“If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not?”
The full verse · 1 Corinthians 15:32 · KJV
after the of I have fought with , advantageth , the ? let us ; to we .
Asked by
Paul: the apostle writing to the church at Corinth from Ephesus, where he planned to stay "until Pentecost" and where there were "many adversaries" (1 Corinthians 16:8-9)
Asked to
Corinthians: the church at Corinth, where "some among you" said "there is no resurrection of the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:12)
The Scene
Paul has just said "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31), and now he points to a time when he "fought with beasts at Ephesus."
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionPaul asks what he gained from his worst trials if there is no resurrection. The honest answer would be: nothing. Barnes is sure that "Paul refers to some real occurrence at Ephesus," a real danger he faced there. Gill mentions that some take the "beasts" figuratively, of Satan or of "men of savage dispositions, persecuting principles, and cruel practices," but he judges that the literal sense best fits Paul's argument.
Either way, the question presses the Corinthians to see where denying the resurrection leads. If the dead do not rise, the sensible thing would be to enjoy life while it lasts. Barnes sums up that outlook: "Let us eat and drink, for we have but a little time to eat and to drink in."
The Response
What Scripture recordsPaul answers by naming the only logical alternative: "let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die" (1 Corinthians 15:32). Then he warns against that way of thinking: "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not" (1 Corinthians 15:33-34). His final answer comes at the end of the chapter: "your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsPaul wrote this letter from Ephesus, where he said "a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Corinthians 16:8-9). Gill notes that the words "let us eat and drink" "seem to be taken out of" Isaiah 22:13, and Barnes says plainly that they are taken from Isaiah 22:13. There, when God called Jerusalem "to weeping, and to mourning" in a time of danger, the people answered with feasting: "let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die" (Isaiah 22:12-13). Gill says Paul quotes the words not as his own, but "as representing a libertine," showing what such a person would say.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyWhat we believe about death shapes how we live. If this life is all there is, then living for pleasure makes sense. Matthew Henry says that without the resurrection, "Christianity would be a foolish profession." But he also draws the other side: "We must not live like beasts, as we do not die like them."
God has not left that question open. Christ is risen (1 Corinthians 15:20), so Paul's suffering at Ephesus was not wasted, and neither is the work of anyone who labors "in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Look Closer
What does Paul say would be the logical motto if the dead do not rise?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, where am I living as if tomorrow ends everything, and what would change if I really believed my labour in You is not in vain?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Where do you see the "eat and drink; for to morrow we die" outlook around you, and how does it pull on you?
- Share about a hard season when knowing your work for the Lord was not in vain kept you going.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
What you believe about the end shapes what you do today. If this life were all there is, grabbing pleasure while you can would make sense. But Christ is risen, so faithfulness is never wasted.
Watch the voices you listen to. Paul warns that "evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33). Ideas that deny the resurrection can slowly reshape how you live.
This doesn't mean enjoying God's good gifts is wrong. Paul's target is a life built on "to morrow we die," not ordinary joy. He calls you to "Awake to righteousness" (1 Corinthians 15:34) because you have a future. Scripture's own application: 1 Corinthians 15:58
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?”
“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?”
“If Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?”
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”