1 Corinthians 15
15
1 And so I make known to you, brothers, the Gospel that I preached to you, which you also received, and on which you stand.
2 By the Gospel, too, you are being saved, if you hold to the understanding that I preached to you, lest you believe in vain.
3 For I handed on to you, first of all, what I also received: that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures;
4 and that he was buried; and that he rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures;
5 and that he was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven.
6 Next he was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, many of whom remain, even to the present time, although some have fallen asleep.
7 Next, he was seen by James, then by all the Apostles.
8 And last of all, he was seen also by me, as if I were someone born at the wrong time.
9 For I am the least of the Apostles. I am not worthy 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 in me has not been empty, since I have labored more abundantly than all of them. Yet it is not I, but the grace of God within me.
11 For whether it is I or they: so we preach, and so you have believed.
12 Now if Christ is preached, that he rose again from the dead, how is it that some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen.
14 And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is useless, and your faith is also useless.
15 Then, too, we would be found to be false witnesses of God, because we would have given testimony against God, saying that he had raised up Christ, when he had not raised him up, if, indeed, the dead do not rise again.
16 For if the dead do not rise again, then neither has Christ risen again.
17 But if Christ has not risen, then your faith is vain; for you would still be in your sins.
18 Then, too, those who have fallen asleep in Christ would have perished.
19 If we have hope in Christ for this life only, then we are more miserable than all men.
20 But now Christ has risen again from the dead, as the first-fruits of those who sleep.
21 For certainly, death came through a man. And so, the resurrection of the dead came through a man
22 And just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be brought to life,
23 but each one in his proper order: Christ, as the first-fruits, and next, those who are of Christ, who have believed in his advent.
24 Afterwards is the end, when he will have handed over the kingdom to God the Father, when he will have emptied all principality, and authority, and power.
25 For it is necessary for him to reign, until he has set all his enemies under his feet.
26 Lastly, the enemy called death shall be destroyed. For he has subjected all things under his feet. And although he says,
27 "All things have been subjected to him," without doubt he does not include the One who has subjected all things to him.
28 And when all things will have been subjected to him, then even the Son himself will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what will those who are being baptized for the dead do, if the dead do not rise again at all? Why then are they being baptized for them?
30 Why also do we endure trials every hour?
31 Daily I die, by means of your boasting, brothers: you whom I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
32 If, according to man, I fought with the beasts at Ephesus, how would that benefit me, if the dead do not rise again? "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die."
33 Do not be led astray. Evil communication corrupts good morals.
34 Be vigilant, you just ones, and do not be willing to sin. For certain persons have an ignorance of God. I say this to you with respect.
35 But someone may say, "How do the dead rise again?" or, "What type of body do they return with?"
36 How foolish! What you sow cannot be brought back to life, unless it first dies.
37 And what you sow is not the body that will be in the future, but a bare grain, such as of wheat, or of some other grain.
38 For God gives it a body according to his will, and according to each seed's proper body.
39 Not all flesh is the same flesh. But one is indeed of men, another truly is of beasts, another is of birds, and another is of fish.
40 Also, there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But while the one, certainly, has the glory of heaven, the other has the glory of earth.
41 One has the brightness of the sun, another the brightness of the moon, and another the brightness of the stars. For even star differs from star in brightness.
42 So it is also with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown in corruption shall rise to incorruption.
43 What is sown in dishonor shall rise to glory. What is sown in weakness shall rise to power.
44 What is sown with an animal body shall rise with a spiritual body. If there is an animal body, there is also a spiritual one.
45 Just as it was written that the first man, Adam, was made with a living soul, so shall the last Adam be made with a spirit brought back to life.
46 So what is, at first, not spiritual, but animal, next becomes spiritual.
47 The first man, being earthly, was of the earth; the second man, being heavenly, will be of heaven.
48 Such things as are like the earth are earthly; and such things as are like the heavens are heavenly.
49 And so, just as we have carried the image of what is earthly, let us also carry the image of what is heavenly.
50 Now I say this, brothers, because flesh and blood is not able to possess the kingdom of God; neither will what is corrupt possess what is incorrupt.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery. Certainly, we shall all rise again, but we shall not all be transformed:
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise up, incorruptible. And we shall be transformed.
53 Thus, it is necessary for this corruptibility to be clothed with incorruptibility, and for this mortality to be clothed with immortality.
54 And when this mortality has been clothed with immortality, then the word that was written shall occur: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 And so, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and unmovable, abounding always in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not useless in the Lord.
Currently Selected:
1 Corinthians 15: CPDV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
1 Corinthians 15
15
The Good News About Jesus Christ
1Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to remember the Good News I told you. You received that Good News message, and you continue to base your life on it. 2That Good News, the message you heard from me, is God’s way to save you. But you must continue believing it. If you don’t, you believed for nothing.
3I gave you the message that I received. I told you the most important truths: that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say; 4that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day, as the Scriptures say; 5and that he appeared to Peter and then to the twelve apostles. 6After that Christ appeared to more than 500 other believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died. 7Then he appeared to James and later to all the apostles. 8Last of all, he appeared to me. I was different, like a baby born before the normal time.
