^19 (A)but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

¹⁵ But if it is a ^(A)question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.”

³ For ^(A)I delivered to you first of all that ^(B)which I also received: that Christ died for our sins ^(C)according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day ^(D)according to the Scriptures,

^18 (A)I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, ^(B)I am alive forevermore. Amen. And ^(C)I have the keys of ^[a]Hades and of Death.

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 ^(A)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; ^(B)you are still in your sins! ¹⁸ Then also those who have ^[a]fallen ^(C)asleep in Christ have perished. ^19 (D)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 ^(E)Christ is risen from the dead, and has become ^(F)the firstfruits of those who have ^[b]fallen asleep.

²² Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those ^(A)which the prophets and ^(B)Moses said would come— ^23 (C)that the Christ would suffer, ^(D)that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and ^(E)would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

⁷ When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about ^(A)and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove,

¹⁹ And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.