1 Corinthians 15:20–49

²⁰But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,^e the firstfruits^f of those who have fallen asleep.^{g 21}For since death came through a man,^h the resurrection of the deadⁱ comes also through a man. ²²For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.^{j 23}But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits;^k then, when he comes,^l those who belong to him.^{m 24}Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdomⁿ to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.^{o 25}For he must reign^p until he has put all his enemies under his feet.^{q 26}The last enemy to be destroyed is death.^{r 27}For he “has put everything under his feet.”^cs Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.^{t 28}When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him,^u so that God may be all in all.^v

²⁹Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? ³⁰And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour?^{w 31}I face death every day^x—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. ³²If I fought wild beasts^y in Ephesus^z with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,

for tomorrow we die.”^da

³³Do not be misled:^b “Bad company corrupts good character.”^{ec 34}Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God^d—I say this to your shame.^e

The Resurrection Body

³⁵But someone will ask,^f “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”^{g 36}How foolish!^h What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.^{i 37}When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. ³⁸But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.^{j 39}Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. ⁴⁰There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹The sun has one kind of splendor,^k the moon another and the stars another;^l and star differs from star in splendor.

⁴²So will it be^m with the resurrection of the dead.ⁿ The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;^{o 43}it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;^p it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.^q

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”^f;^r the last Adam,^s a life-giving spirit.^{t 46}The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.^{u 47}The first man was of the dust of the earth;^v the second man is of heaven.^{w 48}As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.^{x 49}And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man,^y so shall we^g bear the image of the heavenly man.^z