1 Corinthians 15 (New American Standard)

The Fact of Christ's Resurrection

1 Now ¹I make known to you, brethren, the ²gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, ³in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, ⁴if you hold fast ^athe word which I preached to you, ⁵unless you believed in vain. 3 For ⁶I delivered to you ^bas of first importance what I also received, that Christ died ⁷for our sins ⁸according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was ⁹raised on the third day ¹⁰according to the Scriptures, 5 and that ¹¹He appeared to ¹²Cephas, then ¹³to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some ¹⁴have fallen asleep ; 7 then He appeared to ^c15James, then to ¹⁶all the apostles ; 8 and last of all, as ^dto one untimely born, ¹⁷He appeared to me also. 9 For I am ¹⁸the least of the apostles, ^eand not fit to be called an apostle, because I ¹⁹persecuted the church of God. 10 But by ²⁰the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain ; but I ²¹labored even more than all of them, yet ²²not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there ²³is no resurrection of the dead ? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised ; 14 and ²⁴if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified ^fagainst God that He ²⁵raised ^gChrist, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised ; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless ; ²⁶you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who ²⁷have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are ²⁸of all men most to be pitied.

The Order of Resurrection

20 But now Christ ²⁹has been raised from the dead, the ³⁰first fruits of those who ³¹are asleep. 21 For since ³²by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For ³³as in Adam all die, so also in ^hChrist all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order : Christ ³⁴the first fruits, after that ³⁵those who are Christ's at ³⁶His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over ³⁷the kingdom to the ³⁸God and Father, when He has abolished ³⁹all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign ⁴⁰until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be ⁴¹abolished is death. 27 For ⁴²HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, "⁴³All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When ⁴⁴all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that ⁴⁵God may be all in all. 29 Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead ? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? 30 Why are we also ⁴⁶in danger every hour ? 31 I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, ⁴⁷I die daily . 32 If ⁱfrom human motives I ⁴⁸fought with wild beasts at ⁴⁹Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, ⁵⁰LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE. 33 ⁵¹Do not be deceived : "Bad company corrupts good morals." 34 ⁵²Become sober-minded ^jas you ought, and stop sinning ; for some have ⁵³no knowledge of God. ⁵⁴I speak this to your shame. 35 But ⁵⁵someone will say, "How are ⁵⁶the dead raised ? And with what kind of body do they come ?" 36 ⁵⁷You fool ! That which you ⁵⁸sow does not come to life unless it dies ; 37 and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of ^ksomething else. 38 But God gives it a body just as He wished, and ⁵⁹to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars ; for star differs from star in glory. 42 ⁶⁰So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown ^l61a perishable body, it is raised ^m62an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in ⁶³glory ; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power ; 44 it is sown a ⁶⁴natural body, it is raised a ⁶⁵spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, "The first ⁶⁶MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL." The ⁶⁷last Adam became a ⁶⁸life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural ; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is ⁶⁹from the earth, ⁿ⁷⁰earthy ; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy ; and as is the heavenly, ⁷¹so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have ⁷²borne the image of the earthy, ^owe ⁷³will also bear the image of the heavenly.

The Mystery of Resurrection

50 Now I say this, brethren, that ⁷⁴flesh and blood cannot ⁷⁵inherit the kingdom of God ; nor does ^pthe perishable inherit ^q76the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a ⁷⁷mystery ; we will not all sleep, but we will all be ⁷⁸changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet ; for ⁷⁹the trumpet will sound, and ⁸⁰the dead will be raised ^rimperishable, and ⁸¹we will be changed. 53 For this ^sperishable must put on ^t82the imperishable, and this ⁸³mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this ^uperishable will have put on ^vthe imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "⁸⁴DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. 55 "⁸⁵O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY ? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING ?" 56 The sting of ⁸⁶death is sin, and ⁸⁷the power of sin is the law ; 57 but ⁸⁸thanks be to God, who gives us the ⁸⁹victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 ⁹⁰Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in ⁹¹the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.