1 Corinthians 15:35–58

THE NATURE OF THE RESURRECTION BODY

³⁵But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” ³⁶You fool! What you sow does not come to life^a unless it dies. ³⁷And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. ³⁸But God gives it a body as he wants,^b and to each of the seeds its own body. ³⁹Not all flesh^c is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. ⁴⁰There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor^d of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. ⁴¹There 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. ⁴²So 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. ⁴⁵So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being;^Fi the last Adam^j became a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual.

⁴⁷The first man was from the earth, a man of dust;^k the second man is^G from heaven. ⁴⁸Like 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 image^m of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.ⁿ

VICTORIOUS RESURRECTION

⁵⁰What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh^o and blood^p cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, ⁵²in 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. ⁵³For this corruptible body must be clothed^r with incorruptibility,^s and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. ⁵⁴When 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 up^t in victory.^Au

⁵⁵Where, death, is your victory?

Where, death, is your sting?^Bv

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin^w is the law.^{x 57}But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory^y through our Lord Jesus Christ!

⁵⁸Therefore, 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.