1Co 15:29 NASB - "29 Otherwise, what will those do who
are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they
baptized for them?"[1]
What is Paul talking about here?
The big issue here is that some of the Corinthians in the
church are denying the resurrection from the dead because this was totally
inconsistent with the philosophy of the Greek culture which looked upon escape
from the “prison” of the physical body as a good thing. Resurrection would be the last thing a Greek
would want. Life after death , they
desired but not resurrection.
So the church has
significant doctrinal problems not to mention struggles in sexual immorality,
internal bitter church fights, divisions between rich and poor, and disorderly
worship services. The entire letter is
filled with rebukes and warnings. Their
denial of the resurrection is most important for in this they are losing the
gospel itself (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
Paul is pointing out how many things they do are based on
the hope of physical resurrection.
1. The preaching of
the gospel is useless if there is no resurrection (1 Co 15:14)
2. Paul and the other
Apostles are all false witnesses of God (1 Co 15:15)
3. No resurrection
means that Christ was not resurrected (1 Co 15:16)
4. You are still in
your sins and your faith in Christ is useless (1 Co 15:17)
5. The dead have then
perished (1 Co 15:18)
6 . To hope in Christ
for only this life is a bad decision (1 Cor 15:19)
7. If there is no resurrection why do they
baptize the dead? (1 Cor 15:29)
8. Why does Paul and
his team face danger every hour? (1 Cor
15:30)
9. If the dead are
not raised what profit is there for people who suffer? (15:32)
10. If there is no
resurrection from the dead let us live lawless lives (15:32)
So this mentioning of the baptism for the dead is listed
here of one of many reasons why denying the resurrection wipes out their
Christian faith and practice. This is
not just one minor belief but critical to the entire Christian worldview.
So want is this baptism for the dead and why don’t we co it
today like the Mormons?
There appears to have been a baptism of the dead practiced
by pagans. Later it appears the
heretical Gnostic groups. Either Paul is
arguing that the common cultural practice in their society is that people are
baptized for the dead or they are even still being baptized for the dead. This practice is inconsistent with denying
the resurrection since the practice must have been done in some way that would
help them, which it cannot do if they are not raised from the dead. [2]
Paul does not decide to rebuke them for this practice since
they are denying the resurrection, which is a more important doctrinal issue. So silence here would not be approval but
simply noting that something they do accept and do is useless if the dead are
not raised.
Other explanations are:
1. “baptized for the
dead” is a reference to people
professing at their baptism their conviction that the dead are raised.
2. “baptized for the
dead” was a way of speaking of people being martyred (Mk 10:38; Lk 12:50).
3. “baptized for
(above) the dead” Early worship
sometimes took place in among the tombs of the dead and therefore is talking
about when people were baptized over the tombs of the dead.
So because we have only this one verse as part of an
argument on the topic of resurrection it is difficult to be dogmatic. But there are many orthodox answers that do not require heretical teachings.
Conclusion
We need to see that the resurrection is critical to our faith and that much that we do as
Christians is based on our joyful anticipation of glorified resurrection into the
Kingdom of God. Let the gospel be shown
in how we live as well as speak to all those around us.
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