The Risen Christ, Faith’s Reality^(A)

15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel ^(B)which I preached to you, which also you received and ^(C)in which you stand, ^2 (D)by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless ^(E)you believed in vain.

³ For ^(F)I delivered to you first of all that ^(G)which I also received: that Christ died for our sins ^(H)according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day ^(I)according to the Scriptures, ^5 (J)and that He was seen by ^[a]Cephas, then ^(K)by the twelve. ⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have ^[b]fallen asleep. ⁷ After that He was seen by James, then ^(L)by all the apostles. ^8 (M)Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

⁹ For I am ^(N)the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because ^(O)I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But ^(P)by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, ^(Q)yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. ¹¹ Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Risen Christ, Our Hope^(R)

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

The Last Enemy Destroyed

²⁰ But now ^(X)Christ is risen from the dead, and has become ^(Y)the firstfruits of those who have ^[d]fallen asleep. ²¹ For ^(Z)since by man came death, ^(AA)by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall ^(AB)be made alive. ²³ But ^(AC)each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when He delivers ^(AD)the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign ^(AE)till He has put all enemies under His feet. ^26 (AF)The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For ^(AG)“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 (AH)Now when all things are made subject to Him, then ^(AI)the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Effects of Denying the Resurrection

²⁹ Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? ³⁰ And ^(AJ)why do we stand in ^[e]jeopardy every hour? ³¹ I affirm, by ^(AK)the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, ^(AL)I die daily. ³² If, in the manner of men, ^(AM)I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, ^(AN)“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

³³ Do not be deceived: ^(AO)“Evil company corrupts good habits.” ^34 (AP)Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; ^(AQ)for some do not have the knowledge of God. ^(AR)I speak this to your shame.

A Glorious Body

³⁵ But someone will say, ^(AS)“How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” ³⁶ Foolish one, ^(AT)what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. ³⁷ And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind ^[f]of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

⁴⁰ There are also ^[g]celestial bodies and ^[h]terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

^42 (AU)So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. ^43 (AV)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. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ And so it is written, ^(AW)“The first man Adam became a living being.” ^(AX)The last Adam became ^(AY)a life-giving spirit.

⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. ^47 (AZ)The first man was of the earth, ^(BA)made^[i] of dust; the second Man is ^[j]the Lord ^(BB)from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the ^[k]man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; ^(BC)and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And ^(BD)as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^(BE)we^[l] shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

Our Final Victory

⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that ^(BF)flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a ^[m]mystery: ^(BG)We shall not all sleep, ^(BH)but we shall 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 shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and ^(BJ)this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ^(BK)“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and ^(BM)the strength of sin is the law. ^57 (BN)But thanks be to God, who gives us ^(BO)the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

^58 (BP)Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing ^(BQ)that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Collection for the Saints

16 Now concerning ^(BR)the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: ^2 (BS)On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. ³ And when I come, ^(BT)whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. ^4 (BU)But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.

Personal Plans^(BV)

⁵ Now I will come to you ^(BW)when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). ⁶ And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may ^(BX)send me on my journey, wherever I go. ⁷ For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, ^(BY)if the Lord permits.

⁸ But I will tarry in Ephesus until ^(BZ)Pentecost. ⁹ For ^(CA)a great and effective door has opened to me, and ^(CB)there are many adversaries.

¹⁰ And ^(CC)if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for ^(CD)he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. ^11 (CE)Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey ^(CF)in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.

¹² Now concerning our brother ^(CG)Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.

Final Exhortations

^13 (CH)Watch, ^(CI)stand fast in the faith, be brave, ^(CJ)be strong. ^14 (CK)Let all that you do be done with love.

¹⁵ I urge you, brethren—you know ^(CL)the household of Stephanas, that it is ^(CM)the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to ^(CN)the ministry of the saints— ^16 (CO)that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and ^(CP)labors with us.

¹⁷ I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, ^(CQ)for what was lacking on your part they supplied. ^18 (CR)For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore ^(CS)acknowledge such men.

Greetings and a Solemn Farewell

¹⁹ The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, ^(CT)with the church that is in their house. ²⁰ All the brethren greet you.

^(CU)Greet one another with a holy kiss.

