Resurrection of the Dead

There's a widespread axiom, a saying in our culture that goes,

live the life you love, love the life you live.

You guys have probably heard of this, right?

Another similar slogan says, live, love, laugh,

or one that we probably know best from Lion King, Hakuna Matata, right?

Don't worry, enjoy life, simply live, right?

That's the kind of mantra that permeates our culture.

And these sayings have a certain appeal because, after all,

who doesn't want to live a carefree life and to enjoy life and to be present, right?

But God's Word teaches us something that's a little more nuanced than that.

It teaches us that living for today without any view to eternity is short-sighted.

Christ calls us to radical sacrifice and full obedience,

and such a life cannot be sustained by a flimsy hope for the pleasures of this life.

What we are called to, as Christians, to live in full obedience and radical sacrifice

can only be sustained by a firm hope in the resurrection life to come,

and that's really Paul's main point in this passage.

Knowing that we will be raised with Christ in the future, we can die to ourselves every day.

So before I go further, let me just submit this to the Lord so that he can help us.

God, we pray that as we come to your Word, wanting to hear from you and address by you,

that you would speak to us powerfully, that your Word would not go in one ear and out the other,

but that it would land on our hearts, that we would believe it,

and that because we believe it, Lord, that through the renewal of our mind, Lord, we would be transformed.

We pray for that, Lord.

Speak to us.

Help us to hope in the resurrection life to come as you call us to in this passage.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

And so the main point is knowing that we will be raised with Christ in the future.

We can die to ourselves every day, and I'm going to cover that in three parts.

First, the past resurrection of Christ, the future resurrection of believers,

and then third, the present death of believers.

Now, in chapter 15, verses 1 to 11, which you may have noticed we skipped,

it's because we went ahead and covered that on Resurrection Sunday on Easter.

And so if you need to refresh yourself of what that was about, you can listen to the sermon online.

But Paul, in that passage, taught that we must hold fast to the gospel of the resurrected Christ

because it is of first importance.

And in our passage for today, we find out why Paul thought it necessary to include that in his letter to the Corinthians.

So he says in verse 12, read along with me.

Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,

how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

The dead refers to those who have died, and Christ was once among the dead,

but he was raised from the dead on the third day.

So the Corinthians believed the resurrection of Christ,

but they nevertheless argued, some of them, that there is no resurrection of the dead.

But for Paul, belief in the resurrection of Christ disallows the denial of the resurrection of the dead.

So he continues in verse 13.

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

If the resurrection of the dead is not a thing, then Christ also would not have been raised.

And it's Christ's resurrection that guarantees the resurrection of believers.

For this reason, proclaiming the resurrection of Christ necessitates the resurrection of the dead.

And denial of the resurrection of the dead negates the resurrection of Christ itself.

And so, arguing that there is no resurrection of the dead was tantamount to denying the resurrection of Christ.

So Paul then takes that line of thought and reasons it to its logical conclusion,

which brings us to verse 14.

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.

If we don't believe in the resurrection of Christ as believers,

then Christian preaching and Christian faith are all empty.

They're in vain.

To deny the resurrection is to deprive the very substance of the Christian faith.

And it not only reduces our preaching and faith to vanity,

it also makes us guilty of fraud.

As Paul says in verse 15 here,

we are even found to be misrepresenting God

because we testified about God that He raised Christ,

whom He did not raise, if it is true that the dead are not raised.

If God did not raise Christ from the dead,

then we are lying about Him by saying that Christ was raised from the dead.

And the apostles, and this is quite the accusation if that's the case,

because the apostles were commissioned by Jesus Christ Himself

to be the guarantors of the faithful transmission of the gospel,

that Christ died and rose again for our forgiveness of sins.

And so these apostles who are supposed to be faithful stewards of that,

to transmit that to the next generations,

they are made out to be just charlatans, right?

They're all frauds.

For as Paul says in verse 16,

if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.

It's a pretty straightforward argument, right?

If the dead are not raised, then Christ could not have been raised

because if the resurrection of the dead is impossible,

then it's not possible for Christ to have been raised.

And then in verses 18 to 19,

Paul explains further how denying the resurrection of Christ

renders our faith futile and our hope pitiable, right?

He says in verse 18,

And if Christ has not been raised,

your faith is futile,

and you are still in your sins.

