1 Corinthians 15
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
The Resurrection of Christ
15 Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters,[a] of the good news[b] that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.
3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters[c] at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.[d] 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit 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 towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
The Resurrection of the Dead
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that 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, then Christ has not been raised. 17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have died[e] in Christ have perished. 19 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.[f] 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22 for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end,[g] when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For ‘God[h] has put all things in subjection under his feet.’ But when it says, ‘All things are put in subjection’, it is plain that this does not include the one who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what will those people do who receive baptism on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?
30 And why are we putting ourselves in danger every hour? 31 I die every day! That is as certain, brothers and sisters,[i] as my boasting of you—a boast that I make in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If with merely human hopes I fought with wild animals at Ephesus, what would I have gained by it? If the dead are not raised,
‘Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.’
33 Do not be deceived:
‘Bad company ruins good morals.’
34 Come to a sober and right mind, and sin no more; for some people have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’ 36 Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is[j] from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will[k] also bear the image of the man of heaven.
50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters,[l] is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die,[m] but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling 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 this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:
‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’
55 ‘Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?’
56 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 Therefore, my beloved,[n] be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 15:1 Gk brothers
- 1 Corinthians 15:1 Or gospel
- 1 Corinthians 15:6 Gk brothers
- 1 Corinthians 15:6 Gk fallen asleep
- 1 Corinthians 15:18 Gk fallen asleep
- 1 Corinthians 15:20 Gk fallen asleep
- 1 Corinthians 15:24 Or Then come the rest
- 1 Corinthians 15:27 Gk he
- 1 Corinthians 15:31 Gk brothers
- 1 Corinthians 15:47 Other ancient authorities add the Lord
- 1 Corinthians 15:49 Other ancient authorities read let us
- 1 Corinthians 15:50 Gk brothers
- 1 Corinthians 15:51 Gk fall asleep
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 Gk beloved brothers
1 Corinthians 15
New Catholic Bible
The Resurrection[a]
The Resurrection of Christ
Chapter 15
The Risen Christ, Foundation of Our Faith.[b] 1 And now, brethren, I want to remind you of the gospel I proclaimed to you, which you received and in which you stand firm. 2 Through it you are also being saved, provided that you are holding fast to what I proclaimed to you. If not, then you have believed in vain.
3 [c]For I handed on to you as of primary importance what I received: that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried and that he was raised to life on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and later to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred of the brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, although some have fallen asleep.[d] 7 After that he appeared to James,[e] and then to all the apostles.
8 Last of all, he appeared to me, as to one born abnormally. 9 For I am the least of the apostles. I am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. 10 However, by the grace of God I am what I am, and the grace he has bestowed upon me has not proved to be fruitless. Indeed, I have worked harder than any of them—although that should not be credited to me but to the grace of God within me. 11 But whether it was I or they, this is what we preach and what you have come to believe.
The Resurrection of the Dead
12 The Resurrection and Faith.[f] Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless, and so is your faith. 15 We are even false witnesses to God, for we testified that he raised Christ when he did not raise him up, assuming it is true that the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is without any foundation, and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are utterly lost. 19 If it is for just this life that we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable of all men.
20 Christ, the Firstfruits.[g] But Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came into the world through a man, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a man.
22 Just as in Adam all die, so all will be brought to life in Christ, 23 but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every sovereignty and authority and power.[h] 25 For he is destined to reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he has put all things under his feet. But when it says “all things are put under,” it is obvious that this excludes the one who subjected everything to him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who made all things subject to him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Practical Faith. Otherwise, what will people accomplish when they have themselves baptized for the dead?[i] If the dead are not raised at all, why should anyone be baptized for them? 30 And why should we be placing ourselves in danger every hour? 31 I face death every day—that is as sure as the pride that I have in you, brethren, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
32 With only human hopes, what would I have gained by fighting those wild beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”
33 Do not let anyone lead you astray. “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Come to your senses and sin no more. For some of you have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
The Mode of the Resurrection
35 The Resurrected Body. Someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? What sort of body will they have when they come back?” 36 This is foolish. What you sow must die before it is given new life, 37 and what you sow is not the body that is to be but a bare grain of wheat or of something else. 38 God gives to it a body that he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own particular body.
39 Not all flesh is alike. There is one kind for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. The splendor of heavenly bodies is of one kind, and that of earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has a splendor of its own, the moon another splendor, and the stars still another. Indeed, the stars differ among themselves in splendor.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 What is sown in dishonor is raised as glorious. What is sown in weakness is raised in power. 44 What is sown is a physical body; what is raised is a spiritual body.
