1 Corinthians 15 - Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT)

Concerning The Resurrection: Christ Was Raised From The Dead And Seen By Many

15 Now I make-known to you, brothers, the good-news which I announced-as-good-news to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, ² through which you also are being saved— if ^[a] you are holding-on in that message I announced-as-good-news to you, unless^[b] you believed in-vain. ³ For I delivered to you among the first^[c] things what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He has been raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ After that He appeared to over five-hundred brothers at-one-time, of whom the majority are remaining until now. But some fell-asleep. ⁷ After that He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ And last of all, as-if-indeed^[d] to the untimely-born^[e] one, He appeared to me also. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles— who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am. And His grace toward me did not become^[f] empty^[g]. But I labored even more than them all— yet not I, but the grace of God with me. ¹¹ So whether it was I or those, thus we are proclaiming, and thus you believed.

So If Christ Was Raised, Why Do Some of You Say There Is No Resurrection?

¹² But if Christ is being proclaimed^[h] that He has been raised from the dead, how is it some are saying among you that there is no resurrection of dead^[i] ones?

If The Dead Are Not Raised, Christ Was Not Raised, And Your Faith Is Futile

¹³ Now if there is no resurrection of dead ones, neither has Christ been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is also empty; your faith is also empty; ¹⁵ and we are even found to be false-witnesses of ^[j] God, because we testified against^[k] God that He did raise Christ— Whom He did not raise if-indeed then dead ones are not raised. ¹⁶ For if dead ones are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then also the ones having fallen-asleep in Christ perished^[l]. ¹⁹ If we are ones having hoped in Christ in this life only, we are more pitiable^[m] than all people.

But Christ Has Been Raised As The Firstfruit of Those Yet To Be Raised

²⁰ But now, Christ has been raised from the dead— the firstfruit^[n] of the ones having fallen-asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of dead ones also came through a man. ²² For just as in^[o] Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be given-life^[p], ²³ but each in his own order^[q]: Christ the firstfruit; after-that^[r] the ones of ^[s] Christ at His coming. ²⁴ Then^[t] comes the end— when He hands-over the kingdom to His God and Father, when He^[u] has abolished all^[v] rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He^[w] must reign until which time He^[x] has put all the enemies under His feet. ²⁶ Death, the last enemy, is abolished^[y]— ²⁷ for “He^[z] subjected all things under His^[aa] feet” [Ps 8:6]. But when He says^[ab] that “All things have been subjected”, it is clear that this is except the One^[ac] having subjected all things to Him. ²⁸ But when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One^[ad] having subjected all things to Him, in order that God may be all things in all.

Otherwise, Why Be Concerned About The Dead Or Risk Our Lives?

²⁹ Otherwise^[ae], what will the ones being baptized for^[af] the dead do? If dead ones are not raised at-all, why indeed are they baptized for them? ³⁰ Why indeed^[ag] are we in danger every hour? ³¹ I die^[ah] daily— by^[ai] your boasting, brothers, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. ³² If in accordance with human^[aj] thinking I fought-wild-animals^[ak] at Ephesus, what is the profit to me? If dead ones are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” [Isa 22:13].

Don’t Be Deceived. Sober Up

³³ Do not be deceived: bad companionships^[al] corrupt good habits^[am]. ³⁴ Sober-up^[an] righteously^[ao] and do not be^[ap] sinning, for some have an ignorance of God. I speak to your shame.

How Are The Dead Raised, And With What Kind of Body?

³⁵ But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?”

What You Sow Must Die, And Then God Gives It New Life In a Different Body

³⁶ Foolish one! What you sow is not given-life unless it dies. ³⁷ And as to what you sow— you do not sow the body which will come, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some of the rest. ³⁸ And God gives it a body just as He willed— indeed, to each of the seeds its own body^[aq]. ³⁹ Not all flesh is the same flesh. But there is one of humans, and another flesh of livestock, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. ⁴⁰ And there are heavenly^[ar] bodies and earthly bodies. But the glory of the heavenly is one kind, and the glory of the earthly is different. 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.

So Also Is The Resurrection of The Dead. We Are Raised In a Heavenly Body

⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in decay^[as]; it is raised in undecayability^[at]. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural^[au] body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is^[av] a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So also it has been written [in Gen 2:7], “The first man, Adam, became a living soul”. The Last Adam^[aw] became a life-giving^[ax] spirit. ⁴⁶ But the spiritual body is not first— but the natural body, then the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was from earth, made-of-dust. The second Man is from heaven^[ay]. ⁴⁸ Such^[az] as was the one made-of-dust— such ones also are the ones made-of-dust. And such as is the heavenly One— such ones also are the heavenly ones. ⁴⁹ And just as we bore^[ba] the image^[bb] of the one made of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly One.

Behold, I Tell You a Mystery: We Will Not All Die, But We Will All Conquer Death

⁵⁰ Now I say this, brothers: that flesh and blood are not able to inherit the kingdom of God, nor does decay inherit undecayability. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery^[bc]: we will not all fall-asleep. But we will all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For it will trumpet, and the dead will be raised undecayable^[bd], and we will be changed. ⁵³ For this decayable body must put-on undecayability, and this mortal body must put on immortality^[be]. ⁵⁴ And when this decayable body puts-on undecayability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying having been written will come-about^[bf]: “Death was swallowed-up in victory” [Isa 25:8]. ⁵⁵ “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your stinger?” [Hos 13:14]. ⁵⁶ Now the stinger^[bg] of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law^[bh]. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, the One giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So Abound In The Work of The Lord; Your Labor Is Not In Vain

⁵⁸ So then my beloved brothers, be^[bi] steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not empty^[bj] in the Lord.

