1 Corinthians 15:30–32

Context

This passage appears in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, the letter Paul sent to the church at Corinth while staying in Ephesus. That Paul wrote from Ephesus is confirmed by 1 Corinthians 16:8. Chapter 15 as a whole addresses the resurrection. Some among the Corinthians were saying "that there is no resurrection of the dead" (15:12), and Paul works through, point by point, the consequences that would follow if this claim were true. In verses 30–32 he appeals to his own life: if there is no resurrection, the apostle's life of daily peril yields no profit. The closing words of verse 32, "let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die," quote Isaiah 22:13. Paul points out that denying the resurrection ultimately leads to this kind of hedonism.

Interpretation

• A contextual reading of "I die daily": Many commentators take this statement to mean that Paul faced threats to his life every day, in keeping with the sufferings he describes in 2 Corinthians 4:10–11 and 11:23–27. The opening of verse 31, "I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord," takes the form of an oath, underscoring that the statement is no exaggeration.
• A literal reading of "fought with beasts": This reading holds that Paul actually faced wild animals in an arena. The second-century apocryphal Acts of Paul is reported to contain a story in which Paul confronts a lion at Ephesus.
• A figurative reading: This reading takes the phrase as a metaphor comparing the opponents who harmed Paul to wild beasts. Three arguments are commonly cited in its support: Paul was a Roman citizen (Acts 22); the episode is absent from the list of sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11; and he would hardly have survived a fight with beasts. Some connect the phrase with the riot at Ephesus in Acts 19, but it is unclear whether that event took place before this letter was written.

Questions of Application

There is little significant controversy between denominations over this passage. However, "I die daily" is frequently used as a devotional motto for denying the self and putting to death the old man. Some respond that the original context refers to physical danger and a life lived in the face of martyrdom, and that the verse should therefore be distinguished from passages such as Galatians 2:20. Others, by contrast, see the two senses as connected, since both describe a life laid down for Christ.

In translation, the phrase in verse 32 rendered "after the manner of men" (KJV) is a point of discussion. It translates the Greek kata anthrōpon ("according to man") and is variously explained as "in a human way" or "for merely human purposes."

In the Korean Church

"I die daily" is often used in Korean sermons and devotional literature as a call to self-denial and dedication.

Related Passages

• Isaiah 22:13
• 1 Corinthians 15:12–20
• 2 Corinthians 4:10–11
• Psalm 44:22
• Luke 9:23