If Christ has not been raised,

then his atoning sacrifice,

his death on our behalf,

was ineffective.

That means we are still in our sins.

So sometimes we can think that,

as Christians,

Christ's death alone was sufficient for our salvation.

But that's not the case.

Paul writes in Romans 4.25,

Christ was delivered up for our trespasses,

he died for our trespasses,

and raised for our justification.

His resurrection is part of our redemption,

and salvation.

And he similarly adds in Romans 5.10,

For if while we were enemies,

we were reconciled to God by the death of his son,

much more now that we are reconciled,

shall we be saved by his life?

Again, the death and resurrection cannot be separated.

It's the resurrection of Christ is part of what saves us.

Because if Christ has not been raised,

that means it would mean that he was swallowed up by death.

If Christ had not been raised,

then it would mean that he was overwhelmed by the curse of sin.

If Christ had not been raised,

then it would mean that he was overcome by Satan,

the enemy of God.

And that means all of us,

all Christians,

would still remain in their sins

and stand condemned under God's judgment.

For that reason,

apart from the resurrection of Christ,

our faith is futile.

And we are still in our sins.

And not only is the faith of the living futile,

Christians who died already with faith

have altogether perished.

Paul says in verse 18,

then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

The expression falling asleep

was a common euphemism for death among the Greeks.

But among Christians,

it also came to express their hope in the resurrection.

And that's because if you remember from Mark 539,

when Jesus goes to heal Jairus' daughter,

it turns out that Jairus' daughter has already died.

But when people are mourning around him,

Jesus says this,

the child is not dead, but sleeping.

And then he raises her from the dead.

By this miracle,

Jesus taught his followers

that those who put their faith in him,

for them death is not final,

but temporary,

like sleep itself.

So when Christians begin to use the expression

falling asleep,

they express their hope in the resurrection to come.

But if we deny the resurrection of the dead,

as the Corinthians are doing,

then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ

have perished.

They're no longer just asleep.

They've perished altogether,

gone forever.

All their deeds of faith and acts of obedience

would have been for nothing.

Of course,

the Corinthian believers themselves

would have disagreed with Paul's assessment.

They didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead.

Well, some of them probably did,

but some of them didn't.

But they did believe in the afterlife,

like the rest of the Greeks.

And so what they think is,

and that's why I think in verse 29,

we see some of them were getting baptized

on behalf of the dead.

So they clearly believed

that something happened after death.

They just didn't believe

in the physical resurrection of the dead.

So they had this disembodied view of spirituality, right?

And we've seen that over and over again

throughout this letter.

They thought that they were already like the angels in heaven

while they're living here on earth.

So they wrongly believed

that whatever they did to their body

didn't affect them

because the body, after all,

is something that's just going to be discarded

upon death anyway.

And we're going to be these souls,

you know, going into heaven.

So that's what they believed.

That's why they indulged in incest,

as we saw earlier.

That's why they were sexually immoral

with prostitutes.

That's why they believed

that marriage was something

they could neglect, right?

Because they didn't believe

that the body had any significance.

But this doctrine of the Greeks,

the immortality of the soul,

is an incomplete and faulty doctrine.

The true Christian doctrine

is the resurrection of the body.

And that's why Paul teaches here

that our bodies will be raised

and it will be perfected

at the second coming of Christ,

which we'll talk about next week.

And our soul and body together

will be made whole

and we'll be able to enjoy

our fellowship with God forever.

And for that reason,

to deny the resurrection of the dead

is to nullify the Christian faith altogether.

Because if there's no resurrection,

then those believers who have already died

have perished altogether.

And if Christian faith is futile,

then Christian hope is pitiable.

Paul says in verse 19,

If in Christ we have hope in this life only,

we are of all people most to be pitied.

This does not mean that the Christian life

offers no benefits in the present life.

It does.

It offers us joy,

peace,

love,

forgiveness.

It gives us community.

But it does help us

to become better moral people.

But if all the benefits of Christ

are for this life only,

then we are of all people

most to be pitied

because our hope for the future

is the basis of our joy

in this life

in the midst of suffering.

Because our hope in the future,

for the future,

is the basis for our peace

in this life,

even amidst the turbulent world.

Because that's the basis

for having love

in a hate-filled world.

