1 Corinthians 15:35-58
1599 Geneva Bible
35 [a]But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body come they forth?
36 [b]O fool, that which thou sowest, is not quickened, except it die.
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare corn as it falleth, of wheat, or of some other.
38 [c]But God giveth it a body at his pleasure, even to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another of fishes, and another of birds:
40 There are also heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies: but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.
41 There is another glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 [d]So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is [e]sown in corruption, and is raised in incorruption.
43 It is sown in [f]dishonor, and is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, and is raised in [g]power.
44 [h]It is sown a natural body, and is raised a spiritual body: there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 [i]As it is also written, The [j]first man (A)Adam was made a living soul: and the last Adam was made a [k]quickening spirit.
46 [l]Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual: but that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, [m]earthly: the second man is the Lord from [n]heaven.
48 [o]As is the earthly, such are they that are earthly: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have born the [p]image of the earthly, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly.
50 [q]This say I, brethren, that [r]flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 [s]Behold, I show you a [t]secret thing, We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In [u]a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last (B)trumpet: for the trumpet shall blow, and the dead shall be raised up incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption: and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible hath put on incorruption, and this mortal hath put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying, that is written, (C)Death is swallowed up into victory.
55 O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin: and the strength of sin is the Law.
57 (D)But thanks be unto God, which hath given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 [v]Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, abundant always in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the [w]Lord.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 15:35 Now that he hath proved the resurrection, he discovereth their doltishness, in that they scoffingly demanded, how it could be that the dead should rise again, and if they did rise again, they asked mockingly, what manner of bodies they should have. Therefore he sendeth these fellows which seemed to themselves to be marvelous wise and witty, to be instructed of poor rude husbandmen.
- 1 Corinthians 15:36 Thou mightest have learned either of these, saith Paul, by daily experience: for seeds are sown, and rot, and yet notwithstanding so far it is off, that they perish, that contrarywise they grow up far more beautiful: and whereas they are sown naked and dry, they spring up green from death by the virtue of God: and doth it seem incredible to thee that our bodies should rise from corruption, and that endued with a far more excellent quality?
- 1 Corinthians 15:38 We see a diversity both in one and the selfsame thing which hath now one form and then another, and yet keepeth its own kind, as it is evident in a grain which is sown bare, but springeth up far after another sort: and also in divers kinds of one selfsame sort, as amongst beasts: and also among things of divers sorts, as the heavenly bodies and the earthly bodies: which also differ very much one from another. Therefore there is no cause why we should reject either the resurrection of the bodies, or changing of them into a better state, as a thing impossible, or strange.
- 1 Corinthians 15:42 He maketh three manner of qualities of the bodies being raised: Incorruption, to wit, because they shall be sound, and altogether of a nature that cannot be corrupt: Glory, because they shall be adorned with beauty and honor: Power, because they shall continue everlasting without meat, drink, and all other helps, without which this frail life cannot keep itself from corruption.
- 1 Corinthians 15:42 Is buried, and man is hid as seed in the ground.
- 1 Corinthians 15:43 Void of honor, void of glory, and beauty.
- 1 Corinthians 15:43 Freed from the former weakness, whereas it is subject to such alteration and change, that it cannot maintain itself without meat and drink, and such otherlike helps.
- 1 Corinthians 15:44 He showeth perfectly in one word, this change of the quality of the body by the resurrection, when he saith, that of a natural body, it shall become a spiritual body, which two qualities being clean different, the one from the other, he straightway expoundeth and setteth forth diligently.
- 1 Corinthians 15:45 That is called a natural body, which is quickened and maintained by a living soul only, such as Adam was, of whom all we are born naturally: and that is said to be a spiritual, which together with the soul is quickened with a far more excellent virtue: to wit, with the Spirit of God, which descendeth from Christ the second Adam unto us.
- 1 Corinthians 15:45 Adam is called the first man, because he is the root as it were from which we spring: and Christ is the latter man: because he is the beginning of all them that are spiritual, and in him we are all comprehended.
- 1 Corinthians 15:45 Christ is called a Spirit, by reason of that most excellent nature, that is to say, God who dwelleth in him bodily, as Adam is called a living soul, by reason of the soul which is the best part in him.
- 1 Corinthians 15:46 Secondly he willeth the order of this double state or quality to be observed, that the natural was first, Adam being created of the clay of the earth: and the spiritual followed and came upon it, to wit, when the Lord being sent from heaven, endued our flesh which was prepared and made fit for him, with the fulness of the Godhead.
- 1 Corinthians 15:47 Wallowing in dirt, and wholly given to an earthly nature.
- 1 Corinthians 15:47 The Lord is said to come down from heaven by that kind of speech, whereby that which is proper to one is touched of another.
- 1 Corinthians 15:48 He applieth both the earthly naturalness of Adam (if I may so say) to our bodies, so long as they are naturally conversant on earth, to wit, in this life, and in the grave: and also the spirituality of Christ to the same our bodies, after that they are risen again: and he saith, that that goeth before and this shall follow.
- 1 Corinthians 15:49 Not a vain and false image, but such an one as had the truth with it indeed.
- 1 Corinthians 15:50 The conclusion: We cannot be partakers of the glory of God, unless we put off all that gross and filthy nature of our bodies subject to corruption, that the same body may be adorned with incorruptible glory.
- 1 Corinthians 15:50 Flesh and blood are taken here for a living body, which cannot attain to incorruption, unless it put off corruption.
- 1 Corinthians 15:51 He goeth further, declaring that it shall come to pass that they which shall be found alive in the latterday, shall not descend into that corruption of the grave, but shall be renewed with a sudden change, which change is very requisite: and that the certain enjoying of the benefit and victory of Christ, is deferred unto that latter time.
- 1 Corinthians 15:51 A thing that hath been hid, and never known hitherto, and therefore worthy that you give good care unto it.
- 1 Corinthians 15:52 He showeth us that the time shall be very short.
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 An exhortation taken from the profit that ensueth, that seeing they understand that the glory of the other life is laid up for faithful workmen, they continue and stand fast in the truth of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead.
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 Through the Lord’s help and goodness working in us.
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
English Standard Version
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. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 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 (C)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; (D)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, (E)“The first man Adam became a living being”;[a] (F)the last Adam became a (G)life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 (H)The first man was from the earth, (I)a man of dust; (J)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, (K)so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just (L)as we have borne the image of the man of dust, (M)we shall[b] also bear the image of the man of heaven.
Mystery and Victory
50 I tell you this, brothers: (N)flesh and blood (O)cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. (P)We shall not all sleep, (Q)but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For (R)the trumpet will sound, and (S)the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and (T)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:
(U)“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 (V)“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and (W)the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, (X)who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 (Y)Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in (Z)the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord (AA)your labor is not in vain.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 15:45 Greek a living soul
- 1 Corinthians 15:49 Some manuscripts let us
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