The Risen Christ, Faith’s Reality
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospelwhich I preached to you, which also you received andin which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unlessyou believed in vain.
3 ForI delivered to you first of all thatwhich I also received: that Christ died for our sinsaccording to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third dayaccording to the Scriptures,
5 and that He was seen by Cephas, thenby 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 fallen asleep.
7 After that He was seen by James, thenby all the apostles.
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
9 For I amthe least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, becauseI persecuted the church of God.
10 Butby 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,yet not I, but the grace of Godwhichwaswith me.
11 Therefore, whetheritwasI 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,then Christ is not risen.
14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preachingisempty and your faithisalso empty.
15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, becausewe 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 ifthedead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.
17 And if Christ is not risen, your faithisfutile;you are still in your sins!
18 Then also those who have fallenasleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
The Last Enemy Destroyed
20 But nowChrist is risen from the dead,andhas becomethe firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 Forsince by mancamedeath,by Man alsocamethe resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shallbe made alive.
23 Buteach one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward thosewhoareChrist’s at His coming.
24 Thencomesthe end, when He deliversthe kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
25 For He must reigntill He has put all enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemythatwill be destroyedisdeath.
27 For“He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put underHim,”itisevident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.
28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, thenthe 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 Andwhy do we stand in jeopardy every hour?
31 I affirm, bythe boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord,I die daily.
32 If, in the manner of men,I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageisitto me? Ifthedead do not rise,“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
33 Do not be deceived:“Evil company corrupts good habits.”
34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin;for some do not have the knowledge of God.I speakthisto your shame.
A Glorious Body
35 But someone will say,“How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”
36 Foolish one,what 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 othergrain.
38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.
39 All fleshisnot the same flesh, butthereisonekindof flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish,andanother of birds.
40 Therearealso celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestialisone, and thegloryof the terrestrialisanother.
41 Thereisone glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; foronestar differs fromanotherstar in glory.
42 So alsoisthe resurrection of the dead.Thebodyis 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. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written,“The first man Adam became a living being.”The last Adambecamea life-giving spirit.
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.
47 The first manwasof the earth,madeof dust; the second Manisthe Lordfrom heaven.
48 Aswasthemanof dust, so alsoarethosewhoaremadeof dust;and asisthe heavenlyMan,so alsoarethosewhoareheavenly.
49 Andas we have borne the image of themanof dust,we shall also bear the image of the heavenlyMan.
Our Final Victory
50 Now this I say, brethren, thatflesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery:We shall not all sleep,but we shall all be changed—
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, andthis mortalmustput 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:“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “ODeath, whereisyour sting?
O Hades, whereisyour victory?”
56 The sting of deathissin, andthe strength of sinisthe law.
57 But thanksbeto God, who gives usthe victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowingthat your labor is not in vain in the Lord.