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“Baptism for the Dead?”

Thoughts for Today:

A lot can be inferred from one verse, especially if it is looked at in isolation and out of context. Today's passage is a great example of how the Word of God can be at best -- misunderstood; and at worst -- completely perverted. Some people have taken our passage today to mean that those living can be baptized for the dead. That is, in the place of relatives or others who had previously died.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could provide the gift of eternal life in heaven for a long dead friend or relative, regardless of their unbelief? It's a pleasant thought, but totally wrong for several reasons, three of which come immediately to mind. First, the practice finds no support in Scripture. Second, the act of water baptism has no saving power for the living without a change of heart, so it absolutely can't save anyone who is already dead. And, third, once eternity is entered into from this life, there is no changing of the destination. (Luke 16:26: "And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.")

So what was Paul referring to in our passage today? I think he was being sarcastic, perhaps making light of an offbeat Corinthian practice (as he had on other occasions). In any case, he was not endorsing "baptism for the dead". Rather, he was challenging any purpose or sort of baptism, if they did not believe in the afterlife.

Questions to Ponder:

Peter said regarding Paul's writing (2 Peter 3:16a): "His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." I couldn't agree more. What is your perspective? Do you let controversial or unclear Scripture create division between you and other brothers and sisters in Christ? Who do you think is the source of confusion and conflict?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.