1 Corinthians 15

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

₃For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ₄that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ₅and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ₆Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ₇Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ₈Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. ₉For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ₁₀But 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, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. ₁₁Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

₁₂Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ₁₃But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ₁₄And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ₁₅We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. ₁₆For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ₁₇And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. ₁₈Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ₁₉If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

₂₀But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ₂₁For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ₂₂For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ₂₃But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. ₂₄Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. ₂₅For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ₂₆The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ₂₇For “God has put all 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. ₂₈When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

₂₉Otherwise, 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? ₃₀Why are we in danger every hour? ₃₁I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! ₃₂What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” ₃₃Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” ₃₄Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

₃₅But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” ₃₆You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ₃₇And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. ₃₈But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. ₃₉For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. ₄₀There 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. ₄₁There 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.

₄₂So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. ₄₃It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. ₄₄It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ₄₅Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ₄₆But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. ₄₇The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. ₄₈As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. ₄₉Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

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

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