Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? (1 Corinthians 15:29)

I almost skipped this verse.

Seriously. This is one of the most head-scratchiest passages in all of scripture, and I am thoroughly unequipped to handle it. Let me remind you that I am no biblical scholar. I am just a Michael, armed with internet commentaries and my trusty NIV Study Bible. And the collective wisdom of those with eversomuchmore knowledge than I have come to a consistent conclusion:

We don’t know what this passage means.

So I guess you could say that I have come to the same conclusion as the most renowned biblical scholars. 

Here’s what I am confident in:

1. Paul says “those” about the people who are baptizing for the dead. In other words, it’s not something he was doing or prescribing. It was something done by others, to whom Paul did not belong.
2. Baptism is a sign of our salvation, not a means to it. Whatever these folks were doing, it was not going to result in the resurrection of the dead. Sorry my LDS friends, but that runs contrary to pretty much all  of scripture.
3. Paul’s focus in this chapter is resurrection, not baptism. In the following verses he will talk about all that he has done and suffered because he believes in the resurrection of the dead. So this verse may be just another example of things people do because they believe strongly that the dead will be raised.
4. Paul mentions this practice in passing. If it were some massive heretical practice corrupting the Church, we can bet that Paul would have confronted it head on. We’ve certainly seen him do that in other places, haven’t we?

Beloved, this side of Glory there’s just no way of knowing what Paul meant in this verse. It’s OK to wonder, to speculate, to research. But don’t put too much weight in what you think Paul meant. If it were essential to our faith, God would have made it clear and backed it up with other scripture. As for me, there’s plenty of crystal clear scripture that I am not yet living up to. I have no problem leaving this verse on the shelf for a while longer.

Happy Monday, Beloved