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[Today's Comments]
Passage: 1 Corinthians 15-16

On Thursday, December 12, 2013, Yujin wrote,

If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame (1 Corinthians 15:32-34).

If the dead are not raised...

  • It would be vain to suffer for Christ ("what does it profit me?").

  • We should try our best in this life to fulfill our every possible desire ("let us eat and drink...").

But since the Christian dead will be raised...

  • We should leave the company of those that will perish without this hope ("bad company... have no knowledge of God').

  • We should stop sinning and pursue righteousness with all our hearts ("Become sober-minded" literally means "Wake up righteously"; "to your shame" recognizes their present failure).

Friends, believing in the resurrection from the dead is not simply vital to our faith. It is also important for our practice. This conviction was the basis for Paul's willingness to forgo all worldly pleasures and gains and to endure any manner of suffering and loss. If there was no resurrection, Paul would counsel us all to actively sin daily, but because there will be a resurrection, He counsels us instead to die daily. 

What does it mean to die daily? It does not mean to have a martyr complex and look for suffering. It is not a charge to masochism. No, it is a restatement of Jesus' charge to "take up your cross daily" (Luke 9:23), by which Jesus meant that our lives should no longer be lived for our own wants and needs but for the kingdom of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

Passage: 1 Corinthians 15-16

On Thursday, December 12, 2013 (Last Updated on 12/11/2015), Yujin wrote,

Taken from Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry.

What is baptism for the dead mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:29?

by Matt Slick
"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 Cor. 15:29, NASB).

Numerous explanations have been offered for this verse, ranging from the inane to the sophisticated. Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), in particular, has claimed that this verse supports their view of baptism for the dead. In their practice, individuals go to their local Mormon temple, dress appropriately for a baptism, representatively adopt the name of a person who has died, and then the Mormon is baptized in water for that deceased person. This way, the dead person has fulfilled the requirements of salvation in the afterworld and can enjoy further spiritual benefits in the spiritual realm.

But, the Mormons are incorrect. They have usurped this verse and taken it out of context. So, let's examine 1 Cor. 15 briefly so we can see what Paul is talking about when he mentions baptism for the dead.

In verses 1-19, the fact of Christ's resurrection is detailed by Paul. Beginning in verse 20 and going through verse 23, Paul speaks about the order of the resurrection. Christ was the first one raised - in a glorified body - and next will be those who are His at His return. Verses 24 - 29 then mention Christ's reign and the abolition of death. This is when this controversial verse occurs: "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?"

Just north of Corinth was a city named Eleusis. This was the location of a pagan religion where baptism in the sea was practiced to guarantee a good afterlife. This religion was mentioned by Homer in Hymn to Demeter 478-79.1 The Corinthians were known to be heavily influenced by other customs. After all, they were in a large economic area where a great many different people frequented. It is probable that the Corinthians were being influenced by the religious practices found at Eleusis where baptism for the dead was practiced.

Paul used this example from the pagans in 1 Cor. 15:29, when he said, "...if the dead are not raised, then why are they baptized for the dead?" Paul did not say we.2

This is significant because the Christian church was not practicing baptism for the dead, but the pagans were.

Paul's point was simple. The resurrection is a reality. It is going to happen when Jesus returns. Even the pagans believe in the resurrection, otherwise, why would they baptize for the dead?

However, some are not convinced by this argument and state that the word "they" is not in the Greek and, therefore, Paul is not speaking about the pagans.  Let's take a look.

Literally, the verse is translated as "Since what will do the being immersed on behalf of the dead if wholly dead not are raised why also are they immersed on behalf of them."

The issue here is the word, "baptizontai" -- "they are baptized."  It is the present, passive, indicative, 3rd person, plural. In other words, it is THEY ARE BEING BAPTIZED or, THEY ARE BAPTIZED.

I -- first person singular
you (singular) -- second person singular
he/she/it -- third person singular
we -- first person plural
you (plural) -- second person plural
they -- third person plural

It is the latter form, the third person plural (they) in which the verb "baptizo" is found. Therefore, the best translation is "THEY are baptized."

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Here is another article that gives other possible interpretations of this passage: Apologetics Press.

