1 Corinthians 15
15
Resurrection Essential to the Gospel
1Now brothers, I want to clarify # Or I make known for you the gospel I proclaimed to you; you received it and have taken your stand # Pr 24:16 on it. 2You are also saved by it, if you hold to the message I proclaimed to you — unless you believed for no purpose. # Or believed without careful thought, or believed in vain # Gl 4:11; Heb 6:8 3For I passed on to you # Jd 3 as most important what I also received:
that Christ died # 1Co 8:11 for our sins
according to the Scriptures, # Mt 26:54; 1Pt 1:20
4that He was buried, # Mt 27:59-60; Mk 15:46; Lk 23:53; Jn 19:41-42
that He was raised on the third day # 1Th 4:14
according to the Scriptures, # Ps 16:10; Is 53:10; Hs 6:2; Mt 12:40; Jn 2:22; Ac 2:25-32; 13:33-35; 26:22-23
5and that He appeared to Cephas, # Lk 24:34
then to the Twelve. # Mk 16:14; Lk 24:36; Jn 20:19,26; Ac 10:41
6Then He appeared to over 500 brothers at one time; # Mt 28:10-20
most of them are still alive,
but some have fallen asleep.
7Then He appeared to James, # Jms 1:1
then to all the apostles. # Ac 1:3-11
8Last of all, as to one abnormally born, # Or one whose birth was unusual, He # 1Tm 1:13-16
He also appeared to me. # Ac 9:1-8
9For I am the least of the apostles, # Eph 3:8; 1Tm 1:16-17 unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted # Php 3:6 the church of God. 10But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me. # 2Co 3:5; Php 2:13; Col 1:29 11Therefore, whether it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.
Resurrection Essential to the Faith
12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, # Mt 17:9 how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? # Mt 22:23; Mk 12:18; Lk 20:27; Ac 23:8; 2Tm 2:18 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without foundation, and so is your faith. # Or proclamation is useless, and your faith also is useless, or proclamation is empty, and your faith also is empty 15In addition, we are found to be false witnesses # Mt 26:60 about God, because we have testified # Jn 15:26 about God that He raised up Christ — whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18Therefore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ # 1Th 4:16; 1Pt 5:14 have also perished. 19If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
Christ’s Resurrection Guarantees Ours
20But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits # Ex 23:19; Lv 2:12; Rm 8:23; Col 1:18 of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death # Mt 10:21; Jn 8:51; Php 3:10 came through a man, # Gn 3:1-7; Rm 5:12-14 the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. # Mt 28:5-6; Mk 16:6; Lk 24:5-8,34; Jn 11:25; 20:9,15-18 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. # Rm 14:9 23But each in his own order: # 1Th 4:17 Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming, those who belong to Christ. 24Then comes the end, # Mt 24:6; Mk 13:7 when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, # Mt 5:16; 11:27; Lk 11:13; Jn 8:42; Eph 5:20 when He abolishes all rule and all authority and power. # Ac 8:10; Eph 1:21; 1Pt 3:22 25For He must reign # Lk 1:33; Rv 11:15 until He puts all His enemies under His feet. # Ps 110:1; Mt 22:44; Eph 1:22 26The last enemy to be abolished is death. # 2Co 5:4 27For God has put everything under His feet. # Ps 8:6 # Ps 8:6 But when it says “everything” is put under Him, it is obvious that He who puts everything under Him is the exception. 28And when everything is subject to Christ, then the Son # Jn 5:19; Heb 1:2 Himself will also be subject to the One who subjected everything to Him, so that God may be all in all. # Ps 104:24; Eph 1:23
Resurrection Supported by Christian Experience
29Otherwise what will they do who are being baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them? # Other mss read for the dead 30Why are we in danger every hour? 31I affirm by the pride in you that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord: I die every day! # Rm 8:36 32If I fought wild animals in Ephesus # Eph 1:1 with only human hope, # Lit Ephesus according to man what good did that do me? # Lit what to me the profit? # 1Th 2:19 If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. # Is 22:13 # Is 22:13 33Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” # A quotation from the poet Menander, Thais, 218 34Come to your senses # Lit Sober up righteously # Ti 2:12 and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame. # 1Co 4:14
The Nature of the Resurrection Body
