1 Corinthians 15
1 Now I am going to make clear to you, my brothers, what the good news was which I gave to you, and which you took, and on which your faith is based,
Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel that I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2 By which you have salvation; that is to say, the form in which it was given to you, if it is fixed in your minds, and if your faith in it is not without effect.
and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the message that I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I gave to you first of all what was handed down to me, how Christ underwent death for our sins, as it says in the Writings;
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 And he was put in the place of the dead; and on the third day he came back from the dead, as it says in the Writings;
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 And he was seen by Cephas; then by the twelve;
and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the twelve.
6 Then by more than five hundred brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, but some are sleeping;
Next he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, but some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he was seen by James; then by all the Apostles.
Next he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8 And last of all, as by one whose birth was out of the right time, he was seen by me.
Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me as well.
9 For I am the least of the Apostles, having no right to be named an Apostle, because of my cruel attacks on the church of God.
For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy 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 which was given to me has not been for nothing; for I did more work than all of them; though not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
11 If then it is I who am the preacher, or they, this is our word, and to this you have given your faith.
Whether then it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you have come to believe.
12 Now if the good news says that Christ came back from the dead, how do some of you say that there is no coming back from the dead?
Now if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no coming back from the dead, then Christ has not come back from the dead:
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14 And if Christ did not come again from the dead, then our good news and your faith in it are of no effect.
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain.
15 Yes, and we are seen to be false witnesses of God; because we gave witness of God that by his power Christ came again from the dead: which is not true if there is no coming back from the dead.
We are even found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if indeed the dead are not raised.
16 For if it is not possible for the dead to come to life again, then Christ has not come to life again:
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.
17 And if that is so, your faith is of no effect; you are still in your sins.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
18 And, in addition, the dead in Christ have gone to destruction.
Furthermore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most unhappy.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But now Christ has truly come back from the dead, the first-fruits of those who are sleeping.
But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead; he has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For as by man came death, so by man there is a coming back from the dead.
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a man.
22 For as in Adam death comes to all, so in Christ will all come back to life.
For just as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.
23 But every man in his right order: Christ the first-fruits; then those who are Christ's at his coming.
But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.
24 Then comes the end, when he will give up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have put an end to all rule and to all authority and power.
Then comes the end, when he hands the kingdom over to God the Father, after he has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
25 For his rule will go on till he has put all those who are against him under his feet.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last power to come to an end is death.
The last enemy to be abolished is death.
27 For, as it says, He has put all things under his feet. But when he says, All things are put under him, it is clear that it is not said about him who put all things under him.
For God “has put everything in subjection under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything has been put in subjection,” it is evident that it does not include God himself, who put everything in subjection to Christ.
28 And when all things have been put under him, then will the Son himself be under him who put all things under him, so that God may be all in all.
Now when everything has been subjected to him, the Son himself will also be subjected to him who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Again, what will they do who are given baptism for the dead? if the dead do not come back at all, why are people given baptism for them?
Otherwise, what are people doing when they get baptized for the dead? If the dead are not actually raised, why are people getting baptized for them?
30 And why are we in danger every hour?
And why do we put ourselves in danger every hour?
31 Yes, truly, by your pride in me, my brothers in Christ Jesus our Lord, my life is one long death.
I die daily! Yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
32 If, after the way of men, I was fighting with beasts at Ephesus, what profit is it to me? If the dead do not come to life again, let us take our pleasure in feasting, for tomorrow we come to an end.
If I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what did it benefit me? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
33 Do not be tricked by false words: evil company does damage to good behaviour.
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
34 Be awake to righteousness and keep yourselves from sin; for some have no knowledge of God: I say this to put you to shame.
Come to your senses, as is right, and stop sinning. For there are some who are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.
35 But someone will say, How do the dead come back? and with what sort of body do they come?
But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”
36 Foolish man, it is necessary for the seed which you put into the earth to undergo death in order that it may come to life again:
Fool! What yoʋ sow does not come to life unless it dies.
37 And when you put it into the earth, you do not put in the body which it will be, but only the seed, of grain or some other sort of plant;
And what yoʋ sow is not the body that will be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or some other grain.
38 But God gives it a body, as it is pleasing to him, and to every seed its special body.
But God gives it a body just as he has determined, and he gives to each of the seeds its own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one flesh of men, another of beasts, another of birds, and another of fishes.
Not all flesh is the same flesh, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for fish, and another for birds.
40 And there are bodies of heaven and bodies of earth, but the glory of the one is different from that of the other.
There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of heavenly bodies is one kind, and the glory of earthly bodies is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for the glory of one star is different from that of another.
There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So is it with the coming back from the dead. It is planted in death; it comes again in life:
So it is with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, but it is raised imperishable.
43 It is planted in shame; it comes again in glory: feeble when it is planted, it comes again in power:
It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
44 It is planted a natural body; it comes again as a body of the spirit. If there is a natural body, there is equally a body of the spirit.
It is sown as a natural body; it is raised as a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is said, The first man Adam was a living soul. The last Adam is a life-giving spirit.
And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 But that which is natural comes before that which is of the spirit.
However, the spiritual body is not first, but the natural body, then the spiritual body.
47 The first man is from the earth, and of the earth: the second man is from heaven.
The first man was from the earth, made of dust; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 Those who are of the earth are like the man who was from the earth: and those who are of heaven are like the one from heaven.
As was the man made of dust, so are those made of dust; and as is the heavenly man, so are those who are heavenly.
49 And in the same way as we have taken on us the image of the man from the earth, so we will take on us the image of the one from heaven.
Just as we have borne the image of the man made of dust, let us also bear the image of the heavenly man.
50 Now I say this, my brothers, that it is not possible for flesh and blood to have a part in the kingdom of God; and death may not have a part in life.
Now I tell you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does what is perishable inherit what is imperishable.
51 See, I am giving you the revelation of a secret: we will not all come to the sleep of death, but we will all be changed.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52 In a second, in the shutting of an eye, at the sound of the last horn: for at that sound the dead will come again, free for ever from the power of death, and we will be changed.
in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet call. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53 For this body which comes to destruction will be made free from the power of death, and the man who is under the power of death will put on eternal life.
For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
54 But when this has taken place, then that which was said in the Writings will come true, Death is overcome by life.
Now when this perishable body has put on imperishability, and this mortal body has put on immortality, then this saying that is written will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is yoʋr sting? O Hades, where is yoʋr victory?” (Hadēs g86)
56 The pain 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 praise be to God who gives us strength to overcome through our Lord Jesus Christ.
But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 For this cause, my dear brothers, be strong in purpose and unmoved, ever giving yourselves to the work of the Lord, because you are certain that your work is not without effect in the Lord.
So then, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
