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.
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:
b“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 c“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
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.