35But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come? ” 36Foolish one! What you sow does not come to life # Jn 12:24 unless it dies. 37And as for what you sow — you are not sowing the future body, but only a seed, # Lit but a naked seed perhaps of wheat or another grain. 38But God gives it a body as He wants, # Ps 143:10; Pr 16:9; Jn 5:30; Gl 1:4; Eph 1:9; 1Jn 2:17 and to each of the seeds its own body. 39Not all flesh # Php 3:3 is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor # Lk 9:31-32; Ac 22:11 of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. 41There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; for one star differs from another star in splendor. 42So it is with the resurrection of the dead:
Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; # Rm 2:7; Eph 6:24; 2Tm 1:10
43sown in dishonor, # 2Co 6:8 raised in glory; # 1Pt 5:4
sown in weakness, raised in power; # Mk 5:30; Lk 1:35; 6:19; Ac 19:11; 2Co 13:4; Rv 11:17
44sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: The first man Adam became a living being; # Gn 2:7 # Gn 2:7 the last Adam # Rm 8:2 became a life-giving Spirit. 46However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual.
47The first man was from the earth
and made of dust; # Gn 2:7; 3:19; Ps 90:3
the second man is # Other mss add the Lord from heaven.
48Like the man made of dust,
so are those who are made of dust;
like the heavenly man,
so are those who are heavenly. # Php 3:20-21
49And just as we have borne
the image # Gn 1:27 of the man made of dust,
we will also bear
the image of the heavenly man. # 1Jn 3:2
Victorious Resurrection
50Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh # Php 3:3 and blood # Mt 16:17 cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption. 51Listen! I am telling you a mystery:
We will not all fall asleep,
but we will all be changed,
52in a moment, in the blink of an eye,
at the last trumpet. # Mt 24:31; 1Pt 1:5
For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
and we will be changed.
53For this corruptible must be clothed # Pr 31:25
with incorruptibility, # 1Pt 1:18
and this mortal must be clothed
with immortality.
54When this corruptible is clothed
with incorruptibility,
and this mortal is clothed
with immortality,
then the saying that is written will take place:
Death has been swallowed up # Mt 23:24 in victory. # Is 25:8 # Is 25:8
55Death, where is your victory?
Death, where is your sting? # Hs 13:14 # Hs 13:14
56Now the sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin # Rm 4:15 is the law. # Gl 5:4
57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory # 1Jn 5:5
through our Lord Jesus Christ!
58Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, # Mk 14:6; Gl 3:10; Jms 2:14-26 knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
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© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
1 Corinthians 15
15
The resurrection
1Brothers and sisters, I want to call your attention to the good news that I preached to you, which you also received and in which you stand. 2You are being saved through it if you hold on to the message I preached to you, unless somehow you believed it for nothing. 3I passed on to you as most important what I also received: Christ died for our sins in line with the scriptures, 4he was buried, and he rose on the third day in line with the scriptures. 5He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve, 6and then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once—most of them are still alive to this day, though some have died. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me, as if I were born at the wrong time. 9I’m the least important of the apostles. I don’t deserve to be called an apostle, because I harassed God’s church. 10I am what I am by God’s grace, and God’s grace hasn’t been for nothing. In fact, I have worked harder than all the others—that is, it wasn’t me but the grace of God that is with me. 11So then, whether you heard the message from me or them, this is what we preach and this is what you have believed.
12So if the message that is preached says that Christ has been raised from the dead, then how can 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. 14If Christ hasn’t been raised, then our preaching is useless and your faith is useless. 15We are found to be false witnesses about God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, when he didn’t raise him if it’s the case that the dead aren’t raised. 16If the dead aren’t raised, then Christ hasn’t been raised either. 17If Christ hasn’t been raised, then your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins, 18and what’s more, those who have died in Christ are gone forever. 19If we have a hope in Christ only in this life, then we deserve to be pitied more than anyone else.
