He descended into Hell

September 23, 2025

He descended into Hell

When we confess the Apostles’ Creed together, we say the words: “He descended into hell.” For many Christians, this line raises questions. What does it mean? Did Jesus really go to hell? And if He did, why?

The Bible talks about this fact in 1 Peter 3:18–19: “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.” After His death, Christ was raised from the dead and proclaimed His victory over sin, death, and the devil. This was not a second chance for the condemned, nor a time of more suffering for Jesus. It was the proclamation of His victory over death, sin and Hell.

The Formula of Concord (SD IX) puts it this way: “We simply believe that the entire person, God and man, descended into hell after the burial, conquered the devil, destroyed hell’s power, and took from the devil all his might.”

This means that when Jesus descended into hell, He was not defeated—He was the victorious Saviour. He declared that nothing could undo what He had accomplished on the cross.

This teaching gives us deep comfort. It tells us that:

Christ has entered even the darkest place, and He has overcome it.
Hell, death, and the devil have no claim on those who belong to Him.
His resurrection is not only His victory, but ours as well.

So when we confess, “He descended into hell,” we are not speaking about defeat. We are confessing triumph. Christ has gone before us into death, and He has risen victorious. And because He lives, we too shall live.

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Source consulted: The Lutheran Witness

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Bio

I am a Canadian-Brazilian pastor living in Port Coquitlam BC, Canada. After graduating from Concordia Seminary in São Leopoldo, Brazil (Class of 1998), I was ordained by my father, Rev. Curt Albrecht, in Curitiba. My first pastoral call was to Peace Lutheran Church in Campo Bom, RS, where I served from 1999 to 2004. Highlights of that ministry included preaching and leading Divine Worship, engaging in youth ministry, music, member visitation, and local missionary outreach. In 2004, I began serving at ULBRA (The Lutheran University of Brazil), where I held different Calls over the years. From 2004 to 2007, I was called as Campus Pastor for the Canoas Campus and as church planter for the campus outpost of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. By late 2007, the new congregation was able to call a full-time pastor. From 2008 to 2011, I was called to resume campus ministry with a special focus on communications, particularly the “Toque de Vida” (“Touch of Life”) Project. This initiative began as a daily TV program and later expanded to include email devotionals in Portuguese, Spanish, and English; a blog; a radio broadcast; and, in 2014, the planting of Toque de Vida Lutheran Church in Canoas. Between 2012 and 2015, I was called to serve as Head Chaplain for the ULBRA System nationwide. During this time, I continued to lead the Toque de Vida initiative, and also served as Assistant Pastor at CELSP (2012–2014), volunteered in ministry at Toque de Vida Lutheran Church (2014–2015), and taught high school religion classes. In 2016, I became a professor at ULBRA’s School of Theology and continued as Campus Pastor in Canoas, while also serving as a volunteer pastor at Toque de Vida Lutheran Church. In November 2016, I accepted the call to be Associate Pastor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Regina, Canada, where I was installed in February 2017. Teaching and preaching, music ministry, member visitation, youth engagement, and online ministry were highlights of this period. In August 2023, I accepted the Call to serve at Hope Lutheran Church in Port Coquitlam, BC, where I am serving since October, 2023, working with both Church(Active in Love, Growing in Christ) and School (Equipping each child to impact the world for Christ's glory). Educationally, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communications-Journalism in 2011, focusing on "The Lutheran Sermon from the Receiver’s Viewpoint." In 2014, I completed a Specialist degree in Human Resources, with a dissertation on "Institutional Values in Hiring in a Confessional Lutheran Institution." My second diploma in Theology from Ulbra came in 2015, alongside a Master’s in Theology from Concordia Seminary, São Leopoldo, with a dissertation titled, “Preaching for Everyone and for No One,” which explored the history and production of the Toque de Vida TV program. In the same year I finished the Master in Sacred Theology Diploma (MST) at The Concordia Seminary, Sao Leopoldo. The dissertation, "Preaching for everyone and for no one" researched History and production process of the TV Program Toque de Vida. I am currently a student of the Doctor of Ministry Program of the Concordia Seminary St. Louis, USA. I was born in 1975 in Naviraí, MS, Brazil, to Rev. Curt and Ligia Madalena Albrecht, the fourth of nine siblings. I have been married to Djenane Hans since 1997, and we have two children, Charles and Rachel Sophie. My personal interests include spending time with family, music, digital ministry, multimedia communication, and leadership. For hobbies, cooking and working around the house.