The Risen Christ, Faith’s Reality

15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel awhich I preached to you, which also you received and bin which you stand, 2 cby which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless dyou believed in vain.

3 For eI delivered to you first of all that fwhich I also received: that Christ died for our sins gaccording to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day haccording to the Scriptures, 5 iand that He was seen by 1Cephas, then jby the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have 2fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then kby all the apostles. 8 lThen last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

9 For I am mthe least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because nI persecuted the church of God. 10 But oby the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, pyet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Risen Christ, Our Hope

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, qthen Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because rwe have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; syou are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have 3fallen tasleep in Christ have perished. 19 uIf in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

The Last Enemy Destroyed

20 But now vChrist is risen from the dead, and has become wthe firstfruits of those who have 4fallen asleep. 21 For xsince by man came death, yby Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall zbe made alive. 23 But aeach one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers bthe kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign ctill He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 dThe last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For e“He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 fNow when all things are made subject to Him, then gthe Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Effects of Denying the Resurrection

29 Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? 30 And hwhy do we stand in 5jeopardy every hour? 31 I affirm, by ithe boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, jI die daily. 32 If, in the manner of men, kI have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, l“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

33 Do not be deceived: m“Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 nAwake to righteousness, and do not sin; ofor some do not have the knowledge of God. pI speak this to your shame.

A Glorious Body

35 But someone will say, q“How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” 36 Foolish one, rwhat you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind 6of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

40 There are also 7celestial bodies and 8terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

42 sSo also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 tIt is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, u“The first man Adam became a living being.” vThe last Adam became wa life-giving spirit.

46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 xThe first man was of the earth, ymade 9of dust; the second Man is 1the Lord zfrom heaven. 48 As was the 2man of dust, so also are those who are 2made of dust; aand as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And bas we have borne the image of the man of dust, cwe 3shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

Our Final Victory

50 Now this I say, brethren, that dflesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a 4mystery: eWe shall not all sleep, fbut we shall all be changed—52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. gFor the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and hthis mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: i“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O j 5Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and kthe strength of sin is the law. 57 lBut thanks be to God, who gives us mthe victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 nTherefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing othat your labor is not in vain in the Lord.