En 1 corintios 15:29, Paul spoke about baptism for the dead. ¿Qué quiso decir Pablo con el bautismo por los muertos?, since we don’t read anywhere in the Bible about being baptized for the dead? Were people baptized in a cemetery? Where the dead baptized? Or were people baptized on behalf of the dead? Corinth was full of idolatry and occult customs and rituals. But did Paul address a pagan custom, which was practiced in the carnal church at Corinth? It could be that the baptism for the dead was practiced by the church at Corinth since the church was a carnal church and did many things, which were against the will of God. Sin embargo, the baptism for the dead could also mean something else.
El evangelio de Jesucristo
It’s important to read the baptism for the dead in the context. Therefore it’s important to look at what Paul was writing about when Paul mentioned the baptism for the dead.
Moreover, hermanos de religion, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, He was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: todavía no yo, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. (1 corintios 15:1-11)
Paul wrote about the gospel, which he preached to the saints at Corinth, and which they had received and wherein they had to stand and by which they were saved, if they kept in memory what Paul had told them, unless their belief would be in vain.
The gospel that Paul preached was the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His appearance.
What if there is no resurrection of the dead?
Ahora bien, si se predica que Cristo resucitó de entre los muertos, ¡Cómo dicen algunos de vosotros que no hay resurrección de los muertos? Pero si no hay resurrección de los muertos, entonces Cristo no ha resucitado: Y si Cristo no ha resucitado, entonces es vana nuestra predicación, y vuestra fe también es vana. Sí, y somos hallados falsos testigos de Dios; porque hemos testificado de Dios que Él resucitó a Cristo: Whom He raised not up, si es que los muertos no resucitan.
Porque si los muertos no resucitan, entonces no ha resucitado Cristo: Y si Cristo no resucitara, tu fe es vana; todavía estáis en vuestros pecados. Entonces también los que durmieron en Cristo perecieron. Si solo en esta vida tenemos esperanza en Cristo, Somos los más miserables de todos los hombres (1 corintios 15:12-19).
en verso 12, Paul continued and confronted the church that although they preached that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, some among them said, there was no resurrection of the dead.
Jesus Christ was fully Human and the first One, Who rose from the dead. Therefore if there would be no resurrection of the dead, Christ would not have risen from the dead.
And if Christ would not have risen from the dead, then the gospel would be void and their faith would be vain and without fruit (Leer también: '¿Fue Jesús plenamente humano??' Y 'A faith without content').
If there would not be a resurrection of the dead and Christ would not be raised from the dead, then all who preached the gospel of Jesus Christ would be false witnesses aka liars, who preached lies of God, since they preached that God had raised Jesus Christ from the dead, while God had not raised Jesus from the dead.
If the dead would not be raised and Jesus Christ was not raised from the dead, their faith would be vain and worthless and they would be still in their sins and those who had fallen asleep in Christ would have perished.
If they believed that their hope in Christ was only for this temporary life on earth, then they would be the most miserable and most to be pitied.
En resumen, if there would not be a resurrection of the dead then:
- Christ has not been risen from the dead and is still dead
- Jesus has not taken the keys of hell and death
- There is no remission of sin,
- People can’t be made righteous and holy
- Sinners remain sinners, because they are subject to death and remain a slave to sin,
- It would be impossible to become born again and enter the Kingdom of God
- The position of fallen man has not been restored
- Man can’t be reconciled with God and become a son of God,
- It’s not possible to receive the Holy Spirit and to walk after the Spirit,
- The dead remain dead,
- Aquellos, who have fallen asleep in Christ are perished
- There is no hope, because once a person dies, the person remains dead
But what if there is a resurrection of the dead?
Pero ahora Cristo ha resucitado de entre los muertos, and become the Firstfruits of them that slept. Porque desde que la muerte por medio del hombre, Por el hombre vino también la resurrección de los muertos. Porque, como en Adán, todos mueren, así también en Cristo todos serán vivificados. But every man in his own order: Christ the Firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, incluso el padre; cuando Él haya derribado todo imperio y toda autoridad y poder. Porque él debe reinar, hasta que haya puesto a todos los enemigos bajo sus pies.
El último enemigo que debería ser destruido es la muerte. Porque Él ha puesto todas las cosas bajo sus pies.. Pero cuando dice que todas las cosas están sujetas a él, es manifiesto que está exceptuado, que sujetó todas las cosas a él. Y cuando todas las cosas le sean sujetas, Entonces también el Hijo mismo se sujetará al que le sujetó todas las cosas., para que Dios sea todo en todos.
Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then 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. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
No te dejes engañar: evil communications corrupt good manners. Despierta a la justicia, y no peques; porque algunos no tienen el conocimiento de Dios: Hablo esto para tu vergüenza (1 corintios 15:20-34)
Then in 1 corintios 15:35-58, Paul continued about the resurrection of the dead and speaks about the resurrection body.
In the section above, Paul wrote about the fact that by man came death, but by Man came also the resurrection of the dead. Porque, como en Adán, todos mueren, so also in the Christ all shall be made alive.
This already starts during life on earth through regeneration. Because if a person is not born again in Christ, the person remains bound to the death and lives under the authority (fuerza) of death and shall remain spiritually dead and shall not be able to see nor enter the Reino de Dios, but shall live in the kingdom of darkness, and remain part of the congregation of the dead (Leer también: ‘La vid de Sodoma').
What is the meaning of the baptism?