9All the other apostles are greater than I am. I say this because I persecuted the church of God. That is why I am not even good enough to be called an apostle. 10But, because of God’s grace, that is what I am. And his grace that he gave me was not wasted. I worked harder than all the other apostles. (But I was not really the one working. It was God’s grace that was with me.) 11So then it is not important if I told you God’s message or if it was the other apostles who told you—we all tell people the same message, and this is what you believed.
We Will Be Raised From Death
12We tell everyone that Christ was raised from death. So why do some of you say that people will not be raised from death? 13If no one will ever be raised from death, then Christ has never been raised. 14And if Christ has never been raised, then the message we tell is worth nothing. And your faith is worth nothing. 15And we will also be guilty of lying about God, because we have told people about him, saying that he raised Christ from death. And if no one is raised from death, then God never raised Christ from death. 16If those who have died are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised from death, then your faith is for nothing; you are still guilty of your sins. 18And those in Christ who have already died are lost. 19If our hope in Christ is only for this life here on earth, then people should feel more sorry for us than for anyone else.
20But Christ really has been raised from death—the first one of all those who will be raised. 21Death comes to people because of what one man did. But now there is resurrection from death because of another man. 22I mean that in Adam all of us die. And in the same way, in Christ all of us will be made alive again. 23But everyone will be raised to life in the right order. Christ was first to be raised. Then, when Christ comes again, those who belong to him will be raised to life. 24Then the end will come. Christ will destroy all rulers, authorities, and powers. Then he will give the kingdom to God the Father.
25Christ must rule until God puts all enemies under his control.#15:25 control Literally, “feet.” 26The last enemy to be destroyed will be death. 27As the Scriptures say, “God put everything under his control.”#Quote from Ps. 8:6. When it says that “everything” is put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself. God is the one putting everything under Christ’s control. 28After everything has been put under Christ, then the Son himself will be put under God. God is the one who put everything under Christ. And Christ will be put under God so that God will be the complete ruler over everything.
29If no one will ever be raised from death, then what will the people do who are baptized for those who have died? If the dead are never raised, then why are people baptized for them?
30And what about us? Why do we put ourselves in danger every hour? 31I face death every day. That is true, brothers and sisters, just as it is true that I am proud of what you are because of Christ Jesus our Lord. 32I fought wild animals in Ephesus. If I did that only for human reasons, then I have gained nothing. If we are not raised from death, “Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we die.”#Quote from Isa. 22:13; 56:12.
33Don’t be fooled: “Bad friends will ruin good habits.” 34Come back to your right way of thinking and stop sinning. Some of you don’t know God. I say this to shame you.
What Kind of Body Will We Have?
35But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have?” 36These are stupid questions. When you plant something, it must die in the ground before it can live and grow. 37And when you plant something, what you plant does not have the same “body” that it will have later. What you plant is only a seed, maybe wheat or something else. 38But God gives it the body that he has planned for it, and he gives each kind of seed its own body. 39All things made of flesh are not the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds have another, and fish have yet another kind. 40Also there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the beauty of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the beauty of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of beauty, the moon has another kind, and the stars have another. And each star is different in its beauty.
42It will be the same when those who have died are raised to life. The body that is “planted” in the grave will ruin and decay, but it will be raised to a life that cannot be destroyed. 43When the body is “planted,” it is without honor. But when it is raised, it will be great and glorious. When the body is “planted,” it is weak. But when it is raised, it will be full of power. 44The body that is “planted” is a physical body. When it is raised, it will be a spiritual body.
There is a physical body. So there is also a spiritual body. 45As the Scriptures say, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.#15:45 person Literally, “soul.””#Quote from Gen. 2:7. But the last Adam#15:45 Adam The name Adam means “man.” Here, “the last Adam” refers to Christ, the “man of heaven.” is a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual man did not come first. It was the physical man that came first; then came the spiritual. 47The first man came from the dust of the earth. The second man came from heaven. 48All people belong to the earth. They are like that first man of earth. But those who belong to heaven are like that man of heaven. 49We were made like that man of earth, so we will also be made like that man of heaven.
50I tell you this, brothers and sisters: Our bodies of flesh and blood cannot have a part in God’s kingdom. Something that will ruin cannot have a part in something that never ruins. 51But listen, I tell you this secret: We will not all die, but we will all be changed. 52It will only take the time of a second. We will be changed as quickly as an eye blinks. This will happen when the last trumpet blows. The trumpet will blow and those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we will all be changed. 53This body that ruins must clothe itself with something that will never ruin. And this body that dies must clothe itself with something that will never die. 54So this body that ruins will clothe itself with that which never ruins. And this body that dies will clothe itself with that which never dies. When this happens, the Scriptures will be made true:
“Death is swallowed in victory.” Isaiah 25:8
55“O death, where is your victory?
Where is your power to hurt?” Hosea 13:14
56Death’s power to hurt is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But we thank God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
58So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International