The Resurrection of Christ

1 Now I would remind you, brothers,¹ of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, ^tif you hold fast to the word I preached to you—^uunless you believed ^vin vain.

3 For I ^wdelivered to you as of first importance ^xwhat I also received: that ^yChrist died for our sins ^zin accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was ^aburied, that he was raised on the ^bthird day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he ^cappeared to Cephas, then ^dto the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, ^ehe appeared also to me. 9 For ^fI am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I ^gpersecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, ^hthough it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 ⁱWhether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no ^jresurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that ^khe raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that 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 futile and ^lyou are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope² in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been ^mraised from the dead, ⁿthe firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as ^oby a man came death, ^pby a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be ^qmade alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his ^rcoming those who ^sbelong to Christ. 24 Then comes ^tthe end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying ^uevery rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until ^vhe has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 ^wThe last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For ^x“God³ has put ^yall things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, ^zthen the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in ^adanger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my ^bpride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, ^cI die ^devery day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, ^e“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: ^f“Bad company ruins good morals.”⁴ 34 ^gWake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have ^hno knowledge of God. ⁱI say this to your shame.

The Resurrection Body

35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! ^jWhat you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of 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 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised ^kin glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a ^lnatural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, ^m“The ⁿfirst man Adam became a living being”;⁵ the last Adam became a ^olife-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 ^pThe first man was from the earth, ^qa man of dust; the second man is ^rfrom heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are ^sthose who are of heaven. 49 ^tJust as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^uwe shall⁶ also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Mystery and Victory

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood ^vcannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the ^wimperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. ^xWe shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last ^ytrumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and ^zthe dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and ^athis mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

56 The sting of death is sin, and ^dthe power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the ^evictory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be ^fsteadfast, immovable, always abounding in the ^gwork of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Put Not Your Trust in Princes