1 Corinthians 15
1 Now, my fellow believers, I want to remind you about the message about Christ that I preached to you. It is the message that you received and that you have continued to trust firmly.
Now, brothers, I want to add information to the Gospel that I proclaimed to you, that you also received, and in which you stand;
2 If you keep on firmly [believing] this message that I preached to you, you will be saved {[God] will save you}. If you do not continue to believe it, your believing [in Christ] was (all for nothing/useless)!
through which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word that I proclaimed to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 The most important part of the message that I received [from the Lord Jesus], and that I told you, was this: Christ died to [take away the guilt] of our sins, as the Scriptures [said that he would do].
Because I transmitted to you at first that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 His [dead body] was buried {They buried his [body]}. On the third day [after that], [God] caused him to become alive again, as the Scriptures [said would happen].
and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 After that, [Christ] was seen by {appeared to} Peter. Then he appeared to [eleven of] the [original] twelve [apostles].
and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve.
6 Later he was seen by {appeared to} more than 500 of our fellow believers. Most of those are still living, but some of them have died [EUP].
After that He was seen by over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, while some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he was seen by {appeared [to]} [his younger brother] James, [who became the leader of the congregation in Jerusalem]. Then he appeared to all of the apostles.
After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8 Finally, he was seen by {appeared to} me, but I became an apostle in a way that was very unusual [MET].
And last of all He was seen by me also, like one born out of season.
9 The fact is, I [consider that I] am the least important of the apostles. I do not deserve to be an apostle, because I (persecuted God’s groups of believers/caused God’s groups of believers to suffer) [everywhere I went].
For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.
10 But it is because God acted kindly toward me in ways that I did not deserve that I became what I am now. And his acting kindly toward me produced a great result [LIT], which is that I worked harder [for Christ] than all the other apostles. But it was not that I [was working with my own ability]. Instead, God was helping me in a way I did not deserve.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me has not been in vain; in fact, I have worked harder than all of them—well, not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
11 So it does not matter whether it was I [who was preaching or whether it was the other apostles who were preaching]. We all preached [the same message], and that message is what you believed.
So whether it was I or they, thus we preached and thus you believed.
12 So now [let me ask you this]: Since [we] have all preached to you that Christ was raised again {that [God] caused Christ to become alive} after he died, (no one among you should be saying that [God] will not cause [believers] to become alive again after they die!/why do some of you say that [God] will not cause [believers] to become alive again after they die?) [RHQ]
Now if Christ is being proclaimed as having been raised from among the dead, how can some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 If [it is true that God] will not cause anyone to become alive again, that situation would mean that Christ was not raised from the dead {[he] did not cause Christ to become alive again}!
If there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised.
14 And if Christ was not raised from the dead {if [God] did not cause Christ to become alive again}, then what we preached to you was useless, and your believing [in Christ] is useless.
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is empty, and so is your faith!
15 [If it is true that] no one will be raised from the dead {[that God] will not cause anyone to become alive again after he dies}, we [(exc)] have been guilty of lying to you about God, because we told you that God caused Christ to become alive again.
Further, we are even discovered to be false witnesses of God, because we have testified about God that He raised the Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.
16 But if it were really true that no one who has died will be raised {that [God will] not cause anyone who has died to become alive} again, then Christ was not raised {[he] did not cause Christ to become alive} again either!
For if no dead are raised, neither has Christ been raised.
17 If it were true that Christ was not raised {that [God] did not cause Christ to become alive} again after he died, you have believed in Christ for nothing, [because] God will still [punish] you for [MTY] your sins.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins.
18 And those people who died [EUP] [while they were trusting] in Christ will go to hell. (questioned)
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
19 In this life [many of us have suffered much for Christ] because we confidently expect [that he will reward us in heaven]. If we have confidently expected this in vain, people should pity us more than they pity anyone else!
If it is only for this life that we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable.
20 But [the truth is that] Christ has been raised from the dead {that [God] has caused Christ to live again after he had died}, and (that guarantees/because of that, it is certain) [MET] that he will also cause those [believers] who have died [EUP] to become alive again.
But indeed, Christ has been raised from the dead; He became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 What one man, [Adam, did affects us all]. We all die. Similarly, what one man—[Christ]—did [affects us(inc) all]: God will cause [all believers] to become alive again.
For since death came through a man, resurrection of the dead also came through a man.
22 Because of what Adam did, all [of us who are descended] from him die. Similarly, because of what [Christ did], all of us who have a close relationship with him will be brought back to life {[God] will make alive all of us who have a close relationship with Christ}.