Because that's the basis

for being forgiving

and forgiving others

in a vengeful world.

Because that's the basis,

that hope is the basis

for having community

in a world where people

are selfish and alienating.

If we discipline ourselves

and persevere to the end

with what Colossians 1.27

calls Christ in us,

the hope of glory,

but this hope turns out

to be an illusion

founded on nothing

because Christ hadn't, in fact,

been raised from the dead.

If we run this race

with endurance

only to discover

that there is no finish line,

no medal ceremony,

in fact, there was no race

at all to begin with.

We were running in vain.

We are of all people

most to be pitied.

Recall that in 1 Corinthians 13.13,

Paul said that faith, hope, and love

are the three most important virtues

that characterize the Christian life

in the present.

But that of these, he said,

love is the greatest

because it, unlike faith and hope,

abides eternally.

And it's because to have faith

is to believe what we do not see, right?

We do not see it yet.

And to have hope

is to long for

and wait expectantly for

what we do not yet have.

That's why we have faith now.

That's why we have hope now.

But when Christ returns

for his people

and we are raised

into resurrection life,

that our faith will turn to sight

and our hope will turn

to fulfillment.

But if Christ has not been raised

and therefore there is

no resurrection of death,

our faith will be disproved

and our hope will be disappointed.

Which means our faith is futile

and our hope is pitiable.

For that reason,

it is absolutely essential

that we believe in the resurrection.

And the resurrection of the Lord,

the resurrection of Christ

is the linchpin of the Christian life.

That's Paul's first point,

the past resurrection of Christ.

And then Paul paints this bleak picture

of the Corinthians' worldview

because he wants them

to be grounded in faith

and hope that are substantive,

not elusive.

He asserts this in verse 20.

But in fact,

Christ has been raised from the dead,

the first fruits of those

who have fallen asleep.

Because of this,

our hope is not pitiable,

but enviable.

Because of this,

our faith is not futile,

but full and fruitful.

And because of this,

we are no longer in our sins.

Because of this,

we are rightly representing God,

not misrepresenting him

when we proclaim that Christ

has been raised from the dead.

Paul uses that as a transition

in verses 20 and 28

to argue for the future

resurrection of believers.

That's my second point.

And he does this by calling Christ

the first fruits of those

who have fallen asleep.

In the Old Testament,

God's people were commanded

to bring the first fruits

of their labor,

whether it's produce,

if you're a farmer,

or livestock,

if you're a shepherd.

And they were to bring

the first fruits to the Lord

as an offering of thanksgiving.

And this offering

of the first fruits

was an acknowledgement

that God is the source

of all life,

and that ultimately

all the fruit of their labors

belong to God.

And by bringing a portion

of that,

they were pledging,

really,

of all that they have.

And when they bring

a portion and pledge,

it was also a recognition

that the first fruits

that they have currently

is a pledge

of all that is to come,

the full harvest

that is still coming.

And so when Paul

describes Christ

as the first fruits

of those who have fallen asleep,

he means that Christ's resurrection

is the first of many to come,

that Christ's resurrection

sets a precedent,

and that it's a pledge

for the resurrection

of all his followers,

those who are united with him.

Christ is the first fruits,

meaning he is the first

to rise from the dead,

but he's not the last.

The resurrection of Christ

guarantees the resurrection

of Christians.

And Paul explains

why this is the case

with two explanatory sentences

in verses 21 to 22.

For as by a man came death,

by a man has come

also the resurrection

of the dead.

For as in Adam all die,

so also in Christ

shall all be made alive.

Adam, as the first man,

functioned as the head

and source of all mankind.

And as such,

he represented all of humanity.

And therefore,

when he sinned against God,

sin and its just consequence,

death came to characterize

not just Adam,

but all of humanity.

Conversely,

when God sent his son,

Jesus Christ,

into the world

as the son of man

to represent humanity,

to be the new

and second Adam,

the better Adam,

and when he lived

a life of perfect obedience

and died for the sins

of his people

and he was raised again

to vindicate

his sacrifice,

his righteousness,

and its just reward,

eternal resurrection life,

also came to characterize

all those

who belong to Christ.

Of course,

by this Paul,

by this Paul,

is not saying that

all people,

regardless of whether

they believe in Christ

or not,

will be made alive.

