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Publishing:
The
PLAIN TRUTH
II
M4gt1ZjM
of
UND.IIJlSTANDING
Dear Friend:
The
WORLD TOMORROW
A
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Proclaiau to the World th*
GooD NEWS 01' THll
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Many continue to ask the question, ''What is 'Baptism
for the Dead'?"
The practice of being baptized for unconverted
rrienda is widely taught by one particular denomination.
This. custom is rounded on their mis:tnterpretation of
I Corinthians 15:29.
The inspired New· Testament Church did NOT practice
this custom! The Apostle Paul did not teach it! The custom
was introduced into the professing Christian world about
150 A.D. by the heretic Marcion.
Notice! Before a person may be baptized, he must
first REPENT (Acts
2:38)
and BELIEVE (Mark 16:16 and Acts
16:31,33). The dead are not able to repent or believe.
The dead are dead -- "for the living know that they shall
die; BUT THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANYTHING ... " (Eccl. 9:5).
The dead have no hope until the resurrection! BAPTISM IS
FOR THE LIVING. Baptism is a symbol whereby THE LIVING
acknowledge their sins, figuratively die with Christ
1n
a
watery grave., and rise out of the watery grave in hope of a
NEW LIFE through the merits . of Christ and the promise of the
Holy Spirit (Rom.
6:4).
Baptism is also a symbol
or
THE RESURRECTION! TO
RISE UP out of the watery grave is to acknowledge belier
IN THE RESURRECTION of the dead (Rom. 6). To surrender one's
life to Christ now, to crucify the self now, to be baptized
-- all this is foolish unless there is a RESURRECTION --
if the dead are not raised, "... let us eat and drink;
for to morrow we die" (I Cor. 15:32).
Now we are ready to understand verse 29. The subject
of the entire 15th chapter of I Corinthians is the RESURRECTION.
As one proof of the resurre_gtion, Paul cites the example of
those who were baptized, symbolizing their hope
in
the resur–
rection. The resurrection is THE HOPE OF THE DEAD. Why were
they baptized if the dead rise not? is Paul's question. But
the verse is NOT CORRECTLY translated from the original
inspired Greek!