1 Corinthians 15

The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection

1Now 1I make known to you, brethren, the 2gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, 3in which also you stand, 2by which also you are saved, 4if you hold fast 5the word which I preached to you, 6unless you believed in vain.

3For 7I delivered to you 8as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died 9for our sins 10according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was 11raised on the third day 12according to the Scriptures, 5and that 13He appeared to 14Cephas, then 15to the twelve. 6After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some 16have fallen asleep; 7then He appeared to 1718James, then to 19all the apostles; 8and last of all, as 20to one untimely born, 21He appeared to me also. 9For I am 22the least of the apostles, 23and not fit to be called an apostle, because I 24persecuted the church of God. 10But by 25the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I 26labored even more than all of them, yet 27not I, but the grace of God with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

12Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there 28is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14and 29if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified 30against God that He 31raised 32Christ, whom He did not raise, 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; 33you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who 34have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are 35of all men most to be pitied.

The Order of Resurrection

20But now Christ 36has been raised from the dead, the 37first fruits of those who 38are asleep. 21For since 39by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For 40as in Adam all die, so also in 41Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ 42the first fruits, after that 43those who are Christ’s at 44His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over 45the kingdom to the 46God and Father, when He has abolished 47all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign 48until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be 49abolished is death. 27For 50He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “51All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28When 52all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that 53God may be all in all.

29Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? 30Why are we also 54in danger every hour? 31I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, 55I die daily. 32If 56from human motives I 57fought with wild beasts at 58Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, 59let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 3360Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 3461Become sober-minded 62as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have 63no knowledge of God. 64I speak this to your shame.

35But 65someone will say, “How are 66the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” 3667You fool! That which you 68sow does not come to life unless it dies; 37and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of 69something else. 38But God gives it a body just as He wished, and 70to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 40There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. 41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

4271So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown 7273a perishable body, it is raised 7475an imperishable body; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in 76glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a 77natural body, it is raised a 78spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So also it is written, “The first 79man, Adam, became a living soul.” The 80last Adam became a 81life-giving spirit. 46However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47The first man is 82from the earth, 8384earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, 85so also are those who are heavenly. 49Just as we have 86borne the image of the earthy, 87we 88will also bear the image of the heavenly.

The Mystery of Resurrection

50Now I say this, brethren, that 89flesh and blood cannot 90inherit the kingdom of God; nor does 91the perishable inherit 9293the imperishable. 51Behold, I tell you a 94mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be 95changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for 96the trumpet will sound, and 97the dead will be raised 98imperishable, and 99we will be changed. 53For this 100perishable must put on 101102the imperishable, and this 103mortal must put on immortality. 54But when this 104perishable will have put on 105the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “106Death is swallowed up in victory. 55107O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56The sting of 108death is sin, and 109the power of sin is the law; 57but 110thanks be to God, who gives us the 111victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58112Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in 113the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.