Book of Common Prayer

¹² You have been told that Christ was raised from death. How can some of you say that dead people do not rise again?

¹³ If dead people do not rise, Christ did not rise.

¹⁴ And if Christ did not rise, then what we told you was not true, and what you believe is not true.

¹⁵ If this were so, we would have been telling lies about God, because we said that God raised up Christ. He did not raise up Christ if dead people are not raised up.

¹⁶ If dead people are not raised, then Christ was not raised either.

¹⁷ If Christ was not raised, then what you believe is no good. Your wrong ways have not been forgiven.

¹⁸ If that were true, then the people who believed in Christ who have now died, are lost.

¹⁹ And if we have hope in Christ for our life in this world only, then we are the most unhappy of all people.

²⁰ But Christ really has been raised from death. He was the first one to rise of all who have died.

²¹ It was a man who first brought death. So it was also a man who was first raised from death.

²² All people who are of Adam die. And so also, all people who belong to Christ will live.

²³ But each one has his turn. Christ rose first. Then those who belong to Christ will rise when he comes again.

²⁴ After that the end will come. Christ will hand over the ruling power to God the Father. Christ will stop all other rulers, and everyone who has any rights and power.

²⁵ Christ must rule until God has all power over all his enemies.

²⁶ Death is the last enemy to be destroyed.

²⁷ The holy writings say, `God has put all things under Christ.' But it does not mean that God is under Christ. God is the one who put all things under him.

²⁸ One day the Son will be over all things. And God will be over the Son. So in the end God will be over all things.

²⁹ Another thing, what good is it for people to be baptized for dead people? If dead people are not raised, why are some people baptized for them?

⁷ When John's disciples went away, Jesus began to talk to people about John. He said, `What did you go out into the wilderness to see? Did you go out to see a tall grass moved by the wind?

⁸ What did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? People who wear fine clothes live in kings' houses.

⁹ Why did you go out? To see a prophet of God? Yes, I tell you, and he is much more than a prophet.

¹⁰ He is the man the holy writings tell about. "See, I send my messenger ahead of you. He will make the way ready for you."

¹¹ `I tell you the truth. No one has ever been born who is greater than John the Baptizer. And yet the smallest one in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

¹² From the time of John until now, people try hard to break into the kingdom of heaven. And strong people take hold of it.

¹³ All the prophets and the books of the law gave God's word until John came.

¹⁴ If you will believe it, this man is the Elijah who would come.

¹⁵ Everyone who has ears, listen.