Passage
Since what shall the baptised for the dead do if [those that are] dead rise not at all? why also are they baptised for them?
1 Corinthians 15:29 (DBY)
Nearby Context
1 Corinthians 15:27 For he has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he says that all things are put in subjection, [it is] evident that [it is] except him who put all things in subjection to him.
1 Corinthians 15:28 But when all things shall have been brought into subjection to him, then the Son also himself shall be placed in subjection to him who put all things in subjection to him, that God may be all in all.)
1 Corinthians 15:29 Since what shall the baptised for the dead do if [those that are] dead rise not at all? why also are they baptised for them?
1 Corinthians 15:30 Why do *we* also endanger ourselves every hour?
1 Corinthians 15:31 Daily I die, by your boasting which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "since", "shall", "baptised", "dead", and "rise". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "since" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 28's "But when all things shall have been..." into verse 30's "Why do we also endanger ourselves every...", so "since" and "shall" belong inside that flow. In 1 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "since" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.