Some people can

misunderstand this verse

that way.

That's a heresy

called universalism.

Instead,

Paul uses the language

of participation

in verse 22.

He says,

For as in Adam

all die,

meaning all those

who are in Adam,

those who are part of Adam,

represented by him,

that's all of us.

So those who are part of Adam,

the first man die.

And then he says,

So also in Christ

shall all be made alive.

That's the language

of participation.

This means all of those

who belong to him,

who are in Christ,

those who have joined

themselves to Christ

through faith,

in his death

and resurrection,

they are the ones

who will all be made alive.

And if that's not clear

from verse 22,

Paul makes that,

they clear that up

beyond doubt

in verse 23,

where he says specifically,

at Christ's coming,

those who belong to Christ

will be made alive.

That's what Paul means

when he says

that all will be made alive.

It's all those

who belong to Christ,

all those who are in Christ.

Christ.

That's why all that

we hold dear as Christians,

right,

the love of God,

our Father,

the grace of our Lord

Jesus Christ,

the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,

we receive and experience

all of this

only insofar

as we are in Christ.

Are you in Christ today?

Have you aligned yourself

to Christ today?

Do you belong

to Christ today?

Does he represent you today?

Does he stand

for you today?

Sometimes when speaking

of professional development

or career advancement,

people cynically say

something like this,

which I'm sure

is sometimes true.

It's not what you know,

it's whom you know,

right?

You guys have probably

heard that, right?

But this unfortunate adage

in the context

of the workplace

is gloriously true

when it comes

to our salvation.

For those who want

to be saved

from their sins,

for those who seek

a full spiritual life

in the present,

for those who desire

eternal resurrection life,

it's not what you do.

It's not what you know,

but whom you know.

Because there's no way

you can earn your way

to heaven.

You and I are not qualified

and we never will be.

We cannot make our way.

God's standard is perfect

and holy

and we have all fallen

woefully short of it.

We have sinned

against an infinite God

and we cannot bear

the infinite punishment

that is due

that we have incurred.

We have incurred

an infinite debt

that we owe to God

and we have no means

to repay it.

But Christ,

as the second Adam,

as our representative,

as our champion,

he had borne the punishment

that we could not bear

and he paid the debt

that we could not repay.

That's the gospel,

the good news of Jesus Christ.

And all we need to do

is to align ourselves to him

so that he stands for us,

so that he represents us,

so that we are in Christ.

This salvation is offered

to us freely,

not because it's cheap,

but because it came

at great cost to God,

not to us.

Why would you refuse

this precious gift?

If you are not in Christ today,

if you're not a follower

of Jesus Christ today,

I urge you,

you're outside of God's grace.

You are alienated from him

and you are still in your sins,

but you have hope.

You can join yourself to Christ.

We will celebrate

baptism next week,

which is the Christian rite

of initiation.

It signifies our union

with Christ in his death,

that we are in Christ.

That's what it signifies.

And our baptism in water

signifies our death to sin,

and so that our sins

have been washed away,

so we are submerged in the water

in the squalor of our sins,

and symbolically we emerge

having been clothed

with the pure robe

of Christ's righteousness.

And that becomes a surety for us,

because we have died with Christ,

that when Christ returns,

we'll also be raised with him.

You too can make this

profession of faith

if you're not yet

a follower of Christ.

And having explained

why Christ's resurrection

guarantees the resurrection

of his followers

in verses 21 to 22,

Paul now explains

how these resurrections

will happen

in verses 23 to 24.

He writes,

First is the resurrection

of Christ,

who is the firstfruits.

Second is the resurrection

of all those

who belong to Christ,

which will happen

at Christ's coming.

That's a reference

to his second coming.

Then after this

will come the end,

which is the third

and final item

in the sequence.

The end will be characterized

by Christ delivering

the kingdom of God,

kingdom to God the Father,

and after destroying

every rule

and every authority

and power.

So what does that mean?

These words of rule,

authority, power,

they occur

in the exact same sequence

in Ephesians 1, 20 to 21.

It says,

God the Father

raised Christ

from the dead

and seated him

at his right hand

in the heavenly places,

far above all rule

and authority

and power

and dominion.

