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.

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.