1 CorinthiansSample

Paul continues the line of thought from yesterday: Only if the resurrection happened does everything make sense. Everything occurs in the sequence ordained by God. The present moment is the time in which the Kingdom of God is being built. But at some point, Jesus will hand this kingdom over to God. We Christians are part of this kingdom and will spend eternity with God. Only with this eternal perspective do the “baptism for the dead” and Paul’s own suffering for Jesus make sense.

It is disputed among theologians what is meant by the baptism of the dead: Were deceased people baptized directly? Or were living people baptized vicariously for the deceased? Or does Paul mean a symbolic “baptism into death”—that is, a martyrdom, as Jesus hints at in Luke 12:50 and Mark 10:39? We do not know. But that is not decisive for the main message of this section. In any case, Paul is alluding to a practice among the Corinthians that only makes sense in relation to the resurrection.

In the midst of his argument, Paul warns: “Bad company corrupts good morals” (verse 33). He is referring to people within the church who call themselves Christians but deny the resurrection. Paul makes it clear: Whoever gives up this hope not only endangers their own faith but also negatively influences others.

For Reflection

From a worldly perspective, Paul’s life was not a model of success: he was persecuted, imprisoned, slandered, and beaten. Faith in Jesus cost Paul a great deal. But Paul could afford to live this life for God because he had eternity at his disposal—an eternity in God's glory.

Paul is not an isolated case. There are so many people who live their lives with an eternal perspective. Worldwide, according to current figures, over 365 million Christians face intense persecution for their faith. For them, their faith sometimes costs so much. But they can afford it—because they have eternity at their disposal.