20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. He’s the first crop of the harvest#15.20 Or firstfruits of those who have died. 21Since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came through one too. 22In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ. 23Each event will happen in the right order: Christ, the first crop of the harvest,#15.23 Or firstfruits then those who belong to Christ at his coming, 24and then the end, when Christ hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he brings every form of rule, every authority and power to an end. 25It is necessary for him to rule until “he puts all enemies under his feet”.#15.25 Ps 110:1 26Death is the last enemy to be brought to an end, 27since he has brought everything under control under his feet. When it says that everything has been brought under his control, this clearly means everything except for the one who placed everything under his control. 28But when all things have been brought under his control, then the Son himself will also be under the control of the one who gave him control over everything so that God may be all in all.
29Otherwise, what are those who are getting baptized for the dead doing? If the dead aren’t raised, then why are they being baptized for them? 30And what about us? Why are we in danger all day every day? 31Brothers and sisters, I swear by the pride I have in you in Christ Jesus our Lord, I’m facing death every day. 32From a human point of view, what good does it do me if I fought wild animals in Ephesus? If the dead aren’t raised, “let’s eat and drink because tomorrow we’ll die”.#15.32 Isa 22:13 33Don’t be deceived, bad company corrupts good character. 34Sober up by acting like you should and don’t sin. Some of you are ignorant about God—I say this because you should be ashamed of yourselves!
35But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come back?” 36Look, fool! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t come back to life unless it dies. 37What you put in the ground doesn’t have the shape that it will have, but it’s a bare grain of wheat or some other seed. 38God gives it the sort of shape that he chooses, and he gives each of the seeds its own shape. 39All flesh isn’t alike. Humans have one kind of flesh, animals have another kind of flesh, birds have another kind of flesh, and fish have another kind. 40There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. The heavenly bodies have one kind of glory, and the earthly bodies have another kind of glory. 41The sun has one kind of glory, the moon has another kind of glory, and the stars have another kind of glory (but one star is different from another star in its glory). 42It’s the same with the resurrection of the dead: a rotting body is put into the ground, but what is raised won’t ever decay. 43It’s degraded when it’s put into the ground, but it’s raised in glory. It’s weak when it’s put into the ground, but it’s raised in power. 44It’s a physical body when it’s put into the ground, but it’s raised as a spiritual body.
If there’s a physical body, there’s also a spiritual body. 45So it is also written, “The first human, Adam, became a living person,”#15.45 Gen 2:7 and the last Adam became a spirit that gives life. 46But the physical body comes first, not the spiritual one—the spiritual body comes afterward. 47The first human was from the earth made from dust; the second human is from heaven. 48The nature of the person made of dust is shared by people who are made of dust, and the nature of the heavenly person is shared by heavenly people. 49We will look like#15.49 Or bear the image of the heavenly person in the same way as we have looked like the person made from dust.
50This is what I’m saying, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood can’t inherit God’s kingdom. Something that rots can’t inherit something that doesn’t decay. 51Listen, I’m telling you a secret: All of us won’t die, but we will all be changed— 52in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the final trumpet. The trumpet will blast, and the dead will be raised with bodies that won’t decay, and we will be changed. 53It’s necessary for this rotting body to be clothed with what can’t decay, and for the body that is dying to be clothed in what can’t die. 54And when the rotting body has been clothed in what can’t decay, and the dying body has been clothed in what can’t die, then this statement in scripture will happen:
“Death has been swallowed up by a victory”.#15.54 Isa 25:8
55“Where is your victory, Death?”
“Where is your sting, Death?”#15.55 Hos 13:14
(56Death’s sting is sin, and the power of sin is the Law.) 57Thanks be to God, who gives us this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58As a result of all this, my loved brothers and sisters, you must stand firm, unshakable, excelling in the work of the Lord as always, because you know that your labor isn’t going to be for nothing in the Lord.
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