阅读经文 

根据圣经的教导，有一个称为“阴间”的地方，这个地方是专为与神为敌的人而预备的。新约圣经提到阴间162次，而耶稣也曾提到这地方超过70次。

不过，使徒信经说耶稣：“降在阴间”，实在令人感到困惑。这句在第四世纪某些版本信经出现的话，可能部分是根据使徒彼得说过的一句话，他说耶稣“曾去传道给那些在监狱里的灵听”。（参彼前 3:19-20，4:6）有些人认为，这里的意思是说耶稣死后便降到阴间去释放上古时代的罪人。另有些人则说，“降在阴间”是指耶稣落在极沉重的痛苦深渊中，因为祂为我们经历苦难人生、被钉十字架、受死和埋葬。

无论完满的解释是什么，这句告白都不应该分散我们对耶稣和基督教信仰基要真理的专注。至少这句话简洁地捕捉了以赛亚对受苦的仆人的预言，这位仆人就是为我们受苦和受死的救主耶稣。在我们自己经历试探，感到害怕的那些时刻，这个教导带给我们确据，因着耶稣为我们的牺牲，又因着所赐给我们的恩典，祂所忍受的痛苦，是我们不需要在永恒中忍受的。

The Bible teaches about a place called "hell " that is reserved for God’s enemies. The New Testament mentions hell 162 times, and Jesus himself mentions it over 70 times.

People have found it puzzling, though, that the Apostles’ Creed says Jesus  "descended to hell. " Appearing in some versions of the creed from the fourth century, this phrase may be based partly on some statements by the apostle Peter, who wrote that Jesus "went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits ". (see 1 Peter 3:19-20; 4:6) Some people have taken this to mean that after he died, Jesus descended to hell to free ancient sinners. Others have said that "descended to hell " refers to the depths of Christ’s anguished suffering throughout his life, crucifixion, death, and burial for our sake.

Whatever the full meaning is, this phrase should not distract from the bedrock teachings about Jesus and the Christian faith. At the very least, the phrase captures in a condensed way Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant—our Savior, Jesus, who suffered and died for us. This teaching assures us in our own moments of fear and temptation that Jesus, through his sacrifice for us, suffered in a way that we, by grace, will never have to suffer.