Baptized as Dead

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

BAPTISED AS DEAD 

1 Cor 15:29-34

29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I die every day — I mean that, brothers — just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."   33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God — I say this to your shame.

NIV

This is one of the most difficult verses to understand, as at first glance, it appears some men were being baptized for their dead friends or family members, which goes totally against the truth of God. However, to think that we have the truth of this passage would also be saying that we know more than many scholars or interpreters that have sharp differences in what they believe it means. We as the body of Christ do not practice, nor should we practice being baptized for someone who is already dead. We know this is a doctrine and practice of the Mormons, but they are not a Christian faith, but rather a misguided cult. This is not to say that people who belong to the Church of the Later Day Saints are not good people, for many of them, are. Their beliefs are based on a second book, a new revelation that was given to one man. Nevertheless, what are we going to do with this idea that Paul is raising to the Corinthians about what will those do who are baptized for the dead? Of course, we know that before we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we were dead in our sins. Now then if we are dead in our sins, what brings us to life? Is simply saying that we believe in Jesus, that he died for us and shed his blood for the forgiveness of our sins, make us alive, or are we also required to follow him through the waters of baptism. Are we not buried in the water and raised from death into life? Is not that the purpose or the symbol of baptism? We have to believe this way because of what the rest of what is said as we progress through Paul’s complete thoughts on this subject, as well as from the rest of the scripture. If we are dead in our sins and the dead need to be buried in order to be raised from the dead. We cannot nor should we be buried in the ground, although, when this body does die, we will be put in the ground, only to be resurrected at the time of the Lord. However, we can be buried in the water and be raised from the dead and live in this resurrected life, a new person in Christ, no longer living in the sin that causes death, living with that bad company that corrupted our character but will live in the community of faith, being encouraged and encouraging, so that we live as children of God. There is more to consider on this subject of baptism, but for now let us rejoice that once we were dead, but now we are alive in Christ, and we shall be alive forevermore in Him.