1Corinthians 15

The Resurrection of Christ

15And now I want to remind you, my friends, of the Good News which I preached to you, which you received, and on which your faith stands firm.G1161G80G1107G5213G2098G3739G2097G5213G3739G2532G3880G2532G1722G3739G24762That is the gospel, the message that I preached to you. You are saved by the gospel if you hold firmly to it - unless it was for nothing that you believed.G1223G3739G2532G4982G1487G2722G5101G3056G2097G5213G1622G1508G4100G15003I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures;G1063G3860G5213G1722G4413G3739G3880G2532G3880G3754G5547G599G5228G2257G266G2596G11244that he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures;G2532G3754G2290G2532G3754G1453G5154G2250G2596G11245that he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles.G2532G3754G3700G2786G1534G14276Then he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died.G1899G3700G1883G4001G80G2178G1537G3739G4119G3306G2193G737G1161G5100G2532G28377Then he appeared to James, and afterward to all the apostles.G1899G3700G2385G1534G3956G6528Last of all he appeared also to me - even though I am like someone whose birth was abnormal.G1161G2078G3956G3700G2504G5619G16269For I am the least of all the apostles - I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God's church.G1063G1473G1510G1646G652G3739G1510G3756G2425G2564G652G1360G1377G1577G231610But by God's grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the other apostles, although it was not really my own doing, but God's grace working with me.G1161G5485G2316G1510G3739G1510G2532G846G5485G1519G1691G1096G3756G2756G235G2872G4054G846G3956G1161G3756G1473G235G5485G2316G3588G4862G169811So then, whether it came from me or from them, this is what we all preach, and this is what you believe.G3767G1535G1473G1535G1565G3779G2784G2532G3779G4100

Our Resurrection

12Now, since our message is that Christ has been raised from death, how can some of you say that the dead will not be raised to life?G1161G1487G5547G2784G3754G1453G1537G3498G4459G3004G5100G1722G5213G3754G2076G3756G386G349813If that is true, it means that Christ was not raised;G1161G1487G2076G3756G386G3498G3761G1453G5547G3761G145314and if Christ has not been raised from death, then we have nothing to preach and you have nothing to believe.G1161G1487G5547G1453G3756G1453G686G2257G2782G2756G2532G5216G4102G1161G2532G275615More than that, we are shown to be lying about God, because we said that he raised Christ from death - but if it is true that the dead are not raised to life, then he did not raise Christ.G1161G2532G2147G5575G2316G3754G3140G2596G2316G3754G1453G5547G3739G1453G3756G1453G1512G686G3498G1453G375616For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised.G1063G1487G3498G1453G3756G1453G3761G5547G145317And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is a delusion and you are still lost in your sins.G1161G1487G5547G1453G3756G1453G5216G4102G3152G2075G2089G1722G5216G26618It would also mean that the believers in Christ who have died are lost.G686G2532G2837G1722G5547G62219If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world.G1487G1722G5026G2222G3440G1679G2070G1722G5547G2070G3956G444G165220But the truth is that Christ has been raised from death, as the guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised.G1161G3570G1453G5547G1453G1537G3498G1096G536G283721For just as death came by means of a man, in the same way the rising from death comes by means of a man.G1063G1894G1223G444G2288G1223G444G2532G386G349822For just as all people die because of their union with Adam, in the same way all will be raised to life because of their union with Christ.G1063G5618G1722G76G3956G599G2532G3779G1722G5547G2227G3956G222723But each one will be raised in proper order: Christ, first of all; then, at the time of his coming, those who belong to him.G1161G1538G1722G2398G5001G5547G536G1899G3588G5547G1722G846G395224Then the end will come; Christ will overcome all spiritual rulers, authorities, and powers, and will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father.G1534G5056G3752G3860G932G2316G2532G3962G3752G2673G3956G746G2532G3956G1849G2532G141125For Christ must rule until God defeats all enemies and puts them under his feet.G1063G846G1163G936G891G3739G302G5087G3956G2190G5259G846G422826The last enemy to be defeated will be death.G2078G2190G2673G228827For the scripture says, "God put {\I all things under his feet." It is clear, of course, that the words "all things" do not include God himself, who puts all things under Christ.G1063G5293G3956G5259G846G4228G1161G3752G2036G3754G3956G5293G1212G3754G1622G5293G3956G5293G84628But when all things have been placed under Christ's rule, then he himself, the Son, will place himself under God, who placed all things under him; and God will rule completely over all.G1161G3752G3956G5293G846G5119G5293G5207G2532G846G5293G5293G3956G5293G846G2443G2316G5600G3956G1722G395629Now, what about those people who are baptized for the dead? What do they hope to accomplish? If it is true, as some claim, that the dead are not raised to life, why are those people being baptized for the dead?G1893G5101G4160G907G5228G3498G1487G3498G1453G3756G3654G5101G2532G907G5228G349830And as for us - why would we run the risk of danger every hour?G2532G5101G2793G2249G2793G3956G561031My friends, I face death every day! The pride I have in you, in our life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord, makes me declare this.G3513G5212G2251G2746G3739G2192G1722G5547G2424G2257G2962G599G2596G225032If I have, as it were, fought "wild beasts" here in Ephesus simply from human motives, what have I gained? But if the dead are not raised to life, then, as the saying goes, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die."G1487G2596G444G2341G1722G2181G5101G3786G3427G1487G3498G1453G3756G5315G2532G4095G1063G839G59933Do not be fooled. "Bad companions ruin good character."G4105G3361G4105G2556G3657G5351G5543G223934Come back to your right senses and stop your sinful ways. I declare to your shame that some of you do not know God.G1594G1346G2532G264G3361G1063G5100G2192G56G2316G3004G4314G5213G1791