And though these words

can be used

to refer to human rulers

and authority figures,

they are used consistently

in both ancient Jewish texts

and Gentile magical texts

to refer to demonic

and spiritual powers.

So Paul is saying here

that Christ subjects

all spiritual rulers,

authorities,

and powers

under himself.

But since these spiritual powers

and authorities

and rulers

lie behind

every social

and political

and economic structures

and systems

that set themselves up

against God,

Christ's subjection

of these things

refers to his reign

over all things

in life as well,

not just the spiritual realm.

He will make

all things right again.

If we don't long

for this sweet victory

and vindication,

I'm afraid

that it might be

because we align

ourselves too closely

with the rulers

and authorities

and powers of this world.

Whether it's

political persecution

or systemic injustices

or spiritual oppression,

all of it

will be destroyed

by the Lord Jesus Christ.

and if you are mourning

because of any

of these things,

you can live with hope

in that day

and rejoice

for that day.

But in Ephesians,

if you're paying attention,

Paul speaks of Christ

as already having

subjected

all rule

and authority

and power.

But here

in 1 Corinthians,

why does then

he speak

as if Christ

will only do that

at the end

when he returns?

I've used

this analogy before,

but it's comparable

to the relationship

between D-Day

and V-Day

in World War II.

It's when

the Allied forces

made a breach

by making

a beach landing

in Normandy

and they successively

took the surrounding area

that established

a firm foothold

for the Allied forces

in an area

that was previously

thought

inconquerable,

unconquerable.

And then that first day

of that operation

is called D-Day.

And that D-Day operation

was so pivotal

and significant

that it all but guaranteed

the Allied forces victory.

It made their victory

inevitable.

And so

that D-Day

set them up

for V-Day,

the Victory Day.

So in a similar way,

Christ's life,

death,

and resurrection

decisively defeated

sin, death,

and the spiritual forces

of evil.

And it's at Christ's

second coming

that we will experience

the full consummation

of that.

Every rule

and every authority

and power

have already been

subjected

in a decisive way,

but they have not yet

been fully destroyed,

including death,

which is still a reality.

Death has not yet

been destroyed.

But his victory

will be consummated

in its full effect

will be realized

at the end

when Christ delivers

the kingdom to God

the Father.

Paul elaborates on this

in verses 25 to 26.

For he must reign

until he has put

all his enemies

under his feet.

The last enemy

to be destroyed

is death.

Of all the enemies

of the soul,

the last enemy

to be destroyed

is death,

which is why

we still die.

And when Christ

returns and raises

his people from the dead,

he will destroy death

once and for all.

And Paul says later

in verse 56

of the same chapter,

the sting of death

is sin

and the power of sin

is the law.

So sin,

which is the sting of death,

has already been removed.

Christ has dealt with sin

and he has dealt

with death

in that sense.

But that full effect

of it,

so that we no longer die,

but we're raised

from the dead,

that will not happen

until his second coming.

And until then,

he must continue his reign,

it says,

until he has put

all his enemies

under his feet.

This is an allusion

to Psalm 110.1

where God says

to his anointed king,

the Messiah,

which is the prophecy

of Jesus,

sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies

your footstool.

Paul sees Christ

as this Messiah,

the anointed king

who subjects

all of God's enemies

under his feet.

under his feet.

And then Paul continues

that train of thought

in verse 27.

For God has put

all things in subjection

under his feet.

Now this quotation

is from Psalm 8.

It says,

Yet you have made him

a little lower

than the heavenly beings

and crowned him

with glory and honor.

You have given him

dominion over the works

of your hands.

You have put all things

under his feet.

In the original context

of the Psalm,

the Psalmist is praising God

for how God has been

so gracious to humankind.

How did you make him

only a little lower

than the angels?

You have given him

all this rule

and authority and dominion.

You have subjected

everything under his feet.

And later the author

of Hebrews applies this

to Christ.

And he says,

But we see him

who for a little while

was made lower

than the angels,

namely Jesus,

crowned with glory

and honor

because of the suffering

of death,

so that by the grace

of God he might taste

death for everyone.

What the connection

that this biblical author

is making in Hebrews

is that Jesus

is the ultimate man.

He is the ultimate

son of man,

the ultimate human,

the representative

of all of humanity.

And he was made

a little lower

than the angels

so that through him

all the authorities

and power and rule

may be subjected

under him.

