1 Corinthians

15 But, brothers, let me make you acquainted with the gospel I preached to you, the same that you received, the same that you stand on, 2 the same that you are saved by, in what terms I preached it to you, if you are holding to it—except in case you believed for nothing! 3 For I handed on to you as a foremost thing the same thing I received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with scripture, 4 and that he was buried, and that he rose the third day in accordance with scripture, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve; 6* then he appeared to above five hundred brothers at a time, of whom the majority are with us until now, but some have gone to their rest; 7 then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as it were to the runt born by abortion, he appeared to me too. 9* For I am the most insignificant of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God’s church; 10 but by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not a failure, but I out-toiled all of them—yet not I, but God’s grace with me.

11 So, be it I or they, we preach that way and you believed that way. 12 But if Christ is preached to have risen from the dead, how do some among you say there is no such thing as resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no such thing as resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has risen; 14 and if Christ has not risen, then our preaching has nothing in it, your faith has nothing in it either, 15 and into the bargain we are found to be false witnesses against God, because we testified as to God that he raised the Christ, whom he did not raise if we are to take it that the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, not even Christ has risen; 17 and if Christ has not risen, your faith is futile, you are still in your sins. 18 Then those who have gone to their rest in Christ perished too. 19 If we are hoping in Christ in this life only, we are most pitiable of all men.

20* But now Christ has risen from the dead, first to come in of those who have gone to their rest. 21 For since death came through a man, resurrection of the dead came through a man too. 22* For as by Adam all are dying, so too by the Christ all are going to be brought to life, 23* but each when his turn comes: Christ the first to come in; then those who belong to Christ, at his coming; 24 then the end, when he hands the empire over to God the Father, when he has superseded every government and every authority and power, 25 for he has to reign “until he has put all enemies under his feet.” 26* Last of the enemies death is superseded. 27 For “he has subjected everything under his feet”; but, when it says “everything” is subjected, evidently exclusive of him who subjected everything to him. 28 But when everything has been subjected to him, then the Son himself too will be subjected to him who subjected everything to him, in order that God may be everything in everything.

29 Because what will those who get baptized for the dead do? if dead men do not rise anyhow, why go the length of getting baptized for them? 30 Why, too, do we ourselves run risks every moment? 31 I am dying day after day, I swear it by the boast of you, brothers, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If as far as men were concerned I fought the beasts in Ephesus, what good does it do me? if dead men do not rise, “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Make no mistake; “keeping bad company spoils good characters”; 34* sober up honestly and do not sin; for some folks are sheer materialists—I speak to stir your sense of shame.

35 But somebody will say “How do the dead rise? and with what sort of body do they come?” 36 Silly man, what you yourself sow does not come to life unless it dies; 37 and of what you sow you sow not the body that is to come but a naked grain, of wheat say or some one of the rest; 38 and God gives it a body as he has willed, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39 Flesh is not all of it the same flesh, but there is one of men, and another flesh of cattle, and another flesh of fowl, and another of fishes. 40 And there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one type and that of the earthly is other: 41 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 So too the resurrection of the dead: it is sowed in dissolution, it rises in imperishability; 43 it is sowed in ignominy, it rises in glory; it is sowed in weakness, it rises in power; 44* it is sowed an animal body, it rises a spiritual body. If there is an animal body there is a spiritual too. 45 It is written so too, the first man Adam “became a living soul”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 But there is not first the spiritual, but the animal, then the spiritual. 47 The first man was out of the earth, a figure of clay; the second man, out of heaven. 48 Such as the figure of clay, such also are those who are of clay, and such as the heavenly one, such also are those who are heavenly; 49 and as we have worn the likeness of the figure of clay, let us wear the likeness of the heavenly one also.

50 But this I do say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Reign of God, nor does dissolution inherit imperishability. 51 Here I tell you a secret: we shall not all go to our rest, but we shall all be changed in an instant, 52 in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this that is perishable has to dress itself in imperishability, and this that is mortal to dress itself in immortality. 54 But when this that is mortal does dress itself in immortality, then the words that are written will come true, 55 “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” Where is your victory, death? where is your sting, death? 56 But the sting of death is sin. And the power of sin is the law. 57 And thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Consequently, dear brothers, be firm in your footing, not easy to knock about, always abundant in work for the Lord, knowing that your labor does not come to nothing in the Lord.