Passage: 1 Corinthians 15-16

On Wednesday, December 12, 2012 (Last Updated on 12/11/2023), Yujin wrote,

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve (1 Corinthians 15:1-5).

This is perhaps the clearest statement in Scripture of what are the essential components of the Gospel message. Paul writes, "I want to remind you of the gospel..." What is more, while sometimes the word "gospel" is used generally of the whole counsel of God, that is not the case here. Paul describes this Gospel as that which they "received," upon which they have taken their "stand" and by which they "are saved." There is nothing peripheral here. He is about to give the core message of the Gospel.

He punctuates the significance of this Gospel message by sharing that any deviation from it would mean they have believed in vain. For example, later in this chapter Paul would be arguing against those that denied the resurrection of Christ. Such people would be among those that Paul says "have believed in vain." 

So what is the Gospel? It is that Christ died for our sins and rose again according to the Scriptures. Now, you may ask, why do I not mention his burial and appearances? These are given as a validation of the core Gospel. The burial validates his death and the appearances to various persons and groups validate his resurrection. When you examine the record of evangelism in the Book of Acts, you will notice that the Gospel message that was consistently preached consisted simply of the death of Christ for sin and His resurrection. 

Therefore, when we speak of evangelism today, whatever else is shared, the content of our message must include these two core facts, namely, that Christ died for our sins and that He rose again. They must know and believe at least this much to be saved. 

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Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me (1 Corinthians 16:1-4).

While Paul "would rather die" than take money for himself (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:15-18), he was more than eager to collect money for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. This is the collection that he is referring to here. He has much more to say about this collection in other places (e.g. 2 Corinthians 8-9). 

Yet, when Paul is referring to personal ministry, he counsels against receiving money. Instead, he encourages believers to work for their own needs, just as he did. For example, this is the advice he gives to the church in Thessalonica:

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right [or opportunity] to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9).

Notice, Paul was not simply working while ministering because he did not have the opportunity to receive support from the Thessalonian believers, but it was because he wanted to set an example for them to follow. What was this example? Those who minister the Gospel should not burden their church members by expecting support from them but rather work for themselves to provide for their own needs. This is the same message and example that Paul gave to the Ephesian elders after three years of laboring among them:

I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:33-35)

Paul tells the Ephesian elders that he coveted nothing material from any of the believers in Ephesus. Instead, he supplied his own needs and even supplied the needs of his fellow ministers. Again, it was not because the Ephesians refused to support him. It was because he wanted to set an example for them to follow: "I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak." Paul wanted to teach and show these ministers how they ought to minister to their flock. They should work for their own wellbeing and also supply the needs of the needy in their congregations. 

Friends, this is so opposite of what is practiced today in the church I am somewhat flabbergasted. I don't know what to say. Shall I go around from church to church and tell every full-time and part-time minister to stop receiving a salary or wage or honorarium from their congregation? Wouldn't I cause many to be offended if I tell ministers to get a regular job to supply their own material needs? And what if I tell them that the Bible expects them not only to supply their own needs but also to use their earnings to help their fellow ministers in need as well as those needy people in their congregations?

Today, ministers make nearly double the median salary of the average American worker. Some famous names make much more than this. Strangely, even with all this money flowing, there seems very little advance in the Gospel among the most affluent churches. In fact, the greatest advance of the Gospel has been among the poor in third world countries. 

Everyone is looking for a revival in the church. Yet we recognize that we are becoming like the great cathedrals of Europe, once the bastian of Christian witness but now an empty edifice to what was once great. Europe's ecclesiastical fortunes was at the expense of personal faith. America may become a redux of Europe.

If we are seeking a revival, perhaps it needs to begin with leadership. I call every minister to consider letting go of their church wages, salaries and honorariums. I encourage every minister to consider taking on a "secular" job, so that they might administer the Gospel to their members and non-believers for free. I challenge every minister to even go beyond this by setting the example for charity by not only supplying their own needs but discovering and supplying the needs of those most needy in their church. 

I confess that I don't have much faith that Christian leaders will heed my call. The lure of money, whether in the enjoyment of luxury or anxiety about the future, will likely cause most to ignore and disparage my challenge.