29 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? 30 And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? 31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
Commentary
Vs. 29 "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?"
The thought here is if the dead do not rise (i.e., if there is no resurrection from the dead, and thus Christ Himself who is the firstborn from the dead could not have risen from the dead, why then be baptized for the dead, i.e. into his death (see Rom 6 to understand). For If Christ is still dead, then our baptism which unites us with Him in life, death, and resurrection from the dead would all be futile.
Vs. 30 "And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour?"
Again if there was no resurrection from the dead why would the Apostle Paul himself go through such peril and ongoing persecution. For if Christ is not risen then the enemy of our souls would've won and there would be no need for him to stir up his own to oppose the Gospel any longer. Yet because the Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead (1 Peter 1:3), and is coming again, and will judge the world in righteousness (Psalm 96:13; Acts 17:30-31), there is and will always be strong opposition to His being preached and believed on everywhere, all which began the moment Christ's tomb was found empty (see Matt 27:62-64; Acts 4:1-4 etc.).
Vs. 31 "I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily."
The Apostle Paul now affirms not only his own faith in the resurrection of the dead, but also the Corinthians as well, and so he can boast of them because they, like himself, have their faith in Christ Jesus. Now it is because of his faith in Christ Jesus and His resurrection from the dead that the Apostle Paul can also say: " I die daily", that is I live this life in full expectation of the life to come. And so I die daily to sin and self (Rom 6:10-13), and live on for Christ, the Church, the Gospel.
Vs. 32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
Again if there is no resurrection from the dead, why would Paul so stoutly defend the Gospel from the beasts (i.e. the Godless) in Ephesus who opposed it. For if the dead do not rise why not just live for the sinful pleasures of this life, as he says, "let us eat and drink for tommorow we die!" And so to make his point the Apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 22:12-13, a passage in which God had called for repentance from His people, but instead He found them "eating and drinking"; that is they were arrogantly living as if God could not save them, and so they cast off all restraint (Isaiah 59:1-3). All which God said no atonement would ever be found for them, even to their deaths (Isaiah 22:14). And so the Apostle Paul wants us all to know that because there is a resurrection from the dead, how we live in this life really matters! Therefore striving to live a Godly life is so that we may attain to all that God would do through us, and for us, both in this life, and for eternity (consider Daniel 12:2-3).
Vs. 33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
The Apostle Paul now warns us all not to be deceived by having fellowship with those who deny the resurrection from the dead and thus are living sinful lives, because as he says, “Evil company corrupts good habits.” vs. 33
Which the the Book of Proverbs agrees with for it states:
"The righteous should choose his friends carefully,
For the way of the wicked leads them astray." Pr. 12:26
Tolerating then those who were denying either Christ's, or our own resurrection from dead, was only corrupting, and going to corrupt the whole assembly. For if tolerated such lies would soon over run their faith, (both individually and collectively) just as those who now accept homosexuality has (consider 1 Cor 5:6). Therefore you cannot have fellowship with those who deny, or live openly hostile to the Gospel, and not have their evil doctrine and lifestyle affect you! You have to make a choice for Christ and Biblical truth and reject the lies and degenerating values of this world, because you cannot have fellowship with both (see 2 Cor 6:14-17; Eph. 5:11-13).
Vs. 34 "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame."
Therefore the Apostle Paul vehemently says to us all; "Awake to righteousness and do not sin", because all that is truly Christian is meant to bring us to righteousness and turn us away from sin. For that is true knowledge of God. And so not to hold fast to that fundamental teaching of the Gospel; of the resurrection from the dead; which is so critical to our redemption, and our doing so (see John 5:24-30) is only a shame too any Christian, or assembly, who sadly is lead astray to deny the same.
Scripture Quotation
The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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