1 Corinthians 15:3-23

3For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.

6Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep.

7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

8Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.

9For I am the least of the apostles, 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 toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

11Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.

12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”?

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

14and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.

15Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly 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, not even Christ has been raised.

17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

18Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished.

19If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.

20But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.

22For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

23But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.