⁹ But you are not ·ruled by [controlled by; or in] ·your sinful selves [your sinful nature; ^Tthe flesh], but ·by [or in] the Spirit, if that Spirit of God really lives in you. But the person who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ Your body ·will always be [^Lis] dead because of sin. But if Christ is in you, then the Spirit ·gives you [^Lis] life, because ·Christ made you right with God [^Lof righteousness]. ¹¹ God raised Jesus from the dead, and if God’s Spirit is living in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies that die, through^[a] his Spirit who lives in you.

¹² So, my brothers and sisters, we ·must not be ruled by [^Lare not obligated to] ·our sinful selves [our sinful nature; ^Tthe flesh] or live ·the way our sinful selves want [according to the sinful nature/^Tflesh]. ¹³ [^LFor] If you ·use your lives to do the wrong things your sinful selves want [^Llive according to the flesh], you will ·die spiritually [^Ldie]. But if you ·use the Spirit’s help to [^Lby the Spirit] ·stop doing the wrong things you do with [^Lput to death the deeds of] your body, you will ·have true life [^Llive].

¹⁴ For all those who are led by the Spirit of God are the ·children [or sons] of God. ¹⁵ ·The Spirit you received does not make you slaves again to fear [or You did not receive the spirit of slavery, leading to fear]; instead, you received the Spirit ·who adopts you as God’s children [^Lof adoption]. ·With [Through] that Spirit we cry out, “Abba [^CAramaic for “Father”; Mark 14:36], Father.” ¹⁶ And the Spirit himself ·joins with [or testifies to] our spirits to say we are God’s children. ¹⁷ If we are God’s children, we ·will receive blessings from God together with Christ [^Lare heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ]. ·But we must [^L…if indeed we] ·suffer as Christ suffered [share in his sufferings] so that we ·will have glory as Christ has glory [may share in his glory].

Our Future Glory

¹⁸ [^LFor I consider that] The sufferings we have now are nothing compared to the great glory that will be ·shown [revealed] to us. ¹⁹ ·Everything God made [^LThe creation] is waiting with ·excitement [eager expectation] for ·God to show his children’s glory completely [the revelation of the children/sons of God]. ²⁰ ·Everything God made [^LFor the creation] was ·changed to become useless [subjected to futility/meaninglessness; Gen. 3; Eccl. 1:2], not by its own wish but because God ·wanted [^Lsubjected] it ·and because all along there was this hope [yet with the hope…]: ²¹ that ·everything God made [the creation itself] would be set free from ·ruin [inevitable decay; ^Lthe slavery of decay] to have the ·freedom and glory [or glorious freedom] that belong to God’s children.

²² We know that ·everything God made [all creation] has been ·waiting until now in pain, like a woman ready to give birth [^Lgroaning with labor pains until now]. ²³ Not only the world, but we also ·have been waiting with pain inside us [^Lgroan within ourselves]. We have the Spirit as the ·first part of God’s promise [^Lfirstfruits; ^Cas the first crops confirmed the future harvest, so the Spirit’s presence confirms believers’ final salvation]. So we are [eagerly] waiting for ·God to finish making us his own children [^Lour adoption], which means ·our bodies will be made free [^Lthe redemption of our bodies]. ²⁴ We were saved, ·and we have this hope [or …by this hope; ^Lin hope]. If we see what we are waiting for, that is not really hope. ·People do not hope [^LFor who hopes…?] for something they already have. ²⁵ But we are hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are waiting for it ·patiently [with perseverance].

We Will Be Raised from the Dead

¹² Now ·since we preached that Christ was [^Lif Christ is preached as] raised from the dead, why do some of you say that people will not be raised from the dead [^Csome Corinthians denied the resurrection of the body]? ¹³ If ·no one is ever raised [^Lthere is no resurrection] from the dead, then Christ has not been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is ·worth nothing [futile; useless; empty], and your faith is ·worth nothing [futile; useless; empty]. ¹⁵ And also, we are ·guilty of lying [^Lfound to be false witnesses] about God, because we testified ·of him [^Lagainst God] that he raised Christ from the dead. But if people are not raised from the dead, then God never raised Christ. ¹⁶ If the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith ·has nothing to it [is futile/useless/empty]; you are still ·guilty of [or a slave to; ^Lin] your sins. ¹⁸ ·And [Consequently; Therefore] those in Christ who have ·already died [^Lfallen asleep; v. 6] ·are lost [have perished]. ¹⁹ If our hope in Christ is for this life only, we should be pitied more than ·anyone else in the world [^Lall people].

²⁰ But Christ has truly been raised from the dead—the ·first one and proof that those who sleep in death will also be raised [^Lfirstfruits of those who have fallen asleep; ^Cunlike others who had been raised to mortal life, Christ was the first to be raised to everlasting life]. ²¹ Death has come ·because of what one man did [through a man/human being], but the rising from death also comes ·because of one man [through a man/human being]. ²² In Adam all of us die. In the same way, in Christ all of us will be made alive again [Rom. 5:12–21]. ²³ But ·everyone [each] will be raised to life in the right order. Christ was ·first to be raised [^Lthe firstfruits]. When Christ comes again, those who belong to him will be raised to life, ²⁴ and then the end will come. At that time Christ will ·destroy [abolish] all rulers, authorities, and powers, and he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father. ²⁵ [^LFor] Christ must ·rule [reign] until he puts all enemies under his ·control [^Lfeet; Ps. 110:1]. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed will be death. ²⁷ ·The Scripture says that God put [^LFor he has subjected] all things under his ·control [^Lfeet; Ps. 8:6]. When it says “all things” are ·under [subjected to] him, it is clear this does not include the One [^CGod the father] who put everything under his control. ²⁸ After everything has been ·put under [subjected to] the Son, then he will ·put himself under [be subjected to] ·God [^Lthe One…], who had put all things under him. ·Then [or …so that] God will be ·the complete ruler over everything [or supreme in every place and in every way; ^Lall in all].

