³ For ^(A)I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died ^(B)for our sins ^(C)in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised ^(D)on the third day ^(E)in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that ^(F)he appeared to Cephas, then ^(G)to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

The Resurrection of the Dead

¹² Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, ^(A)how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, ^(B)then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ¹⁵ We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that ^(C)he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that 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 futile and ^(D)you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who ^(E)have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope^[a] in this life only, ^(F)we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But in fact ^(G)Christ has been raised from the dead, ^(H)the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as ^(I)by a man came death, ^(J)by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For ^(K)as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then ^(L)at his coming ^(M)those who belong to Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers ^(N)the kingdom to God the Father after destroying ^(O)every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign ^(P)until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be ^(Q)destroyed is death.

The Resurrection Body

³⁵ But someone will ask, ^(A)“How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” ³⁶ You foolish person! ^(B)What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ³⁷ And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.

^42 (A)So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; ^(B)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 it is written, ^(C)“The first man Adam became a living being”;^{[a] (D)}the last Adam became a ^(E)life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. ^47 (F)The first man was from the earth, ^(G)a man of dust; ^(H)the second man is from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, ^(I)so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ Just ^(J)as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^(K)we shall^[b] also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Mystery and Victory

⁵⁰ I tell you this, brothers: ^(L)flesh and blood ^(M)cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. ^(N)We shall not all sleep, ^(O)but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For ^(P)the trumpet will sound, and ^(Q)the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and ^(R)this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: