New Testament in a Year
The Good News About Christ
15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to ·remember [or be clear about] the ·Good News [Gospel] I brought to you. You received this ·Good News [Gospel] ·and continue strong in it [or and have based your faith on it; L in which you stand]. 2 And you are being saved by it if you ·continue believing [L hold firm to] ·what I told you [L the Gospel message I proclaimed to you], unless you believed ·for nothing [in vain; or superficially; or in something of no value].
3 [L For] I passed on to you what I received, which is ·of greatest importance [or the first thing I told you]: that Christ died for our sins, ·as the Scriptures say [L according to the Scripture; Is. 53:5–6]; 4 that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day ·as the Scriptures say [L according to the Scripture; Ps. 16:8–11]; 5 and that he was seen by ·Peter [L Cephas; C Peter’s name in Aramaic; see 1:12] and then by ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve; Luke 24:33–36]. 6 After that, Jesus was seen by more than five hundred of the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] at the same time. Most of them ·are still living today [L remain until now], but some have ·died [L fallen asleep; C a euphemism for death]. 7 Then he was seen by ·James [Jesus’ brother; Mark 6:3; Acts 15:13; Gal. 1:19] and later by all the apostles [Acts 1:6–11]. 8 Last of all he was seen by me [Acts 9]—as by a person ·not born at the normal time [prematurely/abnormally born; C Christ’s appearance to Paul was unique, occurring after Jesus’ ascension]. 9 For I am the least of the apostles. I am not even ·good enough [worthy] to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But God’s grace has made me what I am, and his grace to me was not ·wasted [in vain; without effect]. [L On the contrary; Indeed] I worked harder than all ·the other apostles [of them]. (But it was not I really; it was God’s grace that was with me.) 11 So whether I preached to you or ·the other apostles [L they] preached to you, ·we all preach the same thing [this is what we preach; C the message of Christ’s death and resurrection; vv. 3–8], and this is what you believed.
We Will Be Raised from the Dead
12 Now ·since we preached that Christ was [L if Christ is preached as] raised from the dead, why do some of you say that people will not be raised from the dead [C some Corinthians denied the resurrection of the body]? 13 If ·no one is ever raised [L there 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 [L found to be false witnesses] about God, because we testified ·of him [L against 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; L in] your sins. 18 ·And [Consequently; Therefore] those in Christ who have ·already died [L fallen 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 [L all 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 [L firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep; C unlike 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 [L the 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 [L For] Christ must ·rule [reign] until he puts all enemies under his ·control [L feet; Ps. 110:1]. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed will be death. 27 ·The Scripture says that God put [L For he has subjected] all things under his ·control [L feet; Ps. 8:6]. When it says “all things” are ·under [subjected to] him, it is clear this does not include the One [C God 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 [L the 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; L all in all].
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