Awake to Righteousness

Read aloud

Paul asks why people are baptized for the dead if the dead are not raised. He does not explain who these people are or exactly what they do. His question exposes a contradiction: an action concerned with the dead makes little sense if there is no resurrection. This brief reference does not instruct the church to perform baptisms on behalf of dead people.

Paul then points to his own life. Why does he face danger every hour? Why endure the opposition he describes as fighting wild beasts in Ephesus? Whatever the precise circumstances behind that description, his argument is clear. Without resurrection, he would gain nothing from risking his life for the gospel.

He quotes the bleak conclusion: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” If death ends everything, present pleasure can seem the only thing worth pursuing. But Christ has been raised. Paul has good reason to keep serving Him even when that service is dangerous.

The Corinthians must also consider whom they are listening to. “Bad company corrupts good character.” Denying the resurrection is affecting how people live. Paul tells them to sober up and stop sinning, adding that some are ignorant of God. His words are meant to shame a church that has allowed such ignorance to remain among them.

The risen Lord calls His people to more than winning a debate about the future. Knowing Him changes their loyalties now: which voices they trust, which sins they refuse and what they are willing to suffer for His sake.