Old/New Testament

15 Now, my brothers, I want to bring the good news to your minds again. I told it to you and you received it. You now believe it.

² You are saved by it, if you hold on to what I told you. If you do not, then you have believed for nothing.

³ I told you first what was told to me. I told you that Christ died for the wrong things we did, as the holy writings said.

⁴ He was buried. He was raised on the third day, as the holy writings said.

⁵ Peter saw him, and then all the twelve disciples saw him.

⁶ After that, more than five hundred Christian brothers saw him at one time. Most of them are still living, but some have died.

⁷ After that, James saw him. Then all the apostles saw him.

⁸ Last of all, I saw him too. I was like one who was born at the wrong time.

⁹ The other apostles are all greater than I am. I should not be called an apostle because I troubled the people of God's church.

¹⁰ But God has been kind to me. He has made me what I am today. And he did not bless me for nothing. I did more work than any of them. Yet it was not I, but the loving kindness of God was working with me.

¹¹ So it does not matter who gave the message, they or I. This is the message we gave, and this is the message you believed.

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.