1 Corinthians 15
15
1NOW I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand;
2By which also you are saved, if you hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.
3For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures:
4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures:
5And that he was seen by Cephas; and after that by the eleven.
6Then he was seen by more than five hundred brethren at once: of whom many remain until this present, and some are fallen asleep.
7After that, he was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time.
9For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10But by the grace of God, I am what I am; and his grace in me hath not been void, but I have laboured more abundantly than all they: yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
11For whether I, or they, so we preach, and so you have believed.
12Now if Christ be preached, that he arose again from the dead, how do some among you say, that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen again.
14And if Christ be not risen again, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God: because we have given testimony against God, that he hath raised up Christ; whom he hath not raised up, if the dead rise not again.
16For if the dead rise not again, neither is Christ risen again.
17And if Christ be not risen again, your faith is vain, for you are yet in your sins.
18Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ, are perished.
19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20But now Christ is risen from the dead, the firstfruits of them that sleep:
21For by a man came death, and by a man the resurrection of the dead.
22And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.
23But every one in his own order: the firstfruits Christ, then they that are of Christ, who have believed in his coming.
24Afterwards the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father, when he shall have brought to nought all principality, and power, and virtue.
25For he must reign, until he hath put all his enemies under his feet.
26And the enemy death shall be destroyed last: For he hath put all things under his feet. And whereas he saith,
27All things are put under him; undoubtedly, he is excepted, who put all things under him.
28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then the Son also himself shall be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
29Otherwise what shall they do that are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not again at all? why are they then baptized for them?
30Why also are we in danger every hour?
31I die daily, I protest by your glory, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
32If (according to man) I fought with beasts at Ephesus, what doth it profit me, if the dead rise not again? Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die.
33Be not seduced: Evil communications corrupt good manners.
34Awake, ye just, and sin not. For some have not the knowledge of God, I speak it to your shame.
35But some man will say: How do the dead rise again? or with what manner of body shall they come?
36Senseless man, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die first.
37And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be; but bare grain, as of wheat, or of some of the rest.
38But God giveth it a body as he will: and to every seed its proper body.
39All flesh is not the same flesh: but one is the flesh of men, another of beasts, another of birds, another of fishes.
40And there are bodies celestial, and bodies terrestrial: but, one is the glory of the celestial, and another of the terrestrial.
41One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, and another the glory of the stars. For star differeth from star in glory.
42So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption.
43It is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power.
44It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body. If there be a natural body, there is also a spiritual body, as it is written:
45The first man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam into a quickening spirit.
46Yet that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; afterwards that which is spiritual.
47The first man was of the earth, earthly: the second man, from heaven, heavenly.
48Such as is the earthly, such also are the earthly: and such as is the heavenly, such also are they that are heavenly.
49Therefore as we have borne the image of the earthly, let us bear also the image of the heavenly.
50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot possess the kingdom of God: neither shall corruption possess incorruption.
51Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall all indeed rise again: but we shall not all be changed.
52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise again incorruptible: and we shall be changed.
53For this corruptible must put on incorruption; and this mortal must put on immortality.
54And when this mortal hath put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.
55O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?
56Now the sting of death is sin: and the power of sin is the law.
57But thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmoveable; always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
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1 Corinthians 15: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1 Corinthians 15
15
1Now I want to remind you about the good news I announced to you. You accepted it, and you have stood firm for it. 2It is through this good news that you are saved if you hold on to the message that I gave you. Otherwise you trusted for nothing! 3I passed on to you what I myself had also received, a message of vital importance: that Christ died for our sins, according to Scripture; 4he was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day, again in accordance with Scripture. 5He appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve. 6After that he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still alive today, though some have died. 7He appeared to James, then all the apostles. 8Last of all, he also appeared to me, someone born as it were at the wrong time. 9For I'm the least important apostle of all, not even fit to be called an apostle since I persecuted God's church. 10But by God's grace I am what I am, and his grace given to me wasn't wasted. On the contrary I've worked harder than all of them—though not me, but God's grace working through me. 11So whether it's I or they, this is the message we shared with you that brought you to trust in God.