The Resurrection Body

35Someone will ask, "How can the dead be raised to life? What kind of body will they have?"G235G5100G2046G4459G1453G3498G1453G1161G4169G4983G206436You fool! When you plant a seed in the ground, it does not sprout to life unless it dies.G878G3739G4771G4687G2227G3756G2227G3362G59937And what you plant is a bare seed, perhaps a grain of wheat or some other grain, not the full-bodied plant that will later grow up.G2532G3739G4687G4687G3756G4983G1096G235G1131G2848G1487G5177G4621G2228G5100G306238God provides that seed with the body he wishes; he gives each seed its own proper body.G1161G2316G1325G846G4983G2531G2309G2532G1538G4690G2398G498339And the flesh of living beings is not all the same kind of flesh; human beings have one kind of flesh, animals another, birds another, and fish another.G3956G4561G3756G846G4561G235G3303G243G4561G444G1161G243G4561G2934G1161G243G2486G1161G243G442140And there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; the beauty that belongs to heavenly bodies is different from the beauty that belongs to earthly bodies.G2532G2032G4983G2532G4983G1919G235G3303G1391G2032G2087G1161G1919G208741The sun has its own beauty, the moon another beauty, and the stars a different beauty; and even among stars there are different kinds of beauty.G243G1391G2246G2532G243G1391G4582G2532G243G1391G792G1063G792G1308G792G1722G139142This is how it will be when the dead are raised to life. When the body is buried, it is mortal; when raised, it will be immortal.G3779G2532G386G3498G4687G1722G5356G1453G1722G86143When buried, it is ugly and weak; when raised, it will be beautiful and strong.G4687G1722G819G1453G1722G1391G4687G1722G769G1453G1722G141144When buried, it is a physical body; when raised, it will be a spiritual body. There is, of course, a physical body, so there has to be a spiritual body.G4687G5591G4983G1453G4152G4983G2076G5591G4983G2532G2076G4152G498345For the scripture says, "The first man, Adam, was created a living being"; but the last Adam is the life-giving Spirit.G2532G3779G1125G4413G444G76G1096G1519G2198G5590G2078G76G1519G2227G415146It is not the spiritual that comes first, but the physical, and then the spiritual.G235G3756G4412G4152G235G5591G1899G415247The first Adam, made of earth, came from the earth; the second Adam came from heaven.G4413G444G1537G1093G5517G1208G444G2962G1537G377248Those who belong to the earth are like the one who was made of earth; those who are of heaven are like the one who came from heaven.G3634G5517G5108G2532G5517G2532G3634G2032G5108G2032G2532G203249Just as we wear the likeness of the man made of earth, so we will wear the likeness of the Man from heaven.G2532G2531G5409G1504G5517G5409G2532G5409G1504G203250What I mean, friends, is that what is made of flesh and blood cannot share in God's Kingdom, and what is mortal cannot possess immortality.G1161G5124G5346G80G3754G4561G2532G129G3756G1410G2816G932G2316G3761G2816G5356G2816G86151Listen to this secret truth: we shall not all die, but when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye.G2400G3004G5213G3466G2837G3756G3956G3303G2837G1161G236G3956G23652For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed.G1722G823G1722G4493G3788G1722G2078G4536G1063G4537G2532G3498G1453G862G2532G2249G23653For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die.G1063G5124G5349G1163G1746G861G2532G5124G2349G1746G11054So when this takes place, and the mortal has been changed into the immortal, then the scripture will come true: "Death is destroyed; victory is complete!"G1161G3752G5124G5349G1746G861G2532G5124G2349G1746G110G5119G1096G3056G1125G2288G2666G1519G353455"Where, Death, is your victory? Where, Death, is your power to hurt?"G2288G4226G4675G2759G86G4226G4675G353456Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the Law.G1161G2759G2288G266G1161G1411G266G355157But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!G1161G5485G2316G3588G1325G2254G3534G1223G2257G2962G2424G554758So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord's service is ever useless.G5620G3450G27G80G1096G1476G277G3842G4052G1722G2041G2962G1492G3754G5216G2873G2076G3756G2756G1722G2962