1 Corinthians 15:4-58

4and that He was buried, and that He was 1raised on the third day 2according to the Scriptures, 5and that 3He appeared to 4Cephas, then 5to the twelve. 6After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some 6have fallen asleep; 7then He appeared to 78James, then to 9all the apostles; 8and last of all, as 10to one untimely born, 11He appeared to me also. 9For I am 12the least of the apostles, 13and not fit to be called an apostle, because I 14persecuted the church of God. 10But by 15the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I 16labored even more than all of them, yet 17not 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 18is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14and 19if 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 20against God that He 21raised 22Christ, 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; 23you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who 24have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are 25of all men most to be pitied.

20But now Christ 26has been raised from the dead, the 27first fruits of those who 28are asleep. 21For since 29by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For 30as in Adam all die, so also in 31Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ 32the first fruits, after that 33those who are Christ’s at 34His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over 35the kingdom to the 36God and Father, when He has abolished 37all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign 38until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be 39abolished is death. 27For 40He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “41All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28When 42all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that 43God 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 44in danger every hour? 31I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, 45I die daily. 32If 46from human motives I 47fought with wild beasts at 48Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, 49let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 3350Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 3451Become sober-minded 52as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have 53no knowledge of God. 54I speak this to your shame.

35But 55someone will say, “How are 56the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” 3657You fool! That which you 58sow 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 59something else. 38But God gives it a body just as He wished, and 60to 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.

4261So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown 6263a perishable body, it is raised 6465an imperishable body; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in 66glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a 67natural body, it is raised a 68spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So also it is written, “The first 69man, Adam, became a living soul.” The 70last Adam became a 71life-giving spirit. 46However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47The first man is 72from the earth, 7374earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, 75so also are those who are heavenly. 49Just as we have 76borne the image of the earthy, 77we 78will also bear the image of the heavenly.

50Now I say this, brethren, that 79flesh and blood cannot 80inherit the kingdom of God; nor does 81the perishable inherit 8283the imperishable. 51Behold, I tell you a 84mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be 85changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for 86the trumpet will sound, and 87the dead will be raised 88imperishable, and 89we will be changed. 53For this 90perishable must put on 9192the imperishable, and this 93mortal must put on immortality. 54But when this 94perishable will have put on 95the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “96Death is swallowed up in victory. 5597O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56The sting of 98death is sin, and 99the power of sin is the law; 57but 100thanks be to God, who gives us the 101victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58102Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in 103the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.