1 Corinthians 15:12-19

Common English Bible

¹²So if the message that is preached says that Christ has been raised from the dead, then how can some of you say, “There’s no resurrection of the dead”? ¹³If there’s no resurrection of the dead, then Christ hasn’t been raised either. ¹⁴If Christ hasn’t been raised, then our preaching is useless and your faith is useless. ¹⁵We are found to be false witnesses about God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, when he didn’t raise him if it’s the case that the dead aren’t raised. ¹⁶If the dead aren’t raised, then Christ hasn’t been raised either. ¹⁷If Christ hasn’t been raised, then your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins, ¹⁸and what’s more, those who have died in Christ are gone forever. ¹⁹If we have a hope in Christ only in this life, then we deserve to be pitied more than anyone else.

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1 Corinthians 15:12-19

Contemporary English Version

God's People Will Be Raised to Life

¹²If we preach that Christ was raised from death, how can some of you say the dead will not be raised to life? ¹³If they won't be raised to life, Christ himself wasn't raised to life. ¹⁴And if Christ wasn't raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith. ¹⁵If the dead won't be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying he raised Christ to life, when he really did not.

¹⁶So if the dead won't be raised to life, Christ wasn't raised to life. ¹⁷Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins. ¹⁸And those people who died after putting their faith in him are completely lost. ¹⁹If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.

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1 Corinthians 15:12-20

The Message

^12-15Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there’s no resurrection, there’s no living Christ. And face it—if there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you’ve staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there’s no resurrection.

^16-20If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.

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1 Corinthians 15:12-19

Easy-to-Read Version

We Will Be Raised From Death

¹²We tell everyone that Christ was raised from death. So why do some of you say that people will not be raised from death? ¹³If no one will ever be raised from death, then Christ has never been raised. ¹⁴And if Christ has never been raised, then the message we tell is worth nothing. And your faith is worth nothing. ¹⁵And we will also be guilty of lying about God, because we have told people about him, saying that he raised Christ from death. And if no one is raised from death, then God never raised Christ from death. ¹⁶If those who have died are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised from death, then your faith is for nothing; you are still guilty of your sins. ¹⁸And those in Christ who have already died are lost. ¹⁹If our hope in Christ is only for this life here on earth, then people should feel more sorry for us than for anyone else.

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1 Corinthians 15:12-19

New King James Version

The Risen Christ, Our Hope^(A)

¹²Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³But if there is no resurrection of the dead, ^(B)then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ¹⁵Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because ^(C)we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁷And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; ^(D)you are still in your sins! ¹⁸Then also those who have ^[a]fallen ^(E)asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹^(F)If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.