The resurrection of the dead.

15 Brethren, as pertaining to the gospel that I preached to you, which you have also accepted, and in which you continue, ² by which also you are saved, I call to your mind how I preached to you – if you keep it, unless you have believed in vain. ³ For first of all I delivered to you that which I received: how Christ died for our sins, agreeing to the scriptures; ⁴ and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day in accordance with the scriptures; ⁵ and that he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. ⁶ After that he was seen by more than 500 brethren at once, of whom many remain to this day, and many have fallen asleep. ⁷ After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

⁸ And last of all he was seen by me, as by one who was born out of due time. ⁹ For I am the least of all the apostles, and am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the congregation of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace in me was not in vain, but I laboured more greatly than them all – yet not I, but the grace of God which is with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach, and so you have believed.

¹² If Christ is preached, that he rose from the dead, how is it that some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ If there is no rising again of the dead, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴ If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain. ¹⁵ Yea, and we are found to be false witnesses of God, for we have testified of God that he raised up Christ, whom he did not raise up if it be so that the dead rise not again. ¹⁶ For if the dead do not rise again, then Christ is not risen again. ¹⁷ And if it be so that Christ did not rise, then your faith is in vain, and you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ And, moreover, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If it is in this life only that we believe on Christ, then we are of all men the most miserable.

²⁰ But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who sleep. ²¹ For by a man came death, and by a man came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as through Adam all die, even so through Christ shall all be made alive, ²³ and each one in his own order. The first is Christ, then those who are Christ’s at his coming. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he has delivered up the kingdom to God the Father, when he has put down all rule, authority, and power. ²⁵ For he must reign till he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For he has put all things under his feet. But when he says all things are put under him, it is evident that he who put all things under him is excepted. ²⁸ When all things are subdued to him, then shall the Son also himself be subject to him who put things under him, so that God may be all in all things.

²⁹ Or else what are the people who are baptized over the dead doing, if the dead do not rise at all? Why are they then baptized over the dead? ³⁰ Yea, and why do we stand in danger every hour? ³¹ As sure as our confidence which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I am dying day by day. ³² That I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, after the manner of men, what does it gain me if the dead rise not again? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die!

³³ Be not deceived: unwholesome talk corrupts good ways. ³⁴ Awake truly out of sleep, and do not sin. For some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your reproach.

³⁵ But someone will say, How do the dead arise? With what bodies do they come in? ³⁶ Foolish one, that which you sow is not quickened to life unless it dies. ³⁷ And what do you sow? You sow not the body that will be, but bare seed (I mean, of wheat or something else), ³⁸ and God gives it a body at his pleasure – to every seed a particular body.

³⁹ All flesh is not of the same kind, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another kind of flesh of animals, another kind of flesh of fishes, and another of birds. ⁴⁰ There are celestial bodies and there are terrestrial bodies. But the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. ⁴¹ There is one kind of glory of the sun and another glory of the moon – and another glory of the stars, for one star differs from another in glory.

⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, and rises again in incorruption. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonour, and rises in honour. It is sown in weakness, and rises in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body, and rises a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body; as it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul, and the last Adam was made a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and then that which is spiritual.

⁴⁷ The first man is of the earth, earthy. And the second man is the Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸ As is the earthy, such are those who are earthy. And as is the heavenly, such are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And as we have borne the image of the earthy, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly.

⁵⁰ This I say, brethren: that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Neither does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² and that in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet. For the trumpet will blow, and the dead will rise incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruptibility, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When this corruptible has put on incorruptibility, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is consumed into victory.

⁵⁵ Death, where is your sting? Hell, where is your victory? ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brethren, be steadfast and unmoveable, always rich in the works of the Lord, because you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.