So that he can fulfill

the true purpose

of humankind

which is to represent God

and to rule in his stead

over the earth

and to extend

God's benevolent rule

over the earth.

And it's Christ

who accomplishes this.

Notice that while

in verses 24 to 25

Christ is the one

who puts all his enemies

under his feet.

Christ is the subject

of the verb.

But in verses 27 to 28

it's God the Father

who puts all things

in subject

under Christ's feet.

In subjection

under Christ's feet.

So the Father and the Son

of course are two

of the three persons

of the Trinity

so this is not contradictory

because even though

they have distinct functions

they have one essence

and they always work

in full concert.

But since the Son

works according

to the will of his Father

all that he does

is ultimately

from the Father.

And since the Son

always works for

the glory of the Father

all that he does

is also to the Father.

And that's what

Paul's speaking of here.

He says in verses 27 to 28

read with me.

But when it says

all things are put

in subjection

it is plain

that he is accepted

who put all things

in subjection

under him.

When all things

are subjected to him

then the Son himself

will also be subjected

to him

who put all things

in subjection

under him.

That God may be

all in all.

There's a lot of pronouns

there, right?

It can get a little bit

confusing.

But what Paul is saying

is this.

He's not that

by saying that

all things will be

subjected under Christ

he's not saying

of course that the Father

himself will be subjected.

That's a violation

of the Trinitarian order.

But what he's saying

is that Christ

on the Father's behalf

subjects all things

to himself

and later that rule

will also be subsumed

under the Father's reign.

One Bible commentator

puts it this way

healthfully.

Since God and Christ

as Lord are one

this emphasis

is not upon

a discontinuation

of Christ's Lordship

as such

but upon

its culmination

within the terms

of its purpose

for this world

and Christ's kingdom

here.

So this doesn't mean

that Christ stops reigning

that he stops ruling

at some point in time

but rather

that he continues

his reign

under the lordship

and sovereignty

of God the Father.

It's like

God the Father

is the king

over all

who sends

his son

as a viceroy

and to put down

once and for all

all these seditious

and treasonous activities

that are happening

among his subjects

and then to reestablish

his reign

and his stead.

And then it's

through Christ

God rights

all the wrongs

of this world

and brings it

once again

into order

and under his reign

so that God

may ultimately

be all in all.

That's the goal

of humanity.

That's the goal

of human history.

And this inevitable

chain of events

has been initiated

by the past

resurrection of Christ

and that's why

we can be assured

as Christians

of our future

resurrection.

Note that

consistently

and repeatedly

throughout this passage

seven times in all

Christ's resurrection

is described

in a passive form.

It says that

Christ was raised

and that implies

that the subject

is God the Father

who raised Christ

up from the grave.

Of course it's not

wrong for us

to say that

Christ has risen.

That's what we say

on Resurrection Sunday

because biblical writers

especially in the Gospels

also use that language.

But in an ultimate sense

it's God the Father

as the authority

over and source

of all things

who raised Christ

from the dead.

And that same God

in verse 22

is the one

by whom

we shall all

be made alive.

So that shows

that we don't

make this happen

ourselves.

We don't raise

ourselves.

We don't need

to wait for the queue

so that we can

resurrect when it's

time for us.

We don't need

power ourselves

to raise ourselves

from the dead.

It's God himself,

the almighty God

who raises us

from the dead

and because he has

done it with Christ

that becomes

the decisive proof

for us

that that will

happen for us.

It's a certainty.

And it's this firm

hope in our

future resurrection

that sustains

our present obedience

and perseverance.

Paul writes about this

in verses 29 to 34.

He says in verse 29,

Otherwise,

what do people mean

by being baptized

on behalf of the dead?

If the dead are not

raised at all,

why are people

baptized on their

behalf?

This is arguably

the most difficult

verse to interpret

in all of 1 Corinthians.

Over 40 different

interpretations

have been suggested.

And notably,

this difference

of interpretations

is not just

in our day.

There's been

differing interpretations

throughout church history

which tells us

this is a difficult

verse.

And so we probably

shouldn't be dogmatic

about it.

So with that

caveat out of the way,

here's my tentative

interpretation.

The expression

the dead

is used

eight times

in this passage,

not including

the two occurrences

in verse 29

which we're trying

to figure out

right now.