En el cual también vosotros fuisteis circuncidados con la circuncisión hecha sin manos, al despojarnos del cuerpo de los pecados de la carne por la circuncisión de Cristo: Sepultado con Él en el bautismo, en la cual también habéis resucitado juntamente con él por la fe en la operación de Dios, Who hath raised Him from the dead. Y tú, estando muertos en vuestros pecados y en la incircuncisión de vuestra carne, ¿Ha dado vida junto con él?, habiendo perdonado todas las ofensas; Anulando la letra de los decretos que había contra nosotros, que era contrario a nosotros, y lo quitó del camino, clavándolo en su cruz; Y habiendo despojado a principados y potestades, Los mostró abiertamente, triunfando sobre ellos en él (colosenses 2:11-15).
Baptism is not only a purification of sin and is not a Christian ritual that must be done on a regular basis. Nor is the baptism meant to cast out demons and deliver people. The baptism is a choice of everyone, que cree en Jesucristo, el hijo de Dios, and is willing to lay down his or her own life in Christ and follow Him.
It’s impossible to be baptized on behalf of others, let alone on behalf of the dead; aquellos, who have naturally died (Leer también: ‘¿Qué es el bautismo??’ y ‘Is christening the same as adult baptism?')
Baptism stands for the death, burial, and resurrection in Christ. If you are baptized then you identify yourself with the death, burial, y resurrección de Jesucristo; el anciano (carne) dies in Him is buried, y el hombre nuevo (espíritu) is raised from the dead in Him. The new man is clothed with Christ and joined together with Him, through baptism in His Name, and is no longer joined together with the death (Oh. Hechos 19:5, romanos 6:3-4, 1 corintios 1:13-17; 12:13, Gálatas 3:27).
The death, burial andresurrección en Cristo
pero dios, Que es rico en misericordia, por su gran amor con que nos amó, Incluso cuando estábamos muertos en pecados, nos ha vivificado juntamente con Cristo, (por gracia sois salvos;) Y nos ha levantado juntos, y nos hizo sentarnos juntos en los lugares celestiales con Cristo Jesús: Para que en los siglos venideros pueda mostrar las abundantes riquezas de su gracia en su bondad para con nosotros en Cristo Jesús.. Porque por gracia sois salvos por medio de la fe; y eso no de vosotros mismos: es el don de Dios: No de obras, para que nadie se gloríe. Porque nosotros somos hechura suya, creado en Cristo Jesús para buenas obras, las cuales Dios ha ordenado de antemano que andemos en ellas(Efesios 2:4-10)
You are buried with Christ through baptism in the dead. Through the death and burial of the flesh, you are redeemed from the law of sin and death, which reigns and works in the flesh. Since your flesh has died, you have died to sin. You are no longer a slave of sin and death.
Due to the fact that Christ did not remain dead, but by the majesty of the Father, fue resucitado de entre los muertos, your spirit is also raised from the dead and you shall walk in newness of life.
Por eso, the law of sin and death doesn’t reign over you anymore, since the law of sin and death reigns in the flesh, and your flesh has died in Christ. Ahora, the law of the Spirit of life reigns in you, and you are led by the law of the Spirit, que representa la voluntad de Dios.
Since your spirit is raised from the dead and you have become the new man, un hijo de dios, y han recibido una nueva naturaleza, you shall walk in obedience to the will of the Father and do righteous works
Pero vosotros no estáis en la carne, sino en el Espíritu, si es que el Espíritu de Dios habita en vosotros. Y si alguno no tiene el Espíritu de Cristo, él no es ninguno de los Suyos. Y si Cristo esté en vosotros, El cuerpo está muerto a causa del pecado; pero el Espíritu es vida a causa de la justicia. Pero si el Espíritu de aquel que levantó de los muertos a Jesús habita en vosotros, El que levantó a Cristo de entre los muertos vivificará también vuestros cuerpos mortales por su Espíritu que mora en vosotros. (romanos 8:9-11)
Through the resurrection of the spirit from the dead and the indwelling of the Spirit of God, you are no longer spiritually dead, but you have become alive to God.
And if the Spirit of God that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, then He shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit, Who dwells in you and you shall not see the death.
Although you will die physically, you shall not see the death nor enter death, but the life (John 8:51)
If there is no resurrection of the dead, why are you being baptized for the dead?
But… if it is not believed that there is a resurrection of the dead and therefore Christ is not raised from the dead, then Jesus Christ is still dead.
The whole gospel, which revolves around the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and the redemption of fallen mankind and healing mankind, who from dead enters life through regeneration, would be one big lie, because Christ would not have been risen from the dead, but would still be dead.
If Christ was not raised from the dead, your sins have not been forgiven and you are still a sinner and you are still spiritually dead because of your subjection to the death and your sins and iniquities.
If there is no resurrection of the dead, why does someone let himself or herself be baptized for the dead?
If those who are spiritually dead don’t become spiritually alive, why are they being baptized?
Why are you being baptized in Christ, who is dead and for the (espiritual) muerto, if there is no resurrection of the dead? What is the use of being baptized if the dead are not raised at all? Why would you be baptized if you, who are spiritually dead, be baptized in His death and remain buried in His death?
If there is no resurrection of the dead, why would you want to suffer and be hated and persecuted by the world during your life on earth? Why would you want to endure sorrow, if you perish after your life on earth?
Why would Paul and the others allow themselves to be constantly in danger and be persecuted because of what they preached, if it were not true? Why would they put so much effort into preaching the gospel and giving their lives for the gospel, if there would not be a resurrection of the dead (during and after the life on earth)?
Paul died daily and was persecuted because of the gospel, he preached, cual es el poder de dios. Un evangelio, which is so powerful that it makes the dead alive in Christ, both during and after the life on earth.
‘Se la sal de la tierra’
