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Baptised for the Dead?

by David A. DePra

And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the
Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under
Him, that God may be all in all. Else what shall they do which
are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why then
are they baptized for the dead? And why stand we in jeopardy
every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ
Jesus our Lord: I die daily. (I Cor. 15:27-31)
 
     This passage of scripture can seem difficult to understand,
mostly due to the phrase "baptized for the dead." What can God
possibly mean by that phrase? What does it mean to be
"baptized for the dead?"
     Down through the centuries, there have been many answers
offered. One church uses this passage to verify their belief in
the existance of purguatory. They say that this passage proves
that there are souls who continue to need our help after they
have died. Our "baptism for the dead" supposedly helps them
get out of purguatory. Another church teaches members to
actually undergo a water baptism for dead people. They
believe that God honors "baptism by proxy" in such cases.
They claim He actually endows the dead with the benefits of our
baptism for them. And then there are those who say that Paul
was referring to an early Christian ritual which was a carry-over
from paganism. They ignore the fact that Paul, rather than
protest this "baptism for the dead," speaks of it as an expected
thing -- something which is part of the Christian experience.
     So what does Paul mean when he says that Christians are
"baptized for the dead?" He did write of it as a regular part of
the Christian experience. What was he talking about?
     The meaning becomes clear when we recognize the context
of the passage, and then add to it several other passages
where Paul writes about the same thing. Notice the main topic
of I Corinthians 15: Death and resurrection in Christ. Indeed, in
the verses immediately preceeding the passage quoted above,
Paul describes a progressive resurrection; an "order" of
resurrection which is going to occur:
 
For as in Adam all die, even so, in Christ all shall be made alive.
But every man in his own order: Christ, the first fruits; afterward
they that are Christ's at His coming; then comes the end (or as
in some translations, "the remainder"), when He shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when He
shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He
must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last
enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (I Cor. 15:22-26)
 
     One group which Paul includes in his decription are "they
that are Christ's at His coming." These are, of course, those
who are in the Body of Christ. Sometimes Paul calls these
individuals by another name: "The dead in Christ." Those who
die in Christ are always spoken of as being raised in Him, first
spiritually, but then physically at this great resurrection.
But then Pauls asks a question. He asks, "Else what shall
they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at
all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? And why stand
we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I
have in Christ Jesus our Lord: I die daily!" Clearly, Paul is
making a direct connection between those who are "baptised
for the dead" and those who are "dead in Christ," and awaiting
resurrection. In fact, He is clearing identifying the "dead in
Christ" as those for whom the living are being "baptized." Yes.
Those who undergo this "baptism for the dead" are doing so on
behalf of those who are "dead in Jesus Christ."
     Paul takes pains to emphasize this Truth. He continues, "If
the dead in Christ aren't raised, why would there be a baptism
for the dead?" In other words, this "baptism for the dead" would
not be necessary if the dead in Christ weren't raised. It would
accomplish nothing. But the dead ARE raised. It is for that
reason that we must undergo this "baptism for the dead."
     So what is this baptism Paul is talking about? He tells us. He
says, "And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by
your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord: I die daily."
Paul's "baptism for the dead" is not a physical water baptism.
No. It is a spiritual baptism. Paul is talking here about a death
he experiences on a daily basis, through trials, suffering, and
spiritual warfare. It is a personal death to everything he is, so
that there may come forth a resurrection to the glory of God --
a resurrection which benefits the greater Body of Christ.
     Paul is talking here about what it really means to be a
bondslave of Christ, and to God's people. So often when we
talk about serving others, we limit it to the temporal realm. But
while those things are necessary and good, and should not be
left undone, there is a servitude which is much greater than
that. It is accomplished only by dying; by laying one's life down
for the Master, and for the brethren. It is accomplished only by
bearing the personal Cross which God lays upon us.
     This, according to the apostle Paul, is what it means to be
"baptised for the dead." Through my submission to the hand of
God I die a continual death, which, in turn, results in the life of
Jesus Christ being made manifest, not only in me, but also in
the Body of Christ. Through the death and resurrection of one
member of the Body, all of the other members benefit. This is
not only true right now, to the living members of the Body, but it
is infinitely more true for those who are "dead in Christ,"
awaiting resurrection.
     Paul is here describing a facet of the Christian experience
which has not often been taught in Christian churches. He is
alluding to the fact that God has been calling and preparing the
Body of Christ for two thousand years. As God has built this
Body out of individual members, there have accrued to it the
various attributes of Christ Himself. Each member brings to the
Body a particular emphasis, along with similarities. Only when
God is satisfied that His Body is equipped with all He intends,
will the process be finished. Only then will Christ be able to say
with finality, "A Body Thou has prepared for Me."
     Do we realize what this really means? It means that I will
have deaths I must die which have only a secondary bearing on
myself. The primarily bearing will be upon the greater Body of
Christ. God will, on occassion, require that I pass through a
fiery trial, and be "baptized into death," not just for my personal
growth and freedom, but rather for the sake of those who
comprise the rest of the Body. I will need to "die daily" so that
through the resurrection there will be life manifested all through
the Body of Christ.
     So often when we face trials we put the emphasis upon US.
We think about what WE are getting out of it, or perhaps
moreso, we dwell upon what we are LOSING through it. From
God's perspective, however, the issue may be what we are
GIVING through it to His Body. It may be that through our faith
in a trial God is adding something eternal, not only to us, but to
every other member of the Body of Christ who ever lived.
This Truth is all through the Bible. Notice Paul's clear
reference to it in his second letter to the Corinthians:
 