And in all of those

contexts,

invariably,

the word dead,

the dead,

refers to those

who are already dead

physically.

So I think

it's most likely

to refer to

the actual dead

not to believers

who are dying

which is what

some of the

interpretations suggest.

And because

throughout this passage

as well,

Paul's concern

whenever he says

resurrection of the dead,

he's not speaking

of resurrection

of the dead

in general,

believers and

unbelievers alike,

but he's speaking

of the resurrection

of the believers

who have died.

So I think

that's most likely

what Paul has in mind

when he says

the dead here.

So it's those

believers who died

before they had

the opportunity

to get baptized.

Basically like

the thief on the cross

that dies next to Jesus.

So some believers,

it seems,

among the Corinthians

were getting baptized

on their behalf

because,

oh no,

they hadn't had a chance

to get baptized.

They had faith

but they died

without being able

to get baptized

so I'm going

to get baptized

for them.

I mean,

well-meaning

but misguided.

And the problem

with this interpretation,

the difficulty

with it rather,

is that there's

no biblical precedent

for such vicarious baptisms.

It seems to contradict

Paul's teaching

that people are saved

by grace through faith

and that personal faith

is required

and that a personal response

involves baptism.

It has to be

that person's decision.

So just as you can't believe

on behalf of someone,

you also can't get baptized

on behalf of someone

so they must themselves

respond to God.

And I think it's that

theological difficulty

that has engendered

all these alternate

interpretations

over and against

the plain meaning

of the text.

But even though

I will add this,

Paul mentions

these vicarious baptisms,

he's not necessarily

endorsing them

as legitimate

because he's only saying

that their existence

proves people's

implicit belief

in the resurrection

of the dead

because without belief

in the resurrection

of the dead,

such baptism

would be pointless

in Paul's argument.

So we can think

of it this way.

For example,

if I can say to you,

what do people mean

by knocking on wood?

Right?

If they really

don't believe in luck,

then why do they

knock on wood

to avoid bad luck?

Right?

So that's an argument

I can make.

When I say that,

I'm not endorsing

the practice

of knocking on wood.

Right?

I'm merely using that

as an example

to prove that people

do in fact

believe in superstitions.

Right?

They believe in luck.

So I think

that's kind of

what's going on here.

So it's Paul

is using this

not to say

that it's legitimate

to get baptized

on behalf of someone,

a believer who has died,

but to point out

that the Corinthians'

practice of doing so

proves actually

that there is

resurrection of the dead

because without

the resurrection,

there's no spiritual

existence beyond the grave.

So this verse

doesn't teach us

that we should get

baptized on behalf

of the dead.

So that's

some of the Corinthian

believers

seem to have

had this kind of

magical view

of baptism

and I think

that's why

kind of Paul

corrects them

throughout this letter.

So for example

in chapter 1

verses 14 to 17

he said this,

I thank God

that I baptize

none of you

except Crispus

and Gaius

so that no one

may say

that you are

baptizing my name.

for Christ

did not send me

to baptize

but to preach

the gospel.

He's downgrading

baptism here

because the Corinthians

were making

such a big deal

of baptism

saying oh I got

baptized by Paul

I got baptized

by Apollos

I got baptized

by so and so

and Paul's saying

no that's not

what saves you

baptism is your

personal response

to Christ

Christ is the one

who saves you.

And similarly

he said

in chapter 10

verses 1 to 5

I do not want you

to be unaware

brothers

that our fathers

were all under

the cloud

and all passed

through the sea

and all were

baptized into Moses

in the cloud

and in the sea

and all ate

the same spiritual

food and all

drank the same

spiritual drink

nevertheless

with most of them

God was not

pleased

for they were

overthrown

in the wilderness.

Why does Paul

make this connection

between Israel

and the present church

and he uses

the language

of baptism

and he uses

the language

of communion

spiritual food

and spiritual

drink.

