Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.
"Holy Saturday"
Today I want to mention a somewhat controversial and difficult issue. I mention it so that we can practice some critical thinking and be aware of issues that we perhaps weren't aware of before. So the question is this: What did Jesus do on "Holy Saturday"? The day between when Jesus was crucified (Good Friday) and rose from the grave (Easter) is traditionally called "Holy Saturday". The problem? Here is an excerpt from the "Apostles' Creed", an early creed (formulation) of Christian belief (actually, despite the name, it does NOT date all the way back to the apostles, but that's a matter for another time). It says this:
"I believe...
...suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty...."
The bold part is the point of contention. Why? Check out the last sentence of today's reading: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." So you see the problem: Jesus clearly states to the thief that "today you will be with me in paradise". Paradise is not hell, yet early formulations of Christian belief say that on Holy Saturday Jesus descended to hell. This is traditionally called the "Harrowing of Hell". If you're interested in what exactly people have believed through the years that Jesus did there, you can click the link to read the Wikipedia article. I'm not going to spend time here writing about it because I don't believe that Jesus descended to hell. Why?
In LIALC's Statement of Belief, it says this about the Bible: "[It is] the only infallible guide in faith and practice." This means that although there are other "guides" and "authorities" in our lives (parents, pastors, teachers, etc), the only INFALLIBLE authority for our faith and practice comes from the Bible alone. In this case, that means that our beliefs (even very old historical beliefs) submit first and foremost to the Bible. It seems very clear from our passage today that Jesus was in Paradise following His death on the cross. We should allow history to inform our beliefs, but if there is conflict, all belief should submit to the Bible. This is in contrast to Catholic belief, which considers tradition (historical beliefs), Church teaching (the Magisterium), and the Bible all to be of equal infallible authority. This would lead in this case to the belief that the Apostles' Creed should inform our reading of the Bible.
I'm simplifying the issue somewhat, but in addition to the passage from today, I would also cite that there are no really compelling reasons or verses in the Bible to believe that the "Harrowing of Hell" occurred, whereas indications seem to be that Jesus was actually in Paradise instead. Would I die for this belief? Absolutely not. It's a complicated issue that isn't totally clear, but it is an EXCELLENT example of how our beliefs about the Bible and other authorities in our lives relate. If you're interested in the issue, here is some further reading on it, a lot of it recent because there was a lot of discussion about this around Easter this year.
With the view that Jesus was in Paradise:
"What did Jesus do on Holy Saturday?" (I would side with Grudem and Piper mentioned in the passage)
With the view that Jesus descended to hell:
"More Creed Tinkering?" (specific response to the previous article)
"He Descended into Hell" (same site, but not in response - this is a listing of historical perspectives on the issue)
Okay..let me guess....you have questions?
"Holy Saturday"
Today I want to mention a somewhat controversial and difficult issue. I mention it so that we can practice some critical thinking and be aware of issues that we perhaps weren't aware of before. So the question is this: What did Jesus do on "Holy Saturday"? The day between when Jesus was crucified (Good Friday) and rose from the grave (Easter) is traditionally called "Holy Saturday". The problem? Here is an excerpt from the "Apostles' Creed", an early creed (formulation) of Christian belief (actually, despite the name, it does NOT date all the way back to the apostles, but that's a matter for another time). It says this:
"I believe...
...suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty...."
The bold part is the point of contention. Why? Check out the last sentence of today's reading: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." So you see the problem: Jesus clearly states to the thief that "today you will be with me in paradise". Paradise is not hell, yet early formulations of Christian belief say that on Holy Saturday Jesus descended to hell. This is traditionally called the "Harrowing of Hell". If you're interested in what exactly people have believed through the years that Jesus did there, you can click the link to read the Wikipedia article. I'm not going to spend time here writing about it because I don't believe that Jesus descended to hell. Why?
In LIALC's Statement of Belief, it says this about the Bible: "[It is] the only infallible guide in faith and practice." This means that although there are other "guides" and "authorities" in our lives (parents, pastors, teachers, etc), the only INFALLIBLE authority for our faith and practice comes from the Bible alone. In this case, that means that our beliefs (even very old historical beliefs) submit first and foremost to the Bible. It seems very clear from our passage today that Jesus was in Paradise following His death on the cross. We should allow history to inform our beliefs, but if there is conflict, all belief should submit to the Bible. This is in contrast to Catholic belief, which considers tradition (historical beliefs), Church teaching (the Magisterium), and the Bible all to be of equal infallible authority. This would lead in this case to the belief that the Apostles' Creed should inform our reading of the Bible.
I'm simplifying the issue somewhat, but in addition to the passage from today, I would also cite that there are no really compelling reasons or verses in the Bible to believe that the "Harrowing of Hell" occurred, whereas indications seem to be that Jesus was actually in Paradise instead. Would I die for this belief? Absolutely not. It's a complicated issue that isn't totally clear, but it is an EXCELLENT example of how our beliefs about the Bible and other authorities in our lives relate. If you're interested in the issue, here is some further reading on it, a lot of it recent because there was a lot of discussion about this around Easter this year.
With the view that Jesus was in Paradise:
"What did Jesus do on Holy Saturday?" (I would side with Grudem and Piper mentioned in the passage)
With the view that Jesus descended to hell:
"More Creed Tinkering?" (specific response to the previous article)
"He Descended into Hell" (same site, but not in response - this is a listing of historical perspectives on the issue)
Okay..let me guess....you have questions?
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