South Highway Five Church of Christ

This may be one of the passages Peter had in mind when he spoke of "some things hard to be understood" in Paul's epistles (2 Peter 3:15, 16). While we may not know with certainty what Paul meant by "baptized for the dead," we can be sure he is not giving approval to the idea of "proxy" baptism. This is the belief, held by some, that a living person may be baptized to save a dead relative or friend who died in sin. But the Bible teaches that faith, repentance, and baptism as well, are the personal responsibility of each individual and no one can do that for another (John 8:24; Mark 16:16). In fact, after death comes the judgment (Hebrews 9:27), where each one "shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:10-12). Underline the word "himself."

The passage in question must be taken in context which is necessary to understanding any Bible passage. Some in the church at Corinth had accepted Paul's message of the resurrection of Christ but they denied there would be a bodily resurrection of Christians in the future (v. 12). Thus Paul presents a series of arguments showing the inconsistency of believing in the resurrection of Christ but denying the future resurrection of the saints.

One of his arguments is if there is no future resurrection then why be baptized for the dead? By "the dead" Paul may have meant Christian loved ones who had died and that some were influenced to be baptized hoping to see those loved ones in the resurrection. Paul had written earlier of the Christian's hope of reunion with loved ones who had died at the coming of Christ when the dead in Christ would be raised (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). And so his argument in 1 Cor. 15:29, "why thus be baptized if, as some say, there is no resurrection of the dead?"

This is an interesting question and, admittedly, a difficult Bible verse. However, most of the Bible can be readily understood when read and studied. This is especially true of those passages that teach us how by faith to accept God's grace of salvation and have the assurance of an eternal home in heaven (Romans 5:1, 2 and 6:3, 4; Titus 2:11-14).