1 Corinthians 15:1-23

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.

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,