Resurrection Incentives
15: 29-34
Resurrection Incentives DIG: Why is bodily resurrection important? What three powerful incentives does Paul give? What’s wrong with the idea that believers will not have bodies in eternity? What things would be true if Messiah had not been raised from the dead?
REFLECT: What does the resurrection mean to you personally? Think of a loved one that has passed away that you really miss seeing, being with, and talking to. How does the resurrection comfort you? How can you use the resurrection to witness about the Lord?
If you remove the resurrection, you have removed one of the greatest motivations the Lord gives for coming to Messiah and for living for Him.
Paul is almost ready to discuss what a resurrection body might look like (to see link click Dv – Our Resurrection Bodies). But before doing so, he has a few final considerations on the doctrine of the resurrection of the body. He shows the Corinthians how the false doctrine of no resurrection that was being spread by some in the church made no sense, neither practically nor theologically. He then proceeds with a final warning.491
When the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, asked Yeshua the mocking and insincere question about whose wife a certain woman would be in the resurrection (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ja – Whose Wife Will She Be at the Resurrection?), He first told them that they understood neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. After declaring that there is no marriage in heaven, He continued: And as for whether the dead are resurrected, haven’t you read what God said to you, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jaocb?” He is the God of the living, not the dead (Matthew 22:31-32). The emphasis is His statement was on the verb “I am” because Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were spiritually alive at the time Yeshua spoke, and one day would be united with their glorified bodies in the resurrection. It is as if Paul was saying, “Presently, right now, I am the God of Abrahm, Isaac, and Jacob.” That statement was true because there is life after death.
Dear Loving Heavenly Father, Praise You that we can know for sure that there is life after death. No matter how good or how bad this life is, it is a wonderful thought that there is a real heaven where You are in complete control and where You have wiped out crying, dying, sadness and pain. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4). Thank You for being the God of Abrahm, Isaac, and Jacob, for that means that You never get old nor forget my name, but You have all the time in the world to purify and refine me (First Peter 1:7). You have my name constantly before You, so I never walk alone for You are always present with me (Hebrews 13:5).
It is such a comfort that Messiah totally defeated death and rose in triumph! For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. . . Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him (Romans 6:5, 8). Life in heaven after the resurrection of our earthly bodies, is like going to a party that never stops for we will live with You forever in Your home of peace and joy! Thank You so much for all You suffered so we could go to heaven. As best as I can, I want to live my life in loving obedience to You. I want You to be first in my thoughts, time and affection. You are the best, and worthy of all my love! In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen.
Scripture is not theological, impractical, or irrelevant. Because the Sadducees denied any resurrection, they could not think right or live right, as is obvious in their response to the life and work of Messiah. Right doctrine is inseparably connected to right moral behavior and right principles are given to lead to right conduct. God’s truth not only is to be believed, but it’s to be properly responded to. In other words, we need to obey God’s Word. When its truth is denied, there are devastating moral and spiritual consequences.
Paul’s major thrust here in 15:29-34 is that if you remove the resurrection, if you deny this crucial and wonderful truth of God’s redemptive work, you have removed one of the greatest motivations the Lord gives for coming to Messiah and for living for Him. Therefore, Paul points out three powerful incentives the resurrection gives.
An incentive for salvation (15:29): The context is the resurrection. There are two groups of believers in view here. The first group incorrectly thinks that they can be baptized for their dead pagan loved ones and thus snatch them out of the flames of hell and send them to heaven. The second group does not believe in the resurrection. What Paul does here is use the first group as an example to the second group, emphasizing the incentive for salvation.
To the first group: Otherwise, what will those believers do who are baptized for the dead (15:29a)? When Paul mentions those who are baptized, he was simply referring to pagan Gentiles who had become believers (and subsequently baptized) as a result of the persuasive testimony of other faithful believers who had since passed away. The pagans heard the Good News and looked at their lives and said to themselves, “I want what they have in this life, and I also want to be able to see my unsaved loved ones who have died.” Evidently, some believers in Corinth were promoting this false view of baptism which Paul used as an argument against the second group who denied the resurrection.
This group of misguided Corinthian believers failed to understand that since one person’s faith cannot save another, then certainly one person’s baptism cannot save another. Baptism is simply an outward sign of an inward conviction. No one is saved by baptism – not even living people, muchless dead ones. It is appointed for mankind to die once and after this comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27). There was no hope of a second change of salvation for the lost because death ends all opportunity for redemption and for spiritual help of any kind. This should have been a real example to those who denied the resurrection in Corinth. Since there is a resurrection, however, this is a real incentive for witnessing to unbelievers.