12Now if the message declares that Christ has been raised from the dead, how is it that some of you say there's no resurrection of the dead? 13If there's no resurrection of the dead then Christ hasn't been raised either. 14And if Christ isn't raised, then our message we shared with you is pointless, and your trust in God is pointless too. 15In addition, we would be shown to be false witnesses of God when we testified that God raised Christ from the dead. But God didn't raise Christ from the dead if it's true that there's no resurrection. 16If the dead are not raised, then Christ hasn't been raised either, 17and if Christ hasn't been raised, then your trust in God is useless, and you are still in your sins. 18This also means that those who died in Christ are lost. 19If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we're the most pitiful people of all!
20But Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits#15:20. The word “firstfruits” refers to the first sample of a harvest that was given as an offering to God, also seen as a guarantee of a successful harvest. Christ as the firstfruits therefore means he is both the initial harvest from the dead and the guarantee of their resurrection. of the harvest from those who have died. 21Just as death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead came through a man. 22Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in their own turn: Christ the firstfruits, then those who belong to Christ when he comes. 24After this comes the end, when Christ hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having destroyed#15:24. Destroyed in the sense of ending their power. all rulers, authorities, and powers. 25Christ has to rule until he has put all his enemies under his feet.#15:25. Meaning they have been conquered and humbled. 26The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27As Scripture says, “He put everything under his feet.”#15:27. Quoting Psalms 8:6. (Of course when it says “everything” is put under him it's obvious this doesn't refer to God who placed everything under Christ's authority.) 28When everything has been placed under Christ's authority, then the Son will also place himself under God's authority, so that God who gave the Son authority over everything may be all in all.#15:28. “All in all.” Various explanations have been given for this phrase. It is obviously referring to the completeness of God's rulership in the Universe, and is perhaps best translated literally from the original as “all in all.”
29Otherwise what will those people do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then would people be baptized for them?#15:29. The theological meaning of this verse is much debated. However, the actual words are translated simply enough. 30As for us, why do we place ourselves in danger hour after hour? 31I die every day—let me say it bluntly, my brothers and sisters. This is just as sure as the pride I have for what Christ Jesus has done in you. 32Humanly speaking, what would I gain by fighting with those people in Ephesus who were like wild animals, if the dead are not raised? If the dead are not raised, “let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”!#15:32. Quoting Isaiah 22:13.
33Don't be fooled: “Bad company ruins good character.” 34Come to your senses as you should, and stop sinning! Some of you don't know God. I tell you this to shame you.
35Of course somebody will ask, “How exactly are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have?” 36What a foolish question! What you sow doesn't sprout into life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you don't sow the plant it will grow into, just the bare seed, whether wheat or whatever you're planting. 38God makes the plant grow into the form he has chosen, and different seeds produce different plants with different forms. 39What living things are made from is not the same. Human beings have one kind of body tissue, while animals have another, birds another, and fish another. 40There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. Heavenly bodies have one kind of beauty, earthly bodies another. 41The sun shines in one way, and the moon another, while the stars are different again, with each one shining in a different way.
42It's the same with the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in decay; it is raised to last forever. 43It is sown in shame; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44It is sown as a natural body; it is raised as a spiritual body. Just as there are natural bodies there are spiritual bodies. 45As Scripture says, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”;#15:45. Quoting Genesis 2:7. but the last Adam a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural—the spiritual came after that. 47The first man is from the dust of the earth; the second man is from heaven. 48Earthly people are like the man made from the earth; heavenly people are like the man from heaven. 49Just as we bore the likeness of the earthly man so we shall bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50However, I tell you this, my brothers and sisters: our present bodies#15:50. Literally, “flesh and blood.” cannot inherit the kingdom of God. These decaying bodies cannot inherit what lasts forever.
51Listen, I'm going to reveal a mystery! Not all of us will die—but we will all be changed, 52in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet. The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised never to die again, and we will be changed. 53For this perishable body must be clothed with a body that never perishes. This mortal life must be clothed with immortality. 54When this perishable body has been clothed with a body that never perishes, and this mortal life has been clothed with immortality, then the Scripture will come true that says, “Death has been totally conquered and destroyed. 55Death—where's your victory? Death—where's your sting?”#15:55. Referencing Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 13:14. 56The sting that causes death is sin; and the power of sin is the law; 57but praise God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58So my dear brothers and sisters: be strong, stand firm, doing everything you can for the Lord's work, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord is wasted.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com