1 Corinthians 15

The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection

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

3For 7I handed down 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 1415Cephas, then 16to the twelve. 6After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some 17have fallen asleep; 7then He appeared to 1819James, then to 20all the apostles; 8and last of all, as 21to one untimely born, 22He appeared to me also. 9For I am 23the least of the apostles, 24and not fit to be called an apostle, because I 25persecuted the church of God. 10But by 26the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I 27labored even more than all of them, yet 28not 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 29is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14and 30if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. 15Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified 31against God that He 32raised 33Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; 17and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; 34you are still in your sins. 18Then also those who 35have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are 36of all people most to be pitied.

The Order of Resurrection

20But the fact is, Christ 37has been raised from the dead, the 38first fruits of those who 39are asleep. 21For since 40by a man death came, by a Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For 41as in Adam all die, so also in 42Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ 43the first fruits, after that 44those who are Christ’s at 45His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over 46the kingdom to our 47God and Father, when He has abolished 48all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign 49until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be 50abolished is death. 27For 51He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “52All things are put in subjection,” it is clear that 53this excludes the Father who put all things in subjection to Him. 28When 54all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that 55God may be all in all.

29For otherwise, what will those do who are baptized 56for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized 57for them? 30Why are we also 58in danger every hour? 31I affirm, brothers and sisters, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that 59I die daily. 32If 60from human motives I 61fought with wild beasts at 62Ephesus, what good is it to me? If the dead are not raised, 63let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 3364Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 3465Sober up 66morally and stop sinning, for some have 67no knowledge of God. 68I say this to your shame.

35But 69someone will say, “How are 70the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” 3671You fool! That which you 72sow 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 73something else. 38But God gives it a body just as He wished, and 74to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of mankind, another flesh of animals, 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, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

4275So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown 7677a perishable body, it is raised 7879an imperishable body; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in 80glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a 81natural body, it is raised a 82spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So also it is written: “The first 83man, Adam, became a living 84person.” The 85last Adam was a 86life-giving spirit. 46However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47The first man is 87from the earth, 8889earthy; the second Man is from heaven. 48As is the earthy one, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly One, 90so also are those who are heavenly. 49Just as we have 91borne the image of the earthy, 92we 93will also bear the image of the heavenly.

The Mystery of Resurrection

50Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that 94flesh and blood cannot 95inherit the kingdom of God; nor does 96the perishable inherit 9798the imperishable. 51Behold, I am telling you a 99100mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be 101changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for 102the trumpet will sound, and 103the dead will be raised 104imperishable, and 105we will be changed. 53For this 106perishable must put on 107108the imperishable, and this 109mortal must put on immortality. 54But when this 110perishable puts on 111the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “112Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55113Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” 56The sting of 114death is sin, and 115the power of sin is the Law; 57but 116thanks be to God, who gives us the 117victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58118Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in 119the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.