This verse does not teach that we can have a vicarious, or proxy, baptism for the dead, as claimed by ancient gnostic heretics such as Marcion and by the Mormon church today. In their practice, individuals go to their local Mormon temple, dress appropriately for a baptism, representatively adopt the name of a person who has died, and then the Mormon is baptized in water for that deceased person. This way, the dead person has supposedly fulfilled the requirements of salvation in the afterworld and can enjoy further spiritual benefits in the spiritual realm. But, the Mormons are incorrect. They have usurped this verse and taken it out of context. If one person’s faith cannot save another, then clearly one person’s baptism cannot save another. The only way any person has ever come to God is by faith.
To the second group: Therefore, Paul asked rhetorically: In reality, if the unregenerate dead are not raised to heaven at all, ever, why then are many present believers being baptized for them (15:29b)? Paul reasoned that even if some of the Corinthian believers were ignorantly and vainly attempting to be baptized for their dead pagan loved ones so they could see them again; nevertheless, there is a resurrection (see the commentary on Revelation Ff – Blessed and Holy are Those Who Have Part in the First Resurrection), and that should be the real motivation for witnessing to unbelievers!
Before proceeding, I would like to add a word of caution. There are those, like the Mormons, who build a whole doctrine off of one verse. Others, even believers, have very strong opinions built upon one verse in the Bible. When the Protestant Reformation began, they used the expression, “Scripture interprets Scripture.” By this they meant that obscure passages in Scripture must be understood in light of clearer ones. Since the Bible is God’s Word, it must be consistent within itself. No one part of the Bible can contradict any other part. One divine Author – the Ruach Ha’Kodesh – inspired the entire Bible, so it has one marvelous, supernatural unity. This is called “the synthesis principle.” If we hold to an interpretation of one passage that does not square with something in another passage, one of the passages is being interpreted incorrectly – or possibly both of them. The Spirit of God does not disagree with Himself. And the passages with obvious meanings should interpret the more difficult ones. Therefore, one should never build any doctrine on a single obscure or unclear text.492
An incentive for service (15:30-32): The second incentive that hope of the resurrection gives us is for service. Why, otherwise, would believers endure and sacrifice so much? If there were no resurrection of the believing dead, then suffering and dying for the sake of the gospel would be masochistic, suffering for suffering’s sake. As Paul has already pointed out: If it is only for this life that we have put our hope in the Messiah, we are more pitiable than anyone (15:19).
For that matter, why make this life miserable if this life is all there is? Why keep facing danger hour by hour and dying every day, if we have no security to look forward to (15:30-31)? Why engage in self-denying ministry if death ends it all? It’s as if Paul is saying, “ If Messiah’s resurrection was the only resurrection (as some of the Corinthians believed) then His being raised was no victory for us. He would not have been the first fruits of more to come (see Dt – Messiah: The Firstfruits of Those Who Have Fallen Asleep). He would not have conquered death, but only made it a greater mockery for those who put their trust in Him. But, as always, Yeshua is our model, and for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). It was His anticipation of the resurrection, of being raised to be with His Father once again, that gave our Lord the notice for dying on our behalf. He was willing to die for us because He knew He would be raised for us.493
If my fighting figuratively with “wild beasts” in Ephesus (see the commentary on Acts Ch – Idol-Makers Start a Riot in Ephesus) was done merely on a human basis, what do I gain by it? Although this was not an experience in the arena, it was like it to Paul in that he saw no hope of deliverance. Why face that kind of danger if this life is all there is?494 If dead people are not raised, we might as well live by the saying, “Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (First Corinthians 15:32; Isaiah 22:13 and 56:12).
An incentive for sanctification (15:33-34): Paul ends this section with a warning, presumably to those in Corinth who were under the influence of the heretical doctrine of no resurrection. Don’t be fooled. “Bad company ruins good character” (15:33). This timeless principle can also be applied to all of us no matter what age or generation. Peer pressure , going along with the crowd, can lead an otherwise good person into bad behavior. Apparently there were some people in Corinth doing exactly this, believing there were no consequences for immoral behavior since there was no resurrection. Such people had no true knowledge of God despite claiming to be so wise (see An – The Foolishness of Worldly Wisdom). As a result, they were being easily led into sinning.495 So, he warned them very bluntly: Come to your senses! Live righteously and stop sinning! I say this to your shame (15:34). What a shameful thing to be living selfishly living in sin while multitudes die without Messiah!
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