For as all in Adam are dying, so also all in the Christ will be made alive.
23 But we must all take our turn. [God raised] Christ first [MET]. And when Christ returns, [God will cause] those who belong to Christ to become alive again.
But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then those who belong to Christ at His coming;
24 Then, after Christ has destroyed all [DOU] the evil powers that oppose God, [the world] will end. Then Christ will give to God, his Father, his kingdom to completely rule over it.
then the end, when He hands over the Kingdom to the God and Father, whenever He puts an end to every ruler and all authority and power.
25 You must realize that Christ must rule [here on earth] until he has completely defeated [MTY] all his enemies.
Because it is necessary that He reign until He has put all the enemies under His feet.
26 The last thing that [he] will get rid of is death. [But he certainly will get rid of death, which is like] an enemy [to us].
The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
27 [In the Scriptures the Psalmist wrote that] God will cause everything to be under Christ’s [authority] [MTY]. But it is clear that the word ‘everything’ here does not include God, because God is the one who will cause everything to be under Christ’s [authority] [MTY].
For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when it says that all things have been subordinated, it is obvious that He who put all things under Him is excepted.
28 After everything is put under [the authority of] God’s Son, then Christ will put himself completely under [the authority of] God, the one who gave him that authority. Then God will be completely in control of everything [IDM], everywhere.
Now whenever all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
29 [Now think about this: Some among you] are being baptized (OR, are baptizing people) on behalf of those who died [before someone baptized them] (OR, who died [before they became believers]). If, [as some people say, believers] will not be raised [from the dead] {[God] will not cause [believers] to become alive again}, (what is the value in those people doing that?/there is no value in those people doing that!) [RHQ] If [God] will not cause any [believers] to become alive again, it is senseless to be baptized {baptize anyone} on behalf of someone who has died. [RHQ]
Otherwise, what will they do who are being baptized in place of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, just why are they being baptized in the place of the dead?
30 Furthermore, [if God will not cause us believers to become alive again], it is [RHQ] very foolish for me and the other apostles to be constantly [putting ourselves] in danger [because we tell people the gospel].
And why do we face danger every hour?
31 My fellow believers, every day I [am in danger of] being killed {people killing me}! That is as true as it is that I am pleased with you because of your close relationship with Christ Jesus our Lord.
I die every day—so I affirm by the boasting about you that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
32 [If God will not cause us believers to become alive again after we die], (I will receive no benefit at all [from having opposed those who attacked me so strongly] in Ephesus [city]./what will I gain [from having opposed those who attacked me so strongly] in Ephesus [city]?) [RHQ] They were [fighting me like] wild beasts! If we [believers] will not be raised [from the dead] {If [God] will not cause us [believers] to live again}, we might as well say [as people often say]: “Tomorrow we are going to die, so we might as well enjoy now everything that we can. We might as well feast and get drunk!”
If I fought human ‘animals’ in Ephesus, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
33 Do not let [yourselves be deceived by those who say that God will not cause believers to live again] {Do not let [people who say that God will not cause believers to live again] deceive you}. If you associate with evil people [who say such things], they will (influence you to do evil things/destroy your good moral way of living).
Stop kidding yourselves: evil associations corrupt good habits.
34 Start thinking correctly again [about these matters], as you should, and [stop your sinful behavior which has resulted from] your wrong thinking. [I say that] because [it seems that] some among you do not know God, and as a result they [are thinking wrongly]. I say that to make you ashamed.
Sober up righteously, and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
35 But some of you are asking, “How will dead people be raised {How will [God] cause dead people to become alive} again? What kind of bodies will they have?”
But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”
36 [Anyone who asks such questions is] foolish. You [know that] a seed that is planted in the ground must completely change its form [MET] before it sprouts.
Ignorant, what you plant is not brought to life unless it dies.
37 A seed, such as a wheat seed, is very different from the plant that sprouts from it.
And what you plant is a bare seed (perhaps of wheat or some one of the others); you do not plant the body that it will become.
38 God gives everything that lives the form that he desires. He gives each seed its own form.
But God gives it a body just as He determined, to each of the seeds its own body.
39 [Similarly], people, animals, birds, and fish all have flesh, but each one has a different kind of flesh.
All flesh is not the same flesh: that of humans is one kind, and the flesh of animals is another, that of fish is another, that of birds is yet another.
