1 Corinthians 15
Christian Standard Bible
Resurrection Essential to the Gospel
15 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand(A) 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.(B) 3 For I passed on to you(C) as most important what I also received: that Christ died(D) for our sins according to the Scriptures,(E) 4 that he was buried,(F) that he was raised on the third day(G) according to the Scriptures,(H) 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,(I) then to the Twelve.(J) 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time;(K) most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James,(L) then to all the apostles.(M) 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time,[a](N) he also appeared to me.(O)
9 For I am the least of the apostles,(P) not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted(Q) the church of God. 10 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 any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.(R) 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.
Resurrection Essential to the Faith
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,(S) how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”?(T) 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.[b] 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses(U) about God, because we have testified(V) wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ(W) have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
Christ’s Resurrection Guarantees Ours
20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits(X) of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death(Y) came through a man,(Z) the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.(AA) 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.(AB)
23 But each in his own order:(AC) Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end,(AD) when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father,(AE) when he abolishes all rule and all authority and power.(AF) 25 For he must reign(AG) until he puts all his enemies under his feet.(AH) 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death.(AI) 27 For God has put everything under his feet.[c](AJ) Now when it says “everything” is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. 28 When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son(AK) himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.(AL)
Resurrection Supported by Christian Experience
29 Otherwise what will they do who are being baptized for the dead?[d] If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them?[e] 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I face death every day,(AM) as surely as I may boast about you, brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus(AN) as a mere man, what good did that do me?(AO) If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.[f](AP) 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Come to your senses[g](AQ) and stop sinning; for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame.(AR)
The Nature of the Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” 36 You fool! What you sow does not come to life(AS) unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he wants,(AT) and to each of the seeds its own body. 39 Not all flesh(AU) is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor(AV) of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. 41 There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; in fact, one star differs from another star in splendor. 42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption;(AW) 43 sown in dishonor,(AX) raised in glory;(AY) sown in weakness, raised in power;(AZ) 44 sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being;[h](BA) the last Adam(BB) became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual.
47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust;(BC) the second man is[i] from heaven. 48 Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.(BD) 49 And just as we have borne the image(BE) of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.(BF)
Victorious Resurrection
50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh(BG) and blood(BH) cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.(BI) For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible body must be clothed(BJ) with incorruptibility,(BK) and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place:
Death has been swallowed up(BL) in victory.[j](BM)
55 Where, death, is your victory?
Where, death, is your sting?[k](BN)
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin(BO) is the law.(BP) 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory(BQ) through our Lord Jesus Christ!
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work,(BR) because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Footnotes
- 15:8 Or one whose birth was unusual
- 15:14 Or proclamation is useless, and your faith also is useless, or proclamation is empty, and your faith also is empty
- 15:27 Ps 8:6; 110:1
- 15:29 Or baptized on account of the dead
- 15:29 Other mss read for the dead
- 15:32 Is 22:13
- 15:34 Lit Sober up
- 15:45 Gn 2:7
- 15:47 Other mss add the Lord
- 15:54 Is 25:8
- 15:55 Hs 13:14
1 Corinthians 15
Lexham English Bible
Paul’s Gospel and the Resurrection of Christ
15 Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I proclaimed to you, which you have also received, in which you also stand, 2 by which you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the message I proclaimed to you, unless you believed to no purpose. 3 For I passed on to you as of first importance[a] what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised up on the third day according to the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, 6 then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, the majority of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all, as it were to one born at the wrong time, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, 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 has not been in vain, but I labored even more than all of them, and not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Therefore whether I or those, in this way we preached, and in this way you believed.
Concerning the Resurrection of the Dead
12 Now if Christ is preached as raised up from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ has not been raised either. 14 But if Christ has not been raised, then[b] our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain. 15 And also we are found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if after all, then, the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised either. 17 But if Christ has not been raised, your faith is empty; you are still in your sins. 18 And as a further result, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have put our hope[c] in Christ in this life only, we are of all people most pitiable.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since through a man came death, also through a man came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own group: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s at his coming, 24 then the end, when he hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For it is necessary for him to reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For “he subjected all things under his feet.”[d] But when it says “all things” are subjected, it is clear that the one who subjected all things to him is not included. 28 But whenever all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected[e] to the one who subjected all things to him, in order that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, why do they do it, those who are being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why indeed are they being baptized on behalf of them? 30 And why are we in danger every hour? 31 I die every day—yes indeed, by my boasting in you,[f] which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord! 32 If according to a human perspective I fought wild beasts at Ephesus, what benefit is it to me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.[g] 33 Do not be deceived! “Bad company corrupts good morals.”[h] 34 Sober up correctly and stop sinning[i], for some have no knowledge of God—I say this to your shame.
Questions Concerning the Resurrection Body
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what sort of body do they come?” 36 Foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body which it will become, but you sow the bare seed, whether perhaps of wheat or of some of the rest. 38 But God gives to it a body just as he wishes, and to each one of the seeds its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same, but there is one flesh of human beings, and another flesh of animals, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish, 40 and heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the glory of the heavenly bodies is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly bodies is of another kind. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory.
42 Thus also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruptibility. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in 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. 45 Thus also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul”;[j] the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, made of earth; the second man is from heaven. 48 As the one who is made of earth, so also are those who are made of earth, and as the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the one who is made of earth, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 But I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood is not able to inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruptibility. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For it is necessary for this perishable body to put on incorruptibility, and this mortal body to put on immortality. 54 But whenever this perishable body puts on incorruptibility and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will take place:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
56 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! 58 So then, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, because you[k] know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 15:3 Literally “among the first things”
- 1 Corinthians 15:14 Some manuscripts have “then both”
- 1 Corinthians 15:19 Literally “we are having put our hope”
- 1 Corinthians 15:27 A quotation from Ps 8:6
- 1 Corinthians 15:28 Some manuscripts have “also will be subjected”
- 1 Corinthians 15:31 Some manuscripts have “in you, brothers,”
- 1 Corinthians 15:32 An allusion to Isa 22:13; 56:12
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 A quotation from the Greek poet Menander’s comedy Thais, 218
- 1 Corinthians 15:34 Literally “do not sin”
- 1 Corinthians 15:45 A quotation from Gen 2:7
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“know”) which is understood as causal
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