyterianism ever since. The Westminster Standards represent the fruits of a Protestant scholasticism that refined and systematized the teachings of the Reformation. The standards lift up the truth and authority of the Scriptures, as immediately inspired in Hebrew and Greek, kept pure in all ages, and known through the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. Divine sovereignty and double predestination are also emphasized. In appealing to Scripture to formulate a covenant theology, the standards had important implications for political thought and practice, reminding both ruler and people of their duties to God and to each other. 4
Bibliography Hesselink, I. John Calvin s First Catechism: A Commentary. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997. Barth, Karl. The Faith of the Church. New York: Meridian Books, 1963. (this is an interesting little book: it is a commentary on the Apostles Creed according to Calvin s Catechims). Book of Order Form of Government: Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA): Part 2 Book of Confessions Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA): Part 1 Barth, Karl Church Dogmatics (particularly I/2,3; IV: Doctrine of Reconciliation) Barth, Karl. Dogmatics in Outline Calvin, John. The Institutes of the Christian Religion, John T. McNeill ed. Leith, John H. Basic Christian Doctrine Leith, John Creeds of the Churches McKim, Donald K. Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. McKim, Donald K. Encyclopedia of the Reformed Faith. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1992 Kelly, J. N. D. Early Christian Doctrine Kelly, J. N. D. Early Christian Creeds Kittle, et al Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 10 vols. VanGemeren, Willem A. general ed. Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, 5 vols. 5
See footnotes for specific references 6