FIRST
CORINTHIANS
First Corinthians
15
1
¶ Now, brethren, I want to remind you of the gospel that I preached to you,
that you believed, and upon which your faith rests;
2
You are saved by it, if you still believe the Word that I preached unto you,
unless you never really believed.
3
For I conveyed to you what is of primary importance as I received it,
how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third
day according to the scriptures:
5
And that he was seen by Peter, then by the twelve:
6
After that, he was seen by over five hundred brethren at once; most of whom are
still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
7
After that, he was seen by James; then by all the apostles.
8
And last of all he was also seen by me, as of one born out of due time.
9
For I am the least of the apostles, and do not deserve to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the
10
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace wasn’t wasted on me; for
I worked harder than all of them: yet not I, but the grace of God that was with
me.
11
Therefore whether I preach or they, that is
what we preach, and that is what you believed.
12
¶ Now if we preach that Christ rose from the dead, how
can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13
For if the dead do not rise, then Christ did not rise:
14
And if Christ did not rise, our preaching is a waste of time, and your faith is
worthless.
15
Not only that, but we stand condemned as men who lied about God; because
we have testified that God raised Christ from the dead: whom he did not raise,
if it is true that the dead do not rise.
16
For if the dead do not rise, then Christ has not
risen:
17
And if Christ has not risen, your faith is worthless; and you are still
in your sins.
18
In which case those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
19
If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are the most pathetic of all
people.
20
¶ However, Christ has risen from the dead, and become the first fruits
of those who sleep.
21
For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came
by man.
22
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
23
Yet each in his own order: Christ the first fruits; then those who are Christ’s
at his coming.
24
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the
Father; after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
25
For he must reign, until God has put all enemies under his feet.
26
The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
27
For God has put everything under his feet. But when he says that everything has
been put under him, it is evident that this does not include the one who
put all things under him.
28
And when all things are subject to him, then the Son himself will also be
subject to him who put all things under him, that God
may be all in all.
29
Otherwise what will those who are baptized in the hope of being reunited
with the dead do, if the dead do not actually rise? why
are they baptized on account of them?
30
And why do we face danger every hour?
31Just
as surely as I take pride in you, my brethren in Christ Jesus our Lord, I face
death every day.
32
If like other men I fought with beasts at
33
Do not be deceived: bad company undermines good behavior.
34
Think soberly in a way that is right, and do not sin; for some of you do
not know God: I say this to your shame.
35
¶ But someone may ask, How are the dead raised up? and
what kind of body do they have?
36
You fool, the seeds that you sow do not produce
life, unless they die:
37
And when you sow, you do not bury the plant that will grow, but just a seed, it
may be wheat, or some other grain:
38
But God gives it a body as he sees fit, and to each of the seeds a body of its
own.
39
All flesh is not the same: men have one kind of flesh, animals have
another, fish another, and birds another.
40
There are also heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies: but the splendor of
the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly bodies.
41
The sun is glorious in one way, the moon in another,
and the stars in yet another: for one star differs from another
in glory.
42
That is how it will be when the dead rise. The body is sown in corruption; it is
raised in incorruption:
43
It 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. As there is a natural
body, there is also a spiritual body.
45
And so it is written, The first man, Adam, was made a
living soul; the last Adam a life giving spirit.
46
However the spiritual did not come first, but the natural; and after that the spiritual.
47
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord
from heaven.
48
As was the earthy man, so also are those who are of the
earthy: and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who
are of the heavenly.
49
And as we have borne the image of the earthy one, we will also bear the image
of the heavenly one.
50
Now I want to make it clear, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
51
¶ Listen carefully, I am revealing to you what has been hidden; Not all of us
will sleep, but all of us will be changed,
52
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.
53
For our corruptible nature must be made incorruptible, and our mortal nature
must become immortal.
54
So when the corruptible has put on incorruption, and the mortal has put on
immortality, then the Scripture that says, Death is swallowed up in victory,
will be fulfilled.
55
O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?
56
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57
But thanks be to God, who has given us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58
¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord, for you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.