Baptized for the Dead? 1 Corinthians 15:29

A friend of mine from Colorado wrote this.  I would love to hear your comments and thoughts on it.  You can find more of his work at www.livinggodministries.net

When we begin to mature in our faith in Christ Jesus, our life becomes an adventure of discovery. One way we begin to discover what we now have, is by reading the Bible. When reading the Bible we often discover what our God has said and done in the past. When reading through the letters of the Apostle Paul, we occasionally discover passages that are difficult to understand. Peter recognized this challenge in his second letter, chapter 3:15,16. One of these difficult passages is found in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, 15:29, where he wrote, "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?" What is difficult, is that we recognize that a person cannot be baptized on behalf of someone else. Baptism is a personal and individual decision by those who undergo conversion. However, it appears that Paul is suggesting that we can undergo this sacrament of conversion on behalf of someone else who is already dead. How can this be without contradicting the rest of the Scriptures that specifically address personal responsibility with regards to salvation? Understanding this verse requires an understanding of the pharisaical doctrines of baptism and indwelling life. With an understanding of these doctrines, it will be easy to both understand and appreciate this statement to the church in Corinth.

When considering the subject of baptism, it is necessary to first understand who derived this sacrament and why. It is generally assumed that it began with John the Baptist, but this is certainly not true. Baptism was a common practice that had its origins before the ministry of John the Baptist. It began with the Pharisees as a means of converting a Gentile to Judaism. The Pharisees had become quite evangelistic at this time in history. Their evangelism was inspired by their desire to see the Abrahamic covenant realized. The part of the Abrahamic covenant that motivated them was recorded in Genesis 12:3, "And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." It was believed that the way the families would be blessed was through obedience to the Law of Moses. This was determined by the declaration of God in Deuteronomy 28, where He said that obedience to all of the Law of Moses would result in being blessed by Him. Therefore, it was believed that all of the families on the earth would be blessed through their obedience to the Mosaic Law. The Pharisees believed that they found a way to live so they would never come within the boundaries of violating the Mosaic Law. Therefore, they felt it was their obligation to evangelize all the people of the earth, so the people could be blessed by God, and the Abrahamic Covenant would then be fulfilled.

The following are some example quotes from the Rabbinical writings of the Pharisees that illustrate the importance of baptism when a Gentile converts to Judaism:

A Gentile is never to be regarded as a proselyte until he is both circumcised and immersed, and since he has not undergone immersion he is a Gentile. Abodah Zarah Folio 59a

If a pregnant gentile woman was converted, there is no need for her son to perform ritual immersion. Yebamoth Folio 78a.

When John the Baptist began baptizing at the Jordan River, baptism was not new to the people of Israel. What was so new and radical, was that John was baptizing Jews. This suggested that the Jew was just as unclean as a Gentile, and needed to repent from his sins and be converted to enter the Kingdom of God. This was extremely offensive to the Pharisees because it was a statement in complete opposition to many of the key pharisaical doctrines concerning the Jews, repentance and the Kingdom of God. For example, it was believed that a Jew would have a place in the Kingdom of God because he was a child of Abraham, not because of his repentance from his sins. Jesus addressed this doctrine in Matthew 3:8,9. To suggest that a Jew needed to repent from their sins, because the Kingdom of God was at hand, meant that a Jew would need to become perfect to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This was the primary purpose of the ministry of the Lord Jesus, further revealed in His sermon on the mount. The intent of this was of course to lead a person to recognize there was no hope outside of the grace and mercy of God.

The synagogue in Corinth began through the inspiration of the ministry of the Pharisees. The Pharisees would have sent out a minimum of 10 men as missionaries to Corinth and established a community. Through their lifestyle, they demonstrated the value of repentance and obedience, and they gradually assimilated people from the Gentile community into theirs. In Acts 18:8, Crispus is described as the leader of the synagogue. Considering that Crispus was a popular name in Greek culture, and not in the Jewish culture, I believe this is evidence to assume that Crispus was not a Jew by birth, but that he was a Gentile who converted to Judaism. For him to be recognized as the leader of the synagogue, this would also suggest that the work of the Jewish missionaries was completed, and they moved to evangelize a new community, or returned to the land of Israel. When the people were converted to Judaism, they were circumcised (if applicable), and they were baptized. They were baptized for their own conviction and commitment, and they were baptized for the pharisaical leadership in Jerusalem as testimonial evidence that they were properly converted. The life of the new convert would then be based on what they did and did not do, according to the Law of Moses.

