Then Paul says that God will put all other things under his feet. IMHO, this is to say that God assumes control over everything, including his Son. I think we agree at this point, too.
We know that we are baptized into the family of God. Then Paul asks if there is no resurrection, then what is the point of baptizing the dead? And then goes on to ask why we stand in jeopardy every hour. This is where we likely diverge.
My faith is that you MUST be baptized to enter the kingdom of heaven. Maybe we agree, maybe we don't. I believe, that for someone who was born in Africa, who was never given the chance to accept Jesus Christ, a mechanism exists for him to decide to accept Jesus Christ after death.
Consider, when Jesus was crucified, "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; " (1 Peter 3:19). So, Jesus went and taught spirits in 'prison'. What's the point in that? If spirits of the dead know nothing, what's the point in teaching them?
We believe that life is a test, where we are given 'freedom to chose'. Some of us will accept Jesus, some will not. We believe that after we die, some of us may accept Jesus at that time. Because Baptism is a REQUIREMENT to enter the kingdom of heaven, this practice is something that only the living can perform.
If you lived in Africa in the 1200's; the odds of you hearing about Christianity are remote. Are you therefore damned to Hell? You could have been an outstanding, generous, kind and loving person - but because you were not Baptized, you are 'stuck'. Now, Baptismism does not spring you from 'prison'. But, if you accept Jesus after death, you can progress. After all, isn't the whole point accepting Jesus?
You can save your breath. I was baptized into membership in the LDS Church when I was eight. I was baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ when I was 45.
Your exegesis of the scripture is incorrect. Haven’t you ever asked yourself WHY the LDS is the only group that reads into Paul’s scripture concerning the resurrection the admonition to necro-dunk? You should.
(Oh, I get it. Jesus shed proxy blood on behalf of spirits in prison. But Mormons conclude, "His blood wasn't enough." So instead, Mormon proxies need to be the real saviors of mankind via proxy water & proxy Mormons).
Example #1 -- From 1974 LDS copyrighted book: "When living persons are baptized for the dead, they literally become saviors to others..."
(Don't you see? The problem we're dealing with here is that Mormons place themselves on par with Jesus re: godhood & saviorhood, calling themselves "literal...saviors")
Example #2 -- an LDS "prophet" speaking who was one of Joseph Smith's right hand men, John Taylor: ...we are the only people that know how to save our progenitors, how to save ourselves, and how to save our posterity in the celestial kingdom of God;...we in fact are the saviours of the world..." (Journal of Discourses, vol.6, p.163).
Sorry, Hodar, but "saviors of the world" are not plentiful (1 John 4:14; John 4:42)
Example #3 -- another LDS "prophet" -- this one a nephew of Joseph Smith who was talking about what LDS do with the genealogical research uncovered: "... mortals have to be saviors on Mount Zion, acting by proxy for the dead." (LDS "prophet" Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, p. 325)
Example #4 -- Taylor again: "We know something about our progenitors, and God has taught us how to be saviors for them by being baptized for them in the flesh, that they may live according to God in the Spirit." (LDS "prophet" John Taylor, March 20,1870, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 14, 3/20/1870)
Example #5 -- the Mormon "why" of genealogy: "We have a great work before us in the redemption of our dead....There are fifty thousand millions of people in the spirit world...Those persons may receive their testimony, but they cannot be baptized in the spirit world, for somebody on earth must perform this ordinance for them in the flesh before they can receive part in the first resurrection and be worthy of eternal life." (LDS "prophet" Wilford Woodruff, JoD, Vol. 22, p. 234)
So you get to heaven based upon your own "Boy Scout merit badges?" -- your own "outstandingness..?"
...your own generosity..?
...your own kindness..?
...your own lovingness..?
What do you do then with Biblical passages like Eph. 2:8-9?
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and THIS IS NOT FROM YOURSELVES, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
So, repeat 1,000 times over the next week: "Salvation is not from myself or my works -- or else I could boast in me."
If you lived in Africa in the 1200's; the odds of you hearing about Christianity are remote.
However "remote" that is...times it by about a 999 trillion to 1 that lds are going to "stumble" across any significant # of genealogical records in Africa from the 1200s. What? Do you think there's some dormant computer records lying somewhere around that continent?
That so-called "mechanism" you place a false faith in -- in reality doesn't exist for 99% of Africans who lived before a certain modern-day date. Now while that exact "modern-day date" might be a bit debateable -- it's not debateable that there's nowhere to find birthdate/ death date info on just about all of those Africans.
You've bitten into the deceptive lie of "fairness." (If this is your standard of fairness, please tell us what exactly is "fair" about automatically excluding almost 100% of anybody born in the primitive era -- "primitive" being a little relative year-wise depending upon which isolated parts of the world we're discussing.)
Listen, if you're dead and if you're in the Mormon spirit prison, & you hear the "rumors" on spirit death row that outer darkness awaits you, what you think? They know nothing? I'll tell you one they know if the Mormon version of this is true, they would know that if ANYBODY showed up offering an alternative to outer darkness & spirit prison, they'd take this "get out of jail" card quite readily -- probably 100% of them would.
Yet you talk as if they wouldn't readily take this "spring" from spirit prison. (Yeah, right) So tell, me, if you were in spirit prison & couldn't get out -- and you knew outer darkness might await you, would that really be faith to say "yes" when you knew the release man arrived? (No)
So, instead, let's look @ what Jesus had to say about this re: the rich man in hell:
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you CANNOT, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house,
for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
"'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" (Luke 16:23-31)
Listen, the Book of Mormon was said by Smith to be the "fulness of the everlasting gospel" (D&C 20:8-9; 27:5; 35:12,17). Yet there's nothing in there about baptizing dead folks, proxy baptisms, etc.
Therefore, either Smith lied about it being the fulness of the everlasting gospel," or it's NOT part of the gospel to begin with!