And why in fact are we being endangered every hour?
I face death every day! That is as certain, brothers, as it is that I am proud of you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If I have fought with wild animals in Ephesus from merely human motives, what do I get out of it? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
1 Corinthians 15:30-32
Why risk our lives if there is no resurrection? There is no point if all of this Christian doctrine is not for real. It is clear that Paul’s thought process has returned to the idea of our faith being useless if Christ has not been raised. He has taken some time out on the side thought he had related to Adam and Christ and the order of the resurrection in the future and then the thoughts on “all things being under his authority”. Then he returns to the pointlessness of our faith if Christ has not been raised. After his comment about ‘baptism for the dead’ he adds the comment “And why in fact are we being endangered every hour?” inferring there is a link between the thoughts. This leads a number of commentators to conclude Paul’s intention in making the comment about baptism for the dead links to option #4 in the previous gem.
(4) BEING BAPTISED WITH FIRE/OVERWHELMED BY TRIALS: Others think that the word baptized is used here as it is in the sense of being overwhelmed with calamities, trials, and sufferings; and as meaning that the apostles and others were subjected to great trials on account of the dead (the martyrs) that is, in the hope of the resurrection; or with the expectation that the dead would rise. The general argument appears to flow across these verses.
Now Paul picks up the thread again and adds AND why should we risk our lives every hour – if there is no resurrection. This is one of the strongest evidences of the truth of the resurrection – the changes that came over the disciples post resurrection clearly shows they utterly believed Christ had risen. Paul says, I face death daily. He was not exaggerating. Paul was laying his life on the line in a very real way moment by moment.
“Why should I do this?” he says. What value is there in fighting wild beasts if there is no resurrection? I might as well eat drink and be merry, that is, waste my life in ribaldry like the Corinthians do.
Take some time today to analyse what he means by wild beasts? Is it literal or figurative wild beasts? And how does Ephesus fit in? Hint: this is another portion which is the focus of much debate which we will look at tomorrow.
“God IS with us.” The promise is present tense. In other words, God is present, so don’t be tense.
Max Lucado
In God’s eyes, it is a great thing to do a little thing well.
Richard de Haan