^21 (CV)The salutation with my own hand—Paul’s.

²² If anyone ^(CW)does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(CX)let him be ^[o]accursed. ^(CY)O^[p] Lord, come!

^23 (CZ)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. ²⁴ My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and ^(B)Timothy our brother,

To the church of God which is at Corinth, ^(C)with all the saints who are in all Achaia:

^2 (D)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Comfort in Suffering

^3 (E)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who ^(F)comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any ^[a]trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as ^(G)the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our ^[b]consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶ Now if we are afflicted, ^(H)it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷ And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that ^(I)as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

Delivered from Suffering

⁸ For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of ^(J)our ^[c]trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should ^(K)not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, ^10 (L)who delivered us from so great a death, and ^[d]does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, ¹¹ you also ^(M)helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on ^[e]our behalf ^(N)for the gift granted to us through many.

Paul’s Sincerity

¹² For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in ^[f]simplicity and ^(O)godly sincerity, ^(P)not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. ¹³ For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end ¹⁴ (as also you have understood us in part), ^(Q)that we are your boast as ^(R)you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Sparing the Church

¹⁵ And in this confidence ^(S)I intended to come to you before, that you might have ^(T)a second benefit— ¹⁶ to pass by way of you to Macedonia, ^(U)to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea. ¹⁷ Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan ^(V)according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? ¹⁸ But as God is ^(W)faithful, our ^[g]word to you was not Yes and No. ¹⁹ For ^(X)the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, ^(Y)Silvanus, and ^(Z)Timothy—was not Yes and No, ^(AA)but in Him was Yes. ^20 (AB)For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. ²¹ Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and ^(AC)has anointed us is God, ²² who ^(AD)also has sealed us and ^(AE)given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

²³ Moreover ^(AF)I call God as witness against my soul, ^(AG)that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. ²⁴ Not ^(AH)that we ^[h]have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for ^(AI)by faith you stand.

Paul Urges Forgiveness

2 But I determined this within myself, ^(AJ)that I would not come again to you in sorrow. ² For if I make you ^(AK)sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

Forgive the Offender

³ And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, ^(AL)I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, ^(AM)having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. ⁴ For out of much ^[i]affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, ^(AN)not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.

⁵ But ^(AO)if anyone has caused grief, he has not ^(AP)grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. ⁶ This punishment which was inflicted ^(AQ)by the majority is sufficient for such a man, ^7 (AR)so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. ⁸ Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. ⁹ For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are ^(AS)obedient in all things. ¹⁰ Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For ^[j]if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Triumph in Christ

¹² Furthermore, ^(AT)when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and ^(AU)a ^[k]door was opened to me by the Lord, ^13 (AV)I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.

¹⁴ Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us ^[l]diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. ¹⁵ For we are to God the fragrance of Christ ^(AW)among those who are being saved and ^(AX)among those who are perishing. ^16 (AY)To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And ^(AZ)who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷ For we are not, as ^[m]so many, ^(BA)peddling^[n] the word of God; but as ^(BB)of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

Christ’s Epistle^(BC)

3 Do ^(BD)we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, ^(BE)epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? ^2 (BF)You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ^(BG)ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not ^(BH)on tablets of stone but ^(BI)on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

The Spirit, Not the Letter

⁴ And we have such trust through Christ toward God. ^5 (BJ)Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but ^(BK)our sufficiency is from God, ⁶ who also made us sufficient as ^(BL)ministers of ^(BM)the new covenant, not ^(BN)of the letter but of the ^[o]Spirit; for ^(BO)the letter kills, ^(BP)but the Spirit gives life.

Glory of the New Covenant

⁷ But if ^(BQ)the ministry of death, ^(BR)written and engraved on stones, was glorious, ^(BS)so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, ⁸ how will ^(BT)the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry ^(BU)of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. ¹⁰ For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. ¹¹ For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, ^(BV)we use great boldness of speech— ¹³ unlike Moses, ^(BW)who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at ^(BX)the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But ^(BY)their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless ^(BZ)when one turns to the Lord, ^(CA)the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now ^(CB)the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is ^(CC)liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding ^(CD)as in a mirror ^(CE)the glory of the Lord, ^(CF)are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as ^[p]by the Spirit of the Lord.