Footnotes

1. 1 Corinthians 15:2 That is, assuming that. The uncertainty arises because of the issue of the resurrection addressed in this chapter.
2. 1 Corinthians 15:2 This would indeed be the case if Christ was not raised, v 17.
3. 1 Corinthians 15:3 Or, foremost.
4. 1 Corinthians 15:8 Or, as-it-were. Paul adds this word because he was not in fact born late in God’s plan, but was separated from his mother’s womb, Gal 1:15.
5. 1 Corinthians 15:8 Or, abnormally-born.
6. 1 Corinthians 15:10 Or, prove-to-be.
7. 1 Corinthians 15:10 Or, without result.
8. 1 Corinthians 15:12 That is, by all these witnesses in v 5-8, and others.
9. 1 Corinthians 15:12 That is, that their bodies will not be raised, but they will live as spirits.
10. 1 Corinthians 15:15 That is, concerning.
11. 1 Corinthians 15:15 That is, against the truth of God. Or, by; that is, under oath.
12. 1 Corinthians 15:18 Or, were lost.
13. 1 Corinthians 15:19 That is, deserving of pity.
14. 1 Corinthians 15:20 Or, first-portion, representative.
15. 1 Corinthians 15:22 That is, in the sphere of, in connection with.
16. 1 Corinthians 15:22 That is, all bodies will be raised from the dead. This includes unbelievers, but they are not in view here. Or, just as all in Adam die, so also all in Christ will be given-life. In this case, Paul is comparing all humanity to all Christians, and ‘given-life’ has its full meaning.
17. 1 Corinthians 15:23 Or, group, class, division, turn.
18. 1 Corinthians 15:23 Or, then, next-in-order.
19. 1 Corinthians 15:23 That is, belonging to.
20. 1 Corinthians 15:24 Or, Next.
21. 1 Corinthians 15:24 That is, the Son (continuing from ‘He hands-over’); or, the Father (as described in v 26-28).
22. 1 Corinthians 15:24 Or, every ruler and every authority.
23. 1 Corinthians 15:25 That is, the Son.
24. 1 Corinthians 15:25 That is, the Son; or, the Father.
25. 1 Corinthians 15:26 Or, done away with, put to an end, nullified.
26. 1 Corinthians 15:27 That is, the Father, as in the psalm.
27. 1 Corinthians 15:27 That is, the Son.
28. 1 Corinthians 15:27 That is, when God says in the psalm; or, when God says at the end of time (note the change of tense to ‘have been subjected’).
29. 1 Corinthians 15:27 That is, the Father... to the Son.
30. 1 Corinthians 15:28 That is, the Father.
31. 1 Corinthians 15:29 That is, if v 20-28 is not the case.
32. 1 Corinthians 15:29 Or, on behalf of, with reference to, for the sake of, because of. Paul’s meaning is uncertain. Some think he is sarcastically referring to some pagan practice of proxy baptism familiar to the Corinthians, but otherwise unknown to us. Others think he means ‘because of the dead’, because of the influence of their lives, or to be with them.
33. 1 Corinthians 15:30 Or, also.
34. 1 Corinthians 15:31 That is, face death.
35. 1 Corinthians 15:31 Paul swears with an oath. I swear by the boasting I do concerning you.
36. 1 Corinthians 15:32 Or, with mankind.
37. 1 Corinthians 15:32 It was illegal to throw a Roman citizen like Paul to the animals. So this was either a mob action, or Paul is speaking of his enemies metaphorically.
38. 1 Corinthians 15:33 Or, associations. Paul is referring to those influencing ‘some’ in v 12.
39. 1 Corinthians 15:33 Or, customs, character.
40. 1 Corinthians 15:34 Or, Come-to-your-senses.
41. 1 Corinthians 15:34 Or, rightly.
42. 1 Corinthians 15:34 Or, stop sinning.
43. 1 Corinthians 15:38 These bodies God gives take many forms and have many degrees of glory, as seen by the following examples.
44. 1 Corinthians 15:40 That is, angelic; or, celestial.
45. 1 Corinthians 15:42 Or, corruption, ruin, destruction.
46. 1 Corinthians 15:42 Or, incorruptibility.
47. 1 Corinthians 15:44 Or, material, physical.
48. 1 Corinthians 15:44 Or, exists.
49. 1 Corinthians 15:45 Christ is the last progenitor or head of a race.
50. 1 Corinthians 15:45 That is, one giving resurrection life.
51. 1 Corinthians 15:47 That is, from the spiritual realm, even though He took a body like Adam’s.
52. 1 Corinthians 15:48 That is, as to the composition and nature of their bodies, Adam’s family takes after him, Christ’s takes after Him.
53. 1 Corinthians 15:49 bore... bear. Or, wore... wear.
54. 1 Corinthians 15:49 Or, likeness.
55. 1 Corinthians 15:51 That is, a truth formerly hidden, but now revealed.
56. 1 Corinthians 15:52 Or, imperishable, not-subject-to-decay, incorruptible.
57. 1 Corinthians 15:53 Or, deathlessness.
58. 1 Corinthians 15:54 Or, take-place, come-to-pass, happen.
59. 1 Corinthians 15:56 Death delivers its poison through sin. Sin is what brings separation from God in death. Apart from sin, death is powerless.
60. 1 Corinthians 15:56 The Law establishes the line to cross, and the penalty for doing so.
61. 1 Corinthians 15:58 Or, become.
62. 1 Corinthians 15:58 Or, in vain.