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Baptism for the Dead

Submitted by Gerald Paden on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 21:12

In God's scheme of redemption Satan will have no ultimate victory over fallen humanity. God's providence and grace have made arrangements for the redemption of the total man. "And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your SPIRIT AND SOUL  AND BODY be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes.5:23). The words "wholly" and "entire" both come from the same root word in Greek: "oloteleis." It implies totality, completeness, nothing lacking, integral with all its essential parts. As a plural adjective, it embraces "the whole you," which means "all of you," and "you all."

Our Bodies Belong To The Lord

God's claim on the bodies of his people is well attested in Scripture. Early in Bible history God demonstrated his claim when "Enoch ("the seventh from Adam" - Jude 14) was translated that he should not see death" (Heb.11:5). Apparently God took possession of the body of Moses, which Satan contested, but then lost the contest (Jude 9). Later "there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). The impact of Jesus' resurrection was immediately seen when "the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised; and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared to many" (Matt.27:52-53). Then Jesus himself "was taken up and a cloud received him" (Acts 1: 9). In the three successive dispensations, God confirmed his purpose in preserving the bodies of his chosen ones.

"The body is for the Lord and the Lord for the body; and God both raised the Lord, and will raise up us through his power" (1 Cor.6:14). "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality;" which relates only to the body. That will happen "at the last trump ....then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 0 Death where is thy victory? 0 death, where is thy sting?" (1 Cor.15:52-56 which is quoted from Hosea 13:14).

Christ's Second Coming

The redemption of our bodies from the grave contains the rationale of the second appearing of Christ. His 'first appearing" was to redeem our souls from sin. "Christ having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation" (Heb.9:28). "Apart from sin" affirms that the purpose of his "second appearing" will have nothing to do with making another atoning sacrifice for sin. That was the purpose of his "first appearing." The "salvation" we "wait for" relates to the rescue of our bodies from the tomb.

What Happens At The Bapistry?

A Christian's baptism accomplishes many allied benefits of both a spiritual and a physical nature. One benefit is immediate, the other is remote. The first immediately relates to the redemption of the soul from sin, while the second will result in the redemption of the body from the grave at the end of time. From the baptistery we "rise to walk in newness of life" (Rom.6:4). We are "baptized into Christ" (Ga1.3:27), and "into one body" (1 Cor.12:13). We immediately receive the "gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit "is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession" (Eph.1:14). An "earnest" is God's pledge that potentially becomes a guarantee that the Holy Spirit will raise us from the grave. God's "possession" is the total man: "spirit, soul and body." The indwelling Spirit gives proof both to God and to us that we belong to each other.

The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Not only does the indwelling of the Holy Spirit confirm our sonship in God's family (Ga1.4:6), but His presence also assures us of victory over the grave. At the baptistery we were "sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph.1:13) which stands as a commitment to our physical resurrection. "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in  you"  (Rom.8:11). The clearest affirmation of the Holy Spirit's final work on earth is found in Romans 8:23: - 'And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, (i.e., the "gift of the Holy Spirit" of Acts 2:38) even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body." That "adoption" is the "redemption of the body" from the grave. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that confirmed the salvation of both soul and body. This truth makes "the gift of the Holy Spirit" of Acts 2:38 one of the most important result of our baptism. He is one of great prizes offered in Acts 2:38! Knowing that we would die and that our body would go to the grave, at our baptism we were given the "Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph.1:13) which assured us that He would raise our bodies from the tomb. I am quite sure that every Christian knew that his baptism would result in the salvation of his soul from sin. But probably few, if any, of us were aware that when we were baptized we were laying the foundation for the salvation of the our bodies from the grave. We just were not taught about that aspect of our salvation. Though the fact that we were not taught did not change the ultimate result for our bodies.

Now to 1 Corinthians 15:29

"Else what shall they do that are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? "They" in verse 29 stands in contrast with "some among you who say there is no resurrection," verse 12. Paul's entire discussion in 1 Corinthians 15 is related to the physical resurrection of dead bodies. He said nothing about the resurrection of the soul in this chapter. He certainly would not approve of the Mormon practice of vicarious baptisms for other people already dead. Such vicarious claim has no more basis in Scripture than the vicarious declaration of faith by Catholic god parents for infants being baptized. Paul would most certainly have condemned such an anti-Biblical practice. He could not passively ignore such an error. He taught that "we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ; that each may receive the things done in the body,  whether good or bad" (2 Cor.5:10). No one will be held accountable for what others did before we had a body (as affirms Catholic doctrine of original sin). And no one can be credited with what others do on our behalf after we no longer have a body (as Mormon practice assumes).

Paul used the general practice of Christian baptism to prove the resurrection of the dead. The "dead" he discusses in this verse are the future dead bodies of Christians who were baptized in view of the resurrection of their bodies from the grave. The Greek makes it clear
that baptism is 'for" (Gk. huper = on behalf of, for the benefit of) dead bodies, since that is the overall theme of the entire chapter. Paul's argument is simple, and personal even today. If our dead bodies were not programmed for the resurrection at the baptistery, then "Why were we baptized for them?" Of equal import would be an analogous question Paul could have asked: "If the souls were not "raised to walk in newness of life" at the baptistery, why then were we baptized for them?"
John 5:25 speaks of a spiritual resurrection of the soul from sin. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live." Those "dead" are men and women guilty because of their sins. Only those who "hear" (obey) shall "live." Then verse 28 speaks of the final resurrection of all men: "Marvel not at this; for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tomb shall hear his voice and come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment." There will be no exceptions on that final day. When we heard and obeyed the Gospel: "the voice of the Son of God" we made arrangements that gave us "life for the soul" We also made arrangements for the body "unto the resurrection of life."

Each person's baptism is inseparably tied in with the resurrection of his own body. The most interesting fact of this context is that Paul does not only not condemn the practice, he uses it as an argument to affirm the resurrection of the body. He had presented a whole series of arguments that explained in negative format the practical result of denying the resurrection. See the domino effect such a position would impose on Christian faith. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then:

  1. Christ has not been raised — Vs.13
  2. Apostolic preaching is vain — Vs.14
  3. Our faith also is vain — Vs.14
  4. The apostles were all liars — Vs.15
  5. We are yet in our sins — Vs.17
  6. Those who have fallen asleep have perished — Vs.18
  7. We are of all men most to be pitied — Vs. 19
  8. Our baptism guaranteed nothing in respect to the resurrection of our bodies — Vs.29
  9. Paul was foolish to "stand in jeopardy every hour" — Vs. 30 10.And foolish to expose his life to peril every day — Vs.31 11.And foolish to 'fight the beasts in Ephesus" — Vs.32
  10. Then let us all "eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" - Vs.32 (quoted from Isaiah 22:13)
  11. "Evil companionships corrupt good morals" — Vs.33
    • If there is no resurrection of the dead, then there will be no accountability for sin.
    • Without the resurrection, there will be no judgment day when men will answer for their wrong doing.
    • And exemption from God's judgment encourages an unfettered practice of immorality.
  12. But the reality of the resurrection motivates Paul's admonition to Christians to be "Awake to soberness righteously, and sin not; for some have no knowledge of God" - Vs.34
  13. A final charge from Paul is worthy of repetition: "Wherefore, my brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (Vs.58)

Conclusion

Thank God for 1 Corinthians 15:20-22: - "But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the first fruits of them that are asleep. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."