The blessings declared by God, that a person would receive due to their obedience, were blessings in a person's flesh. In other words, according to Deuteronomy 28, the maximum benefit a person could obtain as a result of their repentance and obedience was to have the maximum opportunity to indulge their flesh. The Lord said a person would have plenty of flour in their kneading bowl, they would lend and not borrow, but He never said they would know Him, have a personal relationship with Him, or have a place in the Kingdom of Heaven. These are invalid assumptions that people often make concerning the Law of Moses. However, these are not the only invalid assumptions. For example, it was also believed that through committing yourself to the Law of Moses, and the continual study and application of the Law of Moses, you would have restored within you the life of God that had been lost in Adam when he ate from the wrong tree and died spiritually (Genesis 2:16,17). This belief is revealed in the following ancient prayer that was said after the reading of the Torah in every synagogue at that time in history.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who in giving us a Torah of truth, hast planted everlasting life within us. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Giver of the Torah.

The Gospel, revealed by the Apostle Paul was that the giving of everlasting life was not through the Torah, or the Law, or through Moses, but it was through the Messiah. The Messiah, the Lord Jesus, came to forgive our sins defined by the Law of Moses, so He could restore to us the Spirit of Life that had been lost in Adam. Given that there was no sin left unforgiven, there is now no sin that can cause that life to leave again. Therefore, the life we have imputed within us who believe Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, will never be lost. The life is by definition an eternal life, not received by the law, but by the grace and mercy of God through the Messiah. Paul explained this distinction in Romans 7:10 and Galatians 3:21. It was this message that Paul delivered to the synagogue in Corinth, and it was this message that many of the proselytes there believed. They left the synagogue and began meeting next door at the home of Titius Justus (Acts 18:7). What is important to see in this context, is that the Pharisees believed they were alive through their observance of the Law of Moses, but according to the Gospel, they were still dead in their sins. Only those who receive eternal life through Jesus as a free gift are alive. All others are dead.

When the proselytes in Corinth were converted by the Pharisees, they were baptized from two perspectives. The first perspective is that they were baptized for their own personal convictions and value, but they were still just as spiritually dead as they were before their conversion. The second perspective is that the Pharisaical evangelists baptized them as agents for (or on behalf of) the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, who were also still spiritually dead.

In 1 Corinthians 15:22, Paul expressed that the Pharisees were still dead by the man Adam, and were not alive because of their rejection of Christ Jesus. However, in the context of verse 29, the important question is what are the converts going to really do? What can they do? God never told them they could do anything according to the law to be made alive and to be resurrected. Therefore, what can they do who are baptized for those dead Pharisees and dead members of the Sanhedrin? Obviously they can do nothing, the Pharisees are not resurrected at all. So, why were the people being baptized for them? Because they were deceived by them. In truth, they can do nothing to be made alive, so they might as well eat and drink, for tomorrow they die (1 Corinthians 15:32). In addition, if Jesus is not the Messiah and was not resurrected, He certainly could not resurrect us, so we might as well eat and drink also, because we can't do anything either. These are carefully selected words because the maximum benefit of the law was to eat and drink, for in the end of this life, you would just die anyway.

In verse 29, Paul is not intending to say that a dead person can be converted by the actions of someone else. He is stating a rhetorical question to those who were converted to Judaism, and now believe Jesus is the Messiah. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection, but had no means to obtain it. If the people are not going to believe Jesus is the Messiah, what will those do who are baptized or converted for the spiritually dead Pharisees? There is nothing they can do because no law was given to give the converts life. It doesn't matter if the Pharisees believe in the resurrection or not. The spiritually dead Pharisees have no opportunity to be raised at all because there was no law given that would give the Pharisees life either. So, why are the people being baptized for them? Because the people were lied to and deceived into thinking they would have eternal life through the Torah, instead of through the Messiah Jesus. This is what Paul is referring to in 1 Corinthians 15:29.

Aaron Budjen 

April 14, 2010