We are troubled on every side. Yet not distressed. We are cast
down, but not destroyed. Alway bearing about in the body the
dying of our Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might be made
manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered
unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be
made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death works in us,
but life in you. (II Cor. 4:8-12)
 
     Notice the two-fold effect described above: Death in US
-- unto life in US. But also death in US -- unto life in YOU.
This is always God's pattern. First, He deals with the individual.
The progressive death I die in Christ will result in His life being
made manifest in my personal being. But then there is the
effect this has on the Body of Christ. The death I die will result
in the life of Christ working in all. My death will result in a
resurrection that benefits everyone who has died in Christ over
the last two-thousand years.
     This Truth explains some of the otherwise unexplainable
things which happen to Christians. There are times when we
face suffering and trials which seem to have no apparent benefit
to us. Perhaps we cannot understand what purpose our trial is
serving. This is, of course, a call for faith. We need to trust that
God knows what is best for us eternally. But there may be a
reason for our suffering far beyond our personal growth and
freedom. We may be undergoing a "baptism for the dead." God
may be giving us the priviledge of laying down our life for our
brethren, so that we might contribute a portion of the
resurrected life of Christ to all who have died in Him.
     To grasp this requires a bit of an eternal perspective. This
age is NOT where God's primary purpose for His Body is being
fulfilled. No. This is the age in which God is building the Body
of Christ. The realization of God's purpose in the Body of Christ
will be in the next age, after the resurrection. Until then, we
CANNOT understand all that God is doing. Instead, we must fill
the gap between our understanding, and God's purpose, with
FAITH.
     This Truth also reveals what it means to be a servant, or
bondslave of Jesus Christ. God's idea of servitude is quite
different from that of natural thinking. Natural thinking, governed
by human pride, tells us that to be a "leader" means to
exercise authority over people. So, If I'm a servant in the Body
of Christ, I might define that to mean that I have a certain right
to direct their lives. But Jesus said no. (Read Matthew
20:25-28) According to Jesus, and the apostle Paul, the only
"authority" a leader has is that of a bondslave. This means that
if I want to be a leader I must lay down MY life for others, so that
through MY death, life might be ministered to them.
     There is absolutely nothing glamourous about this kind of
servitude. It will put to death all spiritual ambition, pride, and
desire to gain the favor of men. It is a servitude which is
performed in a hidden arena; in places where no one can see
but the servant and his Master. And the fruit will never make me
feel superior to others -- not even superior because I think I
am equipped with greater "humility." No. This servitude is a
very real "baptism for the dead." It strikes at the heart and core
of what makes us tick, but will result in Jesus Christ being made
manifest -- first, in the life of the individual believer -- but
also in the collective life of the eternal Body of Christ.
     God is building a Body. It consists of those who have been
redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ out of this world over
the last two-thousand years. Each member of that Body has a
personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This is the
foundation of Christianity. But because of all of those personal
relationships, there is also a greater Body -- a living organism
for which God has an eternal purpose. And for the sake of that
Body, we are called to suffer. We are called to "fill up that which
is behind of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh for His Body's
sake, which is the church." (Col. 1:24) And when it is all
accomplished, the end will come. God will raise from the dead
all who have died in Christ and unite them with those who
remain, and take us all on into the eternal ages as the Bride of
His Son.

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