Hey everybody, welcome to the Daily I Am Vince Miller right here. We just took about a few verses at a time. We're in the book of first Corinthians. We're moving to an Old Testament book, the book of Hosea.
Hosea forces us to confront whether we love God or just kind of use him. This means it's time to get your next scripture journal from our website. If you are a partner with us in Project 23, giving $35 a month or more, we have already sent one of these to you in the mail. Look for it in your mailbox today.
And without only give a shout out to Tom Vigorito from Sun City West, Arizona. Thank you, Tom, so much for your partnership in Project 23. We can't do this without guys like you. Our text today is 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
I'm reading verses 29 through 34. Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? Why are we in danger every hour?
I protest brothers by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus, our Lord. I die every day. What do I gain if humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus. If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.
Do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals. Wake up from your drunken stupor as is right. And do not go on sinning.
For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. So in this section Paul demonstrates how theological error produces moral distortion in our life because if there is no resurrection, why risk anything for the gospel? Why be baptized at all?
Why face danger for preaching? Why endure even persecution from opposing forces? And by the way, when Paul mentions being baptized on behalf of the dead, he's not endorsing the practice. Okay.
He is just exposing their inconsistency. Why participate in a ritual that assumes life beyond death if no resurrection exists? And he also references a little bit of his own suffering fighting with a beast at Ephesus. Now you could think of this as literal combat in a collet-seum or fierce opposition that Paul had in that collet-seum if you could turn back a few books.
But the point stands, why endure deadly hostility if the grave is final? Why even bother? I mean, if the dead are not raised, the logic is pretty straightforward, isn't it? He says it right here.
Let us eat and drink for tomorrow. We die. In other words, party it up. And that's not just like an ancient philosophy.
It's kind of a modern philosophy. I mean, if death is the end, then pleasure is the highest good. You see, Paul's theology doesn't just stay theoretical. It is absorbed into the mind and then expressed through how we live our behavior.
That is why Paul says here at the end, wake up from your drunken stupor as is right and do not go on sinning. So not this resurrection denial had numbed their thinking and dulled their obedience because you see theological drift produced moral drift. Theological drift always produces moral drift. I mean, if your behavior as of late has been drifting a little bit towards sin, it may be time to sober up your thinking about Jesus, his life, his death, and his bodily resurrection.
The risen Lord is coming again and eternity, my friend, is not theoretical. So sober up. God, may we sober up today about our obedience, sober up about this life, sober up about your resurrection. We pray this in your name and your resurrection.
Amen. Love you guys. See you right back here again tomorrow.