The Natural and the Spiritual Body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 As it is written, the first man, Adam, became a living being; the last Adam has become a lifegiving spirit. 46 But the spiritual body did not come first. Rather the natural body came first, and then the spiritual.
47 The first man was formed from the dust of the earth; the second man is from heaven. 48 The man formed from dust is the pattern for earthly people; the heavenly man is the pattern for those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man formed from dust, so shall we also bear the likeness of the heavenly one.
50 Where, O Death, Is Your Victory?[j] What I am asserting, brethren, is that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can the perishable inherit what is imperishable.
51 Listen while I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed 52 in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.[k] 53 For this perishable body must be clothed with the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
54 When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then will the words that are written be fulfilled:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.
55 Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 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 Therefore, my beloved brethren, stand firm and immovable, devoting yourselves completely to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 15:1 According to Greek thought, the soul is imprisoned in the body; it alone is destined for immortality, and death comes to set it free. As heirs of this mentality, the Corinthians are unable to understand why there should be a resurrection of the body. Does Christianity perhaps desire that the soul again become a prisoner? Paul corrects this notion, which is not in accord with the Christian faith.
The biblical tradition holds that the human being is one, created by God in body and soul. Death does not constitute the deliverance of the soul, but the unraveling of this unity. It is a violent state produced by sin. In atoning for sin, Christ has conquered death. It is the whole person that is saved and the whole person that is involved in the resurrection. But Paul takes account of the objection that the Greeks can bring up: the resurrection is not a simple return to the earthly condition; the risen body does not limit the aspirations of the spirit. It will be “spiritual,” a new creation in the risen Christ. - 1 Corinthians 15:1 Paul takes as his starting point a fact: the resurrection of Christ. This is the primordial certainty of the Christian faith. He recalls this teaching of the Church and confirms it by listing the witnesses who had seen the risen Christ. In this passage, we find the main elements of the Christian creed and, at the same time, the earliest written witness to the handing on of the original teaching of the Church and to the appearances of Jesus Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3 Paul offers two lines of testimony for Christ’s Passion and Resurrection: (1) the testimony of the Old Testament (e.g., Ps 16:8-11; Isa 53:5f, 11) and (2) the testimony of eyewitnesses (Acts 1:21f). He lists only six appearances of the risen Christ; the Gospels and Acts offer ten (see note on Mt 28:10).
- 1 Corinthians 15:6 Have fallen asleep: an image of death. The same expression is used in vv. 18, 20, and 51, and is the usual one in the New Testament. In it, Christians indirectly expressed their faith in the resurrection (in Greek the same verb means both “to awaken” and “to bring back to life”). From this phrase, we also derive our word “cemetery,” i.e., literally, a place of sleepers.
- 1 Corinthians 15:7 Appeared to James: Paul inserts the risen Lord’s appearance to James as a kind of transition to his own experience of seeing Christ. Like Paul, James, “the brother of the Lord” (Gal 1:19), had not been a disciple of Jesus (see Acts 1:12f). An account of such an appearance to James is found in the Gospel of the Hebrews, an apocryphal Jewish-Christian gospel.
- 1 Corinthians 15:12 The Resurrection of Jesus, to which the apostles are witnesses, is the basic proof that there is a resurrection of the dead; the Old Testament initially voiced a hope of this (Ps 16:10; Job 19:25; Ezek 37:10) and later taught it explicitly (2 Mac 7:9). The Resurrection of Jesus is thus the very foundation of our faith; Christ is the firstborn of the dead, who will rise in their turn.
- 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul contrasts two states of the human race: on the one side, the fallen state of sin, symbolized by Adam; on the other, the state of life and salvation brought about by Christ (see Rom 5:17-21).
- 1 Corinthians 15:24 Sovereignty and authority and power: these words signify all the forces, angelic and human, that are opposed to the Kingdom of God (see 1 Cor 2:6; Col 2:15).
- 1 Corinthians 15:29 Baptized for the dead (v. 29) refers to a rite, unknown to us, a type of baptism by proxy. Paul uses the image of wild beasts (v. 32) to express the hostility he encountered at Ephesus. In v. 33 he is citing Menander, a Greek comic poet, although by this time the saying may already have become a popular proverb.
- 1 Corinthians 15:50 Using images traditional in the Bible, Paul describes in a few lines the great day of universal salvation, when humanity reaches its destiny.
- 1 Corinthians 15:52 The trumpet was part of apocalyptic choreography (see Mt 24:31; 1 Thes 4:16); it symbolized the solemn proclamation of the divine plan (see the seven trumpets of the Book of Revelation: 8:6-12; 9:1-21; 11:15-19).
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
