The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:29: “Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead?” What does this mean?
One writer stated over 40 interpretations exist. Mormons practice baptism by proxy. That is, a living person is baptized in place of one who is dead. They even have done proxy baptisms for many dead U.S. Presidents. The idea is predicated on the notion that baptism is necessary for salvation and can be accessed post-mortem by proxy. This contradicts Scripture everywhere, which declares that salvation is received by grace alone through faith alone (Rom 3:21-24; Rom 4:3; Eph 2:8-9; 1 Pet 3:21, etc.).
Martin Luther believed it meant being baptized over the graves of deceased saints. John Calvin believed it referred to those who were as good as dead with a terminal illness. Most ancient church fathers believed it referred to the baptism of a living person for a professing believer who had died suddenly before receiving baptism….
