1 Corinthians 15
1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, and in which you stand firm.
And so I make known to you, brothers, the Gospel that I preached to you, which you also received, and on which you stand.
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
By the Gospel, too, you are being saved, if you hold to the understanding that I preached to you, lest you believe in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
For I handed on to you, first of all, what I also received: that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures;
4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
and that he was buried; and that he rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures;
5 and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.
and that he was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven.
6 After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
Next he was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, many of whom remain, even to the present time, although some have fallen asleep.
7 Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Next, he was seen by James, then by all the Apostles.
8 And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth.
And last of all, he was seen also by me, as if I were someone born at the wrong time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
For I am the least of the Apostles. I am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
But, by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace in me has not been empty, since I have labored more abundantly than all of them. Yet it is not I, but the grace of God within me.
11 Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
For whether it is I or they: so we preach, and so you have believed.
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
Now if Christ is preached, that he rose again from the dead, how is it that some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.
And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is useless, and your faith is also useless.
15 In that case, we are also exposed as false witnesses about God. For we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead, but He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised.
Then, too, we would be found to be false witnesses of God, because we would have given testimony against God, saying that he had raised up Christ, when he had not raised him up, if, indeed, the dead do not rise again.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised.
For if the dead do not rise again, then neither has Christ risen again.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
But if Christ has not risen, then your faith is vain; for you would still be in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
Then, too, those who have fallen asleep in Christ would have perished.
19 If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men.
If we have hope in Christ for this life only, then we are more miserable than all men.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
But now Christ has risen again from the dead, as the first-fruits of those who sleep.
21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
For certainly, death came through a man. And so, the resurrection of the dead came through a man
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
And just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be brought to life,
23 But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.
but each one in his proper order: Christ, as the first-fruits, and next, those who are of Christ, who have believed in his advent.
24 Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power.
Afterwards is the end, when he will have handed over the kingdom to God the Father, when he will have emptied all principality, and authority, and power.
25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
For it is necessary for him to reign, until he has set all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Lastly, the enemy called death shall be destroyed. For he has subjected all things under his feet. And although he says,
27 For “God has put everything under His feet.” Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him.
“All things have been subjected to him,” without doubt he does not include the One who has subjected all things to him.
28 And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.
And when all things will have been subjected to him, then even the Son himself will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.
29 If these things are not so, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?
Otherwise, what will those who are being baptized for the dead do, if the dead do not rise again at all? Why then are they being baptized for them?
30 And why do we endanger ourselves every hour?
Why also do we endure trials every hour?
31 I face death every day, brothers, as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Daily I die, by means of your boasting, brothers: you whom I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
If, according to man, I fought with the beasts at Ephesus, how would that benefit me, if the dead do not rise again? “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die.”
33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Do not be led astray. Evil communication corrupts good morals.
34 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.
Be vigilant, you just ones, and do not be willing to sin. For certain persons have an ignorance of God. I say this to you with respect.
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”
But someone may say, “How do the dead rise again?” or, “What type of body do they return with?”
36 You fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
How foolish! What you sow cannot be brought back to life, unless it first dies.
37 And what you sow is not the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else.
And what you sow is not the body that will be in the future, but a bare grain, such as of wheat, or of some other grain.
38 But God gives it a body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.
For God gives it a body according to his will, and according to each seed’s proper body.
39 Not all flesh is the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another, and fish another.
Not all flesh is the same flesh. But one is indeed of men, another truly is of beasts, another is of birds, and another is of fish.
40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is of one degree, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is of another.
Also, there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But while the one, certainly, has the glory of heaven, the other has the glory of earth.
41 The sun has one degree of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
One has the brightness of the sun, another the brightness of the moon, and another the brightness of the stars. For even star differs from star in brightness.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable.
So it is also with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown in corruption shall rise to incorruption.
43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
What is sown in dishonor shall rise to glory. What is sown in weakness shall rise to power.
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
What is sown with an animal body shall rise with a spiritual body. If there is an animal body, there is also a spiritual one.
45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
Just as it was written that the first man, Adam, was made with a living soul, so shall the last Adam be made with a spirit brought back to life.
46 The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual.
So what is, at first, not spiritual, but animal, next becomes spiritual.
47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.
The first man, being earthly, was of the earth; the second man, being heavenly, will be of heaven.
48 As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.
Such things as are like the earth are earthly; and such things as are like the heavens are heavenly.
49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man.
And so, just as we have carried the image of what is earthly, let us also carry the image of what is heavenly.
50 Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Now I say this, brothers, because flesh and blood is not able to possess the kingdom of God; neither will what is corrupt possess what is incorrupt.
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
Behold, I tell you a mystery. Certainly, we shall all rise again, but we shall not all be transformed:
52 in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise up, incorruptible. And we shall be transformed.
53 For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
Thus, it is necessary for this corruptibility to be clothed with incorruptibility, and for this mortality to be clothed with immortality.
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
And when this mortality has been clothed with immortality, then the word that was written shall occur: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (Hadēs g86)
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
But thanks be to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
And so, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and unmovable, abounding always in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not useless in the Lord.
