1 Corinthians 15:1-32

1Brothers and sisters, I’m making known to you the Good News which I already told you, which you received, and on which your faith is based.

2In addition, you are saved by this Good News if you hold on to the doctrine I taught you, unless you believed it without thinking it over.

3I passed on to you the most important points of doctrine that I had received: Christ died to take away our sins as the Scriptures predicted.

4He was placed in a tomb. He was brought back to life on the third day as the Scriptures predicted.

5He appeared to Cephas. Next he appeared to the twelve apostles.

6Then he appeared to more than 500 believers at one time. (Most of these people are still living, but some have died.)

7Next he appeared to James. Then he appeared to all the apostles.

8Last of all, he also appeared to me. I’m like an aborted child ⌞who was given life⌟.

9I’m the least of the apostles. I’m not even fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted God’s church.

10But God’s kindness  made me what I am, and that kindness was not wasted on me. Instead, I worked harder than all the others. It was not I who did it, but God’s kindness was with me.

11So, whether it was I or someone else, this is the message we brought you, and this is what you believed.

12If we have told you that Christ has been brought back to life, how can some of you say that coming back from the dead is impossible?

13If the dead can’t be brought back to life, then Christ hasn’t come back to life.

14If Christ hasn’t come back to life, our message has no meaning and your faith also has no meaning.

15In addition, we are obviously witnesses who lied about God because we testified that he brought Christ back to life. But if it’s true that the dead don’t come back to life, then God didn’t bring Christ back to life.

16Certainly, if the dead don’t come back to life, then Christ hasn’t come back to life either.

17If Christ hasn’t come back to life, your faith is worthless and sin still has you in its power.

18Then those who have died as believers in Christ no longer exist.

19If Christ is our hope in this life only, we deserve more pity than any other people.

20But now Christ has come back from the dead. He is the very first person of those who have died to come back to life.

21Since a man brought death, a man also brought life back from death.

22As everyone dies because of Adam, so also everyone will be made alive because of Christ.

23This will happen to each person in his own turn. Christ is the first, then at his coming, those who belong to him ⌞will be made alive⌟.

24Then the end will come. Christ will hand over the kingdom to God the Father as he destroys every ruler, authority, and power.

25Christ must rule until God has put every enemy under his control.

26The last enemy he will destroy is death.

27Clearly, God has put everything under Christ’s authority. When God says that everything has been put under Christ’s authority, this clearly excludes God, since God has put everything under Christ’s authority.

28But when God puts everything under Christ’s authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, since God had put everything under the Son’s authority. Then God will be in control of everything.

29However, people are baptized because the dead ⌞will come back to life⌟. What will they do? If the dead can’t come back to life, why do people get baptized as if they can ⌞come back to life⌟?

30Why are we constantly putting ourselves in danger?

31Brothers and sisters, I swear to you on my pride in you which Christ Jesus our Lord has given me: I face death every day.

32If I have fought with wild animals in Ephesus, what have I gained according to the way people look at things? If the dead are not brought back to life, “Let’s eat and drink because tomorrow we’re going to die!”