²⁹ If the dead are never raised, what will people do who are being baptized for the dead [^Cit is unclear what this practice was or whether Paul approves or disapproves]? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people being baptized for them?

³⁰ And what about us? Why do we put ourselves in danger every hour? ³¹ I ·die [face death] every day. ·That is true, brothers and sisters, just as it is true that I brag about you [^L(I swear) by my boasting in you, brothers (and sisters), which I have] in Christ Jesus our Lord. ³² If I fought wild animals in Ephesus [^Cprobably a metaphor for human opponents, though possibly beasts in the arena (Acts 19; 2 Cor. 1:8–11; 2 Tim. 4:16–18)] ·only with human hopes [or from a human point of view; ^Laccording to man], I have gained nothing. If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we will die [Is. 22:13; 56:12].”

³³ Do not be ·fooled [deceived; misled]: “Bad ·friends [company] will ruin good ·habits [or character; morals; ^Ca quote from the Greek poet Menander (c. 342–291 bc)].” ³⁴ ·Come back to your right way of thinking [Come to your senses; or Sober up as you should] and stop sinning. Some of you ·do not know [or are ignorant about] God—I say this to shame you.

What Kind of Body Will We Have?

³⁵ But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have?” ³⁶ Foolish person! When you sow a seed, it must die in the ground before it can ·live and grow [come to life]. ³⁷ And when you sow it, it does not have the same “body” it will have later. [^LBut; On the contrary] What you sow is only a bare seed, maybe wheat or something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body that he ·has planned [wants; has chosen] for it, and God gives each kind of seed its own body. ³⁹ All things made of flesh are not the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds have another, and fish have another. ⁴⁰ Also there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the ·beauty [splendor; glory] of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the ·beauty [splendor; glory] of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of ·beauty [splendor; glory], the moon has another ·beauty [splendor; glory], and the stars have another. And each star is different in its ·beauty [splendor; glory].

⁴² It is the same with the dead who are raised to life. ·The body that is “planted” will ruin and decay [^LIt is sown/buried in corruption], but it is raised ·to a life that cannot be destroyed [imperishable; ^Lin incorruption]. ⁴³ ·When the body is “planted,” it is without honor [^LIt is sown/buried in dishonor], but it is raised in glory. ·When the body is “planted,” it is weak [^LIt is sown/buried in weakness], but ·when it is raised, it is powerful [^Lit is raised in power]. ⁴⁴ ·The body that is “planted” is a physical body [^LIt is sown/buried a natural/physical/soulish body]. ·When it is raised, it is [^LIt is raised] a spiritual body.

There is a ·physical [natural; soulish] body, and there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ [^LSo also] It is written in the Scriptures: “The first man, Adam, became a living ·person [soul; Gen. 2:7].” But the last Adam [^CChrist] became a spirit that gives life. ⁴⁶ [^LBut] The spiritual did not come first, but the ·physical [natural; soulish] and then the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man came from the dust of the earth. The second man came from heaven. ⁴⁸ People who ·belong to the earth [or are of dust] are like the first man of ·earth [dust]. But those people who belong to heaven are like the man of heaven. ⁴⁹ Just as we ·were made like [^Lhave borne the image of] the man of earth, so we will^[a] also ·be made like [bear the image of] the man of heaven.

⁵⁰ I tell you this, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood cannot ·have a part in [inherit] the kingdom of God. ·Something that will ruin cannot […nor can the perishable/corruptible] ·have a part in something that never ruins [inherit the imperishable/incorruptible]. ⁵¹ But look! I tell you ·this secret [a mystery; 2:1]: We will not all ·sleep in death [^Lsleep; ^Ca euphemism for death], but we will all be changed. ⁵² It will ·take only a second [happen in a flash]—as quickly as an eye ·blinks [or twinkles]—when the last trumpet sounds. The trumpet will sound, and those who have died will be raised ·to live forever [imperishable; incorruptible], and we will be changed [1 Thess. 4:13–17]. ⁵³ [^LFor] This body that ·can be destroyed [is perishable/corruptible] must clothe itself with ·something that can never be destroyed [the imperishable/incorruptible]. And this ·body that dies [^Lmortal] must clothe itself with ·something that can never die [immortality]. ⁵⁴ So when this body that ·can be destroyed [is perishable/corruptible] will clothe itself with that which ·can never be destroyed [is imperishable/incorruptible], and this ·body that dies [^Lmortal] will clothe itself with ·that which can never die [immortality], then this Scripture will ·be made true [come to pass]:

⁵⁶ Death’s ·power to hurt [^Lsting] is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But we thank God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.