{"id":55127,"date":"2008-10-10T21:31:00","date_gmt":"2008-10-11T02:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=55127"},"modified":"2022-10-10T21:34:06","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T02:34:06","slug":"baptism-for-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/baptism-for-the-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Baptism for the Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Joe R. Price\n

Mormons contend that the New Testament church practiced baptism for (on behalf of, in the place of) the dead.\u00a0 Their attempted justification of this hinges, in part, on an understanding of I Corinthians 15:29.\u00a0 However, their defense of baptism for dead people goes beyond that.\u00a0 They affirm that after death one still possesses the ability to choose right and wrong.\u00a0 To them, baptism for a dead person provides that person with the opportunity to choose whether they will accept its benefits and “progress to the celestial kingdom” (Mormon terminology for eternal life).\u00a0 This is clearly against the meaning of Hebrews 9:27 and Luke 16:25-26.<\/p>\n

We should allow plain passages of Scripture to help explain the more difficult ones.\u00a0 While I Corinthians 15:29 admittedly presents certain challenges of interpretation, the meaning of the passage is within our reach.\u00a0 While establishing the truth of resurrection from the dead, the apostle offers a motive for baptism that is nullified if there is no resurrection from the dead.\u00a0 That motive (for being baptized of which Paul speaks) is the death of saints who willingly give their lives for their faith.\u00a0 Stephen comes to mind, as do other Christians who died at the hand of their persecutors (Acts 7:57-60; 26:10; Revelation 2:13).\u00a0 Their deaths helped motivate others to be baptized into Christ.\u00a0 Paul’s point is this:\u00a0 “if the dead are not raised, why then are they baptized for them?<\/em>”\u00a0 If there is no resurrection, to be baptized only to experience martyrdom without future hope of life is indeed futile and foolish (I Corinthians 15:17-19).<\/p>\n

The word translated “for” in I Corinthians 15:29 is the preposition\u00a0huper<\/em>, and can mean “on account of” (example can be found in Acts 15:26; Romans 1:5).\u00a0 Notice that Paul makes ascending application in his remarks:\u00a0 “they” (I Corinthians 15:29), “we” (I Corinthians 15:30) and “I” (I Corinthians 15:31-32).\u00a0 His summary is that “if the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die<\/em>” (I Corinthians 15:32).\u00a0 To conclude that “baptism for the dead” in I Corinthians 15:29 can only be proxy baptism fails to consider the circumstances that give context and explanation to Paul’s statement.<\/p>\n

There is another reason to conclude Paul is not advocating the practice of baptism in the place of the dead. The New Testament teaches there is only “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).\u00a0 Mormonism has added another baptism to the great commission baptism commanded by Jesus (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15-16).\u00a0 When we compare LDS baptism for the dead with the great commission baptism, it becomes apparent that LDS baptism for the dead is the result of human additions to the word of God.<\/p>\n

Please note these differences between the baptism preached by Christ’s first-century apostles and the one preached by the 21st-century Mormon apostles:<\/p>\n