<p>15:18 <i>And therefore also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished</i>- The reference may primarily be to those who had seen the risen Lord but had now &quot;fallen asleep&quot; in death (:6). Paul sees no other form of salvation apart from sharing in the bodily resurrection of Christ; for baptism into Him means that His resurrection shall ultimately be ours (Rom. 6:3-5). Paul simply would not have reasoned this way if he believed in an immortal soul going to eternity at death. Without the hope of bodily resurrection which is predicated upon the Lord's resurrection, then we have &quot;perished&quot;. The Lord Himself had promised that those in Him would not &quot;perish&quot; s.w. but should be raised up again at the last day (Jn. 6:39). Indeed John's Gospel several times uses this word for &quot;perish&quot; in the context of the Lord promising eternal life instead of 'perishing'. The articulation of that eternal life will be through the resurrection of the body, Paul is arguing. And that in turn is predicated upon the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus, to which we are connected by faith and baptism into it.</p>