What does the Apostles' Creed mean when it says that Jesus descended into hell?

from the old testament

• The Old Testament uses Sheol to describe the “realm of the dead,” not only a place of eternal punishment (Psalm 16:10; Psalm 49:15; Ecclesiastes 9:10).
  
• Old Testament teaching consistently presents death as followed by judgment, with no reversal or second opportunity (Daniel 12:2; Job 7:9–10).
• Isaiah 53 foretells the Messiah entering death and then being vindicated and raised by God’s power (Isaiah 53:10–11).

from the new testament

• Historically, biblical creeds were written to summarize biblical doctrine. In the case of the statement about Jesus descending into Hell in the Apostles' Creed, there is doubt as to why it was added and what the original supporters of that language meant. This has led to four views. Below is each view, along with a Scriptural argument for or against that view.
• View 1: Perhaps the most traditional view, this view understands this statement as simply a reflection on the reality that Jesus descended into the land of the dead. The Latin word translated as “Hell” is a more generic term, such as Sheol or Hades, and thus has a broader meaning than what we think of when we say “Hell.” Assuming they simply meant the region of the dead, then this aligns well with Scripture, which teaches that Jesus really died (1 Corinthians 15:3; cf. Acts 2:27).
• View 2: This view argues that Jesus actually descended into Hell (not simply the land of the dead) to preach the Gospel to those who had come before Him, giving them a second chance. Scripturally, a second chance after death is problematic. First, we learn that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27), which means there’s no longer an opportunity for grace after death. Second, Scripture teaches that saving faith was expressed in God’s promises by many long before Jesus (Hebrews 11), meaning that the offer of salvation was not limited to the time after Jesus came, and was already available before He came.
• View 3: In 1 Peter 3:18–19 we read, “For Christ also suffered once for sins … in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.” This view also believes that Jesus entered actual Hell, but, instead of offering forgiveness, He was there to proclaim He was victorious. While it’s possible that Jesus did declare His victory, this verse is itself heavily debated in meaning and could refer to fallen angels in prison or the human dead from Noah’s time.
• View 4: This last view is minor, interpreting the language as figurative references to Jesus’ suffering on the cross. We do learn that Jesus was in agony (Luke 22:44) and even felt abandoned by God (Matthew 27:46). However, while perhaps broadly true, the original creed does not appear to refer to suffering in a figurative sense, so it’s a difficult argument to support.
• In the end, it’s best to understand the Apostles' Creed in light of the first view: Jesus truly died and, like others before Him, really entered the land of the dead. Pressing too much into saying that Jesus entered literal Hell goes beyond what Scripture teaches. That said, we simply do not know what all Jesus did or experienced for the three days He was dead, so as long as we don’t contradict other Scripture, we want to avoid being overly dogmatic about events during that time.

implications for today

Various creeds were created in early Christian history in response to surrounding heresies. The Apostles’ Creed was no different. Its earliest version, in the second century, sought to clearly summarize the Apostles’ teaching to guard against Gnosticism. Over time, it was expanded to include the statement about Jesus descending into Hell.

Creeds are useful when they accurately represent Scripture. They help us quickly understand particular truths and learn and memorize them. However, as language changes, meanings for words change. Additionally, contextual pressures can introduce obscurity into the original or revised language. Because of the risks for error or misunderstanding, if creeds are used to define Scripture, they quickly become unhelpful, even dangerous tools.

As we have seen, the language about Jesus descending into Hell in the Apostles’ Creed could have meanings ranging anywhere from benign to undermining Scripture. Thus, even when it comes to creeds that summarize Scripture, we must test them by Scripture. It doesn’t matter how old a creed is or long it has been accepted within Christendom—it does not have binding authority on us. Only Scripture has that. Regardless of what the Apostle’s Creed meant, Jesus truly died for sin and rose again to bring salvation to humanity. That is what we must believe and confess to be saved!