Author : Keith Sharp
QUESTION: What are your thoughts on 1 Corinthians 15:29?
ANSWER: Thank you for your question.
1 Corinthians 15:29 says, “Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?”
In the entirety of First Corinthians chapter fifteen, the inspired apostle Paul is arguing that all mankind shall be raised from the dead.
Whatever baptism “for the dead” is, the Corinthians obviously practiced it. Their practice was, according to the import of Paul’s question, inconsistent with their disavowal of the resurrection.
Mike Willis comments on this verse, “There are almost as many interpretations of this verse as there are commentators (I read forty different positions)….” (Willis, 556-7). I will confess I have not read forty commentaries on First Corinthians, nor do I plan to. Brother Willis gives a full discussion of the various positions taken on the passage (557-562).
Of course, the Mormons claim that this verse teaches the doctrine that a live person can be baptized to save a dead person who never heard the gospel. This is parallel to the Catholic doctrine that encourages living relatives of a deceased loved one to pray his soul out of an imaginary place called Purgatory. Both doctrines flatly contradict one of the primary principles of divine justice, i.e., God holds each person accountable for his own actions done while alive on this earth (cf., e.g., Exodus 32:31-33; Ezekiel 14:12-20; 18:1-32; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Whatever 1 Corinthians 15:29 means, it cannot be advocating vicarious baptism for dead sinners.
The Greek word translated “for” is the preposition “huper.” With the grammatical construction found in this verse, the word has three possible meanings in the New Testament, depending upon the context. It can mean “for one’s safety, for one’s advantage or benefit…”, “…in the place of, instead of,” or “of the impelling or moving cause; on account of, for the sake of…” (Thayer. 638-9).
It is possible that Paul used the preposition in one of the first two senses but without approval of the practice. This would be an ad hominem argument, one built upon a practice of the Corinthian brethren which Paul did not approve. In other words, the Corinthians may have been practicing baptism vicariously in hope of saving dead, lost loved ones, and Paul used their false practice as an argument against their denial of the resurrection. I view this position as far fetched and strained.
Another possibility, which I view as correct, is that the apostle uses the preposition “huper” in its third sense, “of the impelling or moving cause.” One “impelling or moving cause” to be baptized is the blessed hope of reunion with those beloved saints who have gone before. This interpretation both fits the lexical definition of “huper” and harmonizes with other Scripture teaching. Furthermore, it is a fact that the hope of reunion with the blessed dead is a primary impetus for becoming a Christian. This, then, is what I believe the passage is teaching.
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Works Cited
Thayer, J.H., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.
Willis, Mike, A Commentary on Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians
