He begins by quoting the words of David in Psalm 8:6 in reference to Christ, "For He 'has put everything under His feet.'" (1 Corinthians 15:27a) Paul says, "God the Father has put everything under the feet of God the Son." God the Son lived a perfect life, thereby conquering the world and all the sin in it. God the Son rose from the dead, thereby conquering death and the grave. It's natural that all things involving this world would be placed under the feet of the One who won the victory over everything that mankind struggles with.
But this does not mean that God the Father is under the feet of the Son. In saying that all things are under the feet of Christ, the Scriptures are not saying that God Himself submits to Christ. God retains His throne and His authority. "Now when it says that 'everything' has been put under Him, it is clear that this does not include God Himself, who put everything under Christ. When He has done this, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put everything under Him, so that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:27b-28)
Paul is not saying that God the Son is less than God the Father, but that the proper order of things will be observed. When a father sent his grown son out on business in the ancient world, the son was considered equal to the father. The son was granted the same authority as the father and the son was treated with the same respect as the father. So in no way is Paul saying that Christ is not equal to God the Father, but in Paul's day the father was the leader and patriarch of the family even after his children were grown. As long as the father lived, his children submitted to his authority as the leader of the family, even if these children were parents or grandparents themselves. Since God the Father always lives, He will always be the leader of the family. Christ is not unequal to the Father any more than a grown son is unequal to his father. But the Father/Son relationship between God and Christ will remain forever, and because of this Christ will recognize the Father as the head of the family.
Paul now circles back around to the subject of resurrection. "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 (1 Corinthians 15:29) There are no known written historical references to Christians being baptized for the sake of those who have already died. It could be that some of the people of Corinth were engaging in a strange ritual like this, but I can't imagine that Paul would have approved of it or that he would have felt it provided any benefit to anyone. For example: My parents are both dead, but it would be pointless for me to be baptized in their names. Such a baptism would not have the power to save my soul or to change the destiny of their souls.
Theologians and scholars have long debated the meaning of verse 29 and have come to no clear conclusion as to what exactly was going on at Corinth regarding such a baptism. The only type of baptism we can be certain was taking place in Corinth was the baptism that was done in the name of Christ, and that lets us break it down into what I believe is a very logical point. If there is no resurrection, why are we baptized in the name of Christ? If Christ has not been raised, how can we be sure He is the Son of God? And if He is not the Son of God, how can He save us from our sins? If Christ did not rise from the dead as He said He would, then we might as well be baptized in the name of our next door neighbor. In fact, if Christ did not rise from the dead, why be baptized at all? If He didn't do what He said He would do, then He isn't who He says He is, and He does not have the power to cleanse us from our sins.
The apostle makes another very logical point. "And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I face death every day---yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts at Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.'" (1 Corinthians 15:30-32) Paul asks, "If there is no resurrection, then why do I and the other apostles risk our lives preaching the resurrection of Christ? We'd have to be insane to preach such a message if it wasn't true!"
Paul quotes Isaiah 22:13 in verse 32 above. The prophet Isaiah was speaking by the authority of the Lord to an unrepentant nation. The Lord was calling the nation to turn back to Him, but instead many of the citizens were living like there was no tomorrow. They were living as if this life is all there is, saying, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" And if Christ did not rise from the dead, we might as well live like there is no tomorrow, because there isn't. What hope do we really have if this life is all there is? Does our behavior actually matter? What would be the point of denying ourselves anything? Just think how hateful and selfish it would make us if we thought we had to grasp everything we could in this life, even if it belonged to someone else, just so we could enjoy the few miserable years we get to spend on this planet. But Christ did rise from the dead, and what we do on this earth does matter, and there is an eternal significance to everything. Hundreds of witnesses saw and interacted with the risen Christ. The disciples, who were hiding behind locked doors following the crucifixion, boldly risked their lives to proclaim the truth of the resurrection. Paul asks, "What more proof do you need? Why would we stand in jeopardy every day of our lives for a lie? Some of the apostles have already been martyred for the faith, yet this didn't drive any of us underground. Instead we proclaim even more boldly that Christ is risen, and that this life is not all there is, and that the way we conduct our lives really matters, and that repentance for sins and faith in Christ is necessary for the salvation of souls. Jesus of Nazareth is alive and well!"
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