Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Corinthians 15:30

"Why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour?" — 1 Corinthians 15:30 (ASV)

Another argument for the resurrection is that if it is not true, then suffering and hardship for the sake of Christ are useless. By “endangering ourselves every hour,” Paul seems to be alluding to peril looming up in his ministry in Ephesus (cf. Acts 19; 2 Corinthians 1:3–10), where he was when he wrote this letter. He is in danger of death every day (v.31). He seals this assertion with the oath that this is as true as the fact that he glories over them and over their union with Christ.

Paul’s reference to fighting with wild beasts in Ephesus (v.32) may be taken literally or figuratively. But since from Ac 19 we see no evidence of such punishment and since it was questionable whether a Roman citizen would be subjected to such treatment, it is best to take the words metaphorically—the human enemies he fought with at Ephesus were like wild beasts. Paul’s main point is: why go through all this suffering if there is no hope of resurrection? To prove his point, he first quotes Isa 22:13 (possibly for the benefit of the Jewish believers at Corinth). Without eternal hope through the resurrection, people have nothing to turn to but gratification of their appetites.