1 Corinthians 15:3-15

3For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],

4and that He was buried, and that He was [bodily] raised on the third day according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],

5and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the Twelve.

6After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep [in death].

7Then He was seen by James, then by all the apostles,

8and last of all, as to one untimely (prematurely, traumatically) born, He appeared to me also.

9For I am the least [worthy] of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I [at one time] fiercely oppressed and violently persecuted the church of God.

10But by the [remarkable] grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not without effect. In fact, I worked harder than all of the apostles, though it was not I, but the grace of God [His unmerited favor and blessing which was] with me.

11So whether it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed and trusted in and relied on with confidence.

12Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how is it that some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised;

14and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain [useless, amounting to nothing], and your faith is also vain [imaginary, unfounded, devoid of value and benefit—not based on truth].

15We are even discovered to be false witnesses [misrepresenting] God, because we testified concerning Him that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.