THE NATURE OF THE RESURRECTION BODY

35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” 36 You fool! What you sow does not come to lifea unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he wants,b and to each of the seeds its own body. 39 Not all fleshc is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendord of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. 41 There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; in fact, one star differs from another star in splendor. 42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption;e 43 sown in dishonor,f raised in glory;g sown in weakness, raised in power;h 44 sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being;A,i the last Adamj became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual.

47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust;k the second man isB from heaven. 48 Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.l 49 And just as we have borne the imagem of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.n

VICTORIOUS RESURRECTION

50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesho and bloodp cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.q For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible body must be clothedr with incorruptibility,s and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place:

Death has been swallowed upt in victory.C,u

55 Where, death, is your victory?

Where, death, is your sting?D,v

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sinw is the law.x 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victoryy through our Lord Jesus Christ!

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work,z because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.