40 Also, there are angelic beings in heaven (OR, stars and planets in the sky), and there are people with bodies on the earth. The angelic beings (OR, stars and planets) are beautiful in one way, and people on earth are beautiful in a different way.
There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the heavenly is one, while that of the earthly is another.
41 The sun is bright in one way, and the moon is bright in a different way, and the stars are bright in a different way. And even the various stars are different from each other in how bright they are.
There is one splendor of the sun, another splendor of the moon, and another splendor of the stars; and star differs from star in brightness.
42 And it is the same way [with our bodies. The bodies that we will have when God causes us] to live again after we die [will not be the same as the bodies that we have now] [MET]. [The bodies that we have now] will die and decay. [The new bodies that we will have] will never die.
The resurrection of the dead is like that: the body is ‘planted’ in deterioration and it is raised in incorruptibility;
43 We despise [the bodies that we have now], before we die. But our [new bodies] will be glorious. The [bodies that we have before we die] are weak. But our new bodies will be strong.
it is ‘planted’ in dishonor and it is raised in glory; it is ‘planted’ in weakness and it is raised in power;
44 The bodies that we have before we die are natural bodies. But [our new bodies] will be ones that [God’s] Spirit ([controls/gives us]). Just like there are natural bodies, there are bodies that [God’s] Spirit [completely] controls (OR, makes alive).
it is ‘planted’ a natural body and it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body.
45 [In the Scriptures] it is written {we read} that [when] the first man, Adam, [was created], he became a living human being. [Christ later also became a human being]. But [he is different from Adam, because he] became a person who gives us [spiritual] life.
So also it is written: “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 But our bodies that God’s Spirit (will completely control/will give us) are not the first bodies that we have. We have our natural bodies first.
However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual.
47 The first man, [Adam], was created {[God] created the first man, Adam} from the dust of the earth. But [Christ], the one who came later, came from heaven.
The first man was of the earth, of soil; the second man was the Lord from heaven.
48 Everyone on earth [has a body] like the first man on the earth had. And in heaven, [everyone will have a body like Christ], the man who came from heaven, has.
As was the earth-man, just so are the earth-people; and as was the heaven-man, just so are the heaven-people.
49 And just like [God] gave us bodies like the first man on earth had, so we [believers will have bodies] like [Christ] has, who is now in heaven.
And just as we have borne the image of the earth-man, we should also bear the image of the heaven-man.
50 My fellow believers, I want you to know that we [(inc)] [SYN] cannot go [to heaven, where] God rules [over everything], with our physical bodies, because our bodies [cannot last forever]. They will die and decay.
Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither will deterioration inherit incorruptibility.
51 But I will tell you something that [God] has not revealed [before]: [Some of] us [believers] will not die [EUP]. However, all of us will be changed {[God] will change all of us}.
And now, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed
52 [It will happen] suddenly, as [fast as someone can] blink his eye [MET], when [we hear the sound of God’s] trumpet for the last time. When we hear that trumpet, all [the believers] who have died will come back to life and will have bodies that are changed {that [God] has changed}, bodies that will never decay.
—in a split second, in an eye twinkle, at the last trumpet—the trumpet will blast and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.
53 And the [bodies of us who are alive at that time] will [also] be changed {And [God] will [also] change the [bodies of us who are alive at that time]}. These bodies of ours that die and decay must be transformed into [new bodies that] will never die; [it will be like someone] [MET] getting rid of [his old clothes] and putting on [new ones].
Because this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality.
54 When that happens, what is written {what ([a prophet/Isaiah]) wrote} [in the Scriptures] will come true/happen: [God] will completely get rid of [MET] death. Our dying will no longer have any power to defeat us;
So whenever this corruptible puts on incorruption and this mortal puts on immortality, then this written word will happen: “Death has been swallowed down into victory.”
“Where, O Death, is your sting? Where, O Hades, is your victory?” (Hadēs g86)
56 It is because we sin [MET] [that we die, and it is because we] have God’s laws that we [know that we] have sinned.
The stinger of death is sin, and the adjunct of sin is the law.
57 But because of what our Lord Jesus Christ [has done], he enables us to be free [from having to obey God’s laws to be saved and to be free of being afraid to die]. We should thank God for that!
Now thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
58 So, my fellow believers whom I love, continue to hold strongly to [the things that you believe]. Do not let anything cause you to doubt them. Always be doing enthusiastically the work that the Lord [gives you]. And remember that the work that you do for the Lord is never (in vain/useless), [as it would be if God will not cause us to live again after we die].
So then, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