The point

he's trying

to make

is that the

Corinthian believers

were complacent

and they were

engaging in sexual

immorality

and incest

and doing all

kinds of things

that are forbidden

by God

and yet they were

saying to themselves

well I was baptized

well I partake

in the Lord's supper

so I'm safe

and Paul

tells them

look at your

forefathers

they were

in a sense

baptized

baptized

under Moses

they were

in a sense

partaking

in spiritual

food

just like

you

yet they

were destroyed

because of

their idolatry

so Paul

has already

kind of addressed

this issue

of baptism

throughout

so I think

he doesn't

feel the need

to correct

them yet

again

in this

instance

but he's

just using

that as an

example

to prove

his point

that the

resurrection

of the dead

is a reality

and then

in verses

30 to 31

Paul uses

his personal

example

to prove

the same

point

why are we

in danger

every hour

I protest

brothers

by my pride

in you

which I have

in Christ

Jesus

our Lord

I die

every day

Paul says

that he

faces

danger

every hour

and he says

that he dies

every day

every hour

every day

the two

expressions

together

basically

amount to

Paul

claiming

that he's

facing

risk

and suffering

24 hours

a day

and 7

days a week

24-7

this is

his life

Jesus said

in Luke

9 23

if anyone

would come

after me

let him

deny himself

and take

up his

cross

daily

and follow

me

this

is in

fact

what Paul

has been

doing

he has

been

daily

dying

to himself

for the

glory

of God

and to

emphasize

the truth

of his

claim

Paul writes

I protest

brothers

by my

pride

in you

which I

have in

Christ

Jesus

our Lord

I die

every day

what does

Paul mean

by that

I think

the NIV

translates

a little

bit more

literally

and health

fully

it says

I face

death

every day

yes

just as

surely

as I

boast

about

you

in

Christ

Jesus

our

Lord

right

Paul said

earlier

in chapter

9

that

Corinthian

church

is the

workmanship

his workmanship

in the

Lord

that they

are the

seal of

his

apostleship

because

he planted

them

in their

church

for that

reason

Paul

had great

pride

in the

Corinthian

church

in Christ

of course

and that's

why he

says

as surely

as I

have

pride

in you

that

certainly

that surely

I am

facing

danger

every hour

and I'm

facing death

every day

doesn't that

really reveal

Paul's heart

I was so

moved by that

as I was

preparing

this passage

even though

the Corinthian

church

caused him

more grief

than any

other churches

that he

ever served

he says

to him

the surest

thing

that he

can grab

hold of

to prove

that he

really is

facing

danger

every day

is

my pride

in you

my boast

in you

that's his

heart for the

church

that's his

care for

them

and Paul

is hardly

exaggerating

he says

in 2nd

Corinthians

11

23 to

28

these are

the things

that he's

suffering

for the

sake of

the gospel

and he's

contrasting

himself

from the

false

apostles

who are

trying to

lead the

Corinthians

astray

are they

servants of

Christ

I am a

better one

I am

talking like

a mad

man

but with

far greater

labors

far more

imprisonments

with countless

beatings

and often

near death

five times

I received

at the hands

of the Jews

the forty

lashes

less one

three times

I was

beaten with

rods

once

I was

stoned

three times

I was

shipwrecked

a night

and a day

I was

adrift

at sea

on frequent

journeys

in danger

from rivers

danger

from robbers

danger

from my

own people

danger

from Gentiles

danger

in the city

danger

in the wilderness

danger

at sea

danger

from false

brothers

in toil

and hardship

through many

a sleepless

night

in hunger

and thirst

often

often

without

food

in cold

and exposure

and apart

from other

things

there is

the daily

pressure

on me

of my

anxiety

for all

the churches

but if there

is no

resurrection

of the dead

for what

is Paul

enduring

all of this

hardship

he continues

in verse 32

what do I

gain

if humanly

speaking

I fought

with beasts

at Ephesus

if the dead

are not

raised

let us

eat and

drink

for tomorrow

we die

fighting

with beasts

is likely

metaphorical

and not

literal

for several

reasons

first

if it were

literal

Paul would

not have

survived

all the

tale

secondly

if it

were

if it

were

literal

it's

not likely

to be

because

Paul was

a Roman

citizen

and the

punishment

execution

by

giving

being

given

to

wild

beasts

was a

punishment

that

the

Roman

citizens

were

excluded

from

and

third

that

expression

fighting

with

beasts

is a

very

common

metaphorical

expression

that's

used

throughout

Greek

literature

so

I

think

it's

likely

Paul's

using

the

same

sense

it

refers

to

fighting

or

some

kind

of