The Good News About Christ
15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to ·remember [or be clear about] the ·Good News [Gospel] I brought to you. You received this ·Good News [Gospel] ·and continue strong in it [or and have based your faith on it; L in which you stand]. 2 And you are being saved by it if you ·continue believing [L hold firm to] ·what I told you [L the Gospel message I proclaimed to you], unless you believed ·for nothing [in vain; or superficially; or in something of no value].
3 [L For] I passed on to you what I received, which is ·of greatest importance [or the first thing I told you]: that Christ died for our sins, ·as the Scriptures say [L according to the Scripture; Is. 53:5–6]; 4 that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day ·as the Scriptures say [L according to the Scripture; Ps. 16:8–11]; 5 and that he was seen by ·Peter [L Cephas; C Peter’s name in Aramaic; see 1:12] and then by ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve; Luke 24:33–36]. 6 After that, Jesus was seen by more than five hundred of the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] at the same time. Most of them ·are still living today [L remain until now], but some have ·died [L fallen asleep; C a euphemism for death]. 7 Then he was seen by ·James [Jesus’ brother; Mark 6:3; Acts 15:13; Gal. 1:19] and later by all the apostles [Acts 1:6–11]. 8 Last of all he was seen by me [Acts 9]—as by a person ·not born at the normal time [prematurely/abnormally born; C Christ’s appearance to Paul was unique, occurring after Jesus’ ascension]. 9 For I am the least of the apostles. I am not even ·good enough [worthy] to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But God’s grace has made me what I am, and his grace to me was not ·wasted [in vain; without effect]. [L On the contrary; Indeed] I worked harder than all ·the other apostles [of them]. (But it was not I really; it was God’s grace that was with me.) 11 So whether I preached to you or ·the other apostles [L they] preached to you, ·we all preach the same thing [this is what we preach; C the message of Christ’s death and resurrection; vv. 3–8], and this is what you believed.
We Will Be Raised from the Dead
12 Now ·since we preached that Christ was [L if Christ is preached as] raised from the dead, why do some of you say that people will not be raised from the dead [C some Corinthians denied the resurrection of the body]? 13 If ·no one is ever raised [L there is no resurrection] from the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is ·worth nothing [futile; useless; empty], and your faith is ·worth nothing [futile; useless; empty]. 15 And also, we are ·guilty of lying [L found to be false witnesses] about God, because we testified ·of him [L against God] that he raised Christ from the dead. But if people are not raised from the dead, then God never raised Christ. 16 If the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith ·has nothing to it [is futile/useless/empty]; you are still ·guilty of [or a slave to; L in] your sins. 18 ·And [Consequently; Therefore] those in Christ who have ·already died [L fallen asleep; v. 6] ·are lost [have perished]. 19 If our hope in Christ is for this life only, we should be pitied more than ·anyone else in the world [L all people].
20 But Christ has truly been raised from the dead—the ·first one and proof that those who sleep in death will also be raised [L firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep; C unlike others who had been raised to mortal life, Christ was the first to be raised to everlasting life]. 21 Death has come ·because of what one man did [through a man/human being], but the rising from death also comes ·because of one man [through a man/human being]. 22 In Adam all of us die. In the same way, in Christ all of us will be made alive again [Rom. 5:12–21]. 23 But ·everyone [each] will be raised to life in the right order. Christ was ·first to be raised [L the firstfruits]. When Christ comes again, those who belong to him will be raised to life, 24 and then the end will come. At that time Christ will ·destroy [abolish] all rulers, authorities, and powers, and he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father. 25 [L For] Christ must ·rule [reign] until he puts all enemies under his ·control [L feet; Ps. 110:1]. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed will be death. 27 ·The Scripture says that God put [L For he has subjected] all things under his ·control [L feet; Ps. 8:6]. When it says “all things” are ·under [subjected to] him, it is clear this does not include the One [C God the father] who put everything under his control. 28 After everything has been ·put under [subjected to] the Son, then he will ·put himself under [be subjected to] ·God [L the One…], who had put all things under him. ·Then [or …so that] God will be ·the complete ruler over everything [or supreme in every place and in every way; L all in all].
29 If the dead are never raised, what will people do who are being baptized for the dead [C it is unclear what this practice was or whether Paul approves or disapproves]? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people being baptized for them?
30 And what about us? Why do we put ourselves in danger every hour? 31 I ·die [face death] every day. ·That is true, brothers and sisters, just as it is true that I brag about you [L (I swear) by my boasting in you, brothers (and sisters), which I have] in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild animals in Ephesus [C probably a metaphor for human opponents, though possibly beasts in the arena (Acts 19; 2 Cor. 1:8–11; 2 Tim. 4:16–18)] ·only with human hopes [or from a human point of view; L according to man], I have gained nothing. If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we will die [Is. 22:13; 56:12].”
33 Do not be ·fooled [deceived; misled]: “Bad ·friends [company] will ruin good ·habits [or character; morals; C a quote from the Greek poet Menander (c. 342–291 bc)].” 34 ·Come back to your right way of thinking [Come to your senses; or Sober up as you should] and stop sinning. Some of you ·do not know [or are ignorant about] God—I say this to shame you.
What Kind of Body Will We Have?
35 But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have?” 36 Foolish person! When you sow a seed, it must die in the ground before it can ·live and grow [come to life]. 37 And when you sow it, it does not have the same “body” it will have later. [L But; On the contrary] What you sow is only a bare seed, maybe wheat or something else. 38 But God gives it a body that he ·has planned [wants; has chosen] for it, and God gives each kind of seed its own body. 39 All things made of flesh are not the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds have another, and fish have another. 40 Also there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the ·beauty [splendor; glory] of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the ·beauty [splendor; glory] of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of ·beauty [splendor; glory], the moon has another ·beauty [splendor; glory], and the stars have another. And each star is different in its ·beauty [splendor; glory].
42 It is the same with the dead who are raised to life. ·The body that is “planted” will ruin and decay [L It is sown/buried in corruption], but it is raised ·to a life that cannot be destroyed [imperishable; L in