New Testament in a Year

The Resurrection of Christ

15 Now, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you have received, and in which you stand. ² Through it you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: how Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ was buried, rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and was seen by Cephas, and then by the twelve. ⁶ Then He was seen by over five hundred brothers at once, of whom the greater part remain to this present time, though some have passed away. ⁷ Then He was seen by James and then by all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, He was seen by me also, as by one born at the wrong time.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am. And His grace toward me was not in vain. I labored more abundantly than all of them, 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 Resurrection of the Dead

¹² Now if Christ is preached that He rose from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen. ¹⁴ If Christ has not risen, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain. ¹⁵ Yes, and we would then be found false witnesses of God, because we have testified that God 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 has not been raised. ¹⁷ If Christ is not raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then they also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

²⁰ But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came by man, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward, those who are Christ’s at His coming. ²⁴ Then comes the end when He will deliver up the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He will reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For He “has put all things under His feet.”^[a] But when He says, “all things are put under Him,” it is revealed that He, who has put all things under Him, is the exception. ²⁸ When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.