Baptism for the Dead

Second, Paul was not advocating the practice of baptizing for the dead. Paul was pointing to the inconsistency in the thought of the Corinthians in trying to convince them of the reality of the resurrection of the dead. The argument seems to be: “If, as some of you Corinthians claim, there is no resurrection from the dead, then why do you go to the trouble of baptizing for the dead? Only those who hope for life after death would attempt to influence the eternal fate of those who have died. Your thinking on the subject is contradictory. You claim there is no resurrection, but your actions betray that you really believe there is something beyond this life.”

Other Bible students think the Corinthians believed life in the Spirit made the body unnecessary. Baptism for the dead in this view ensured the dead would enjoy the same spiritual life as would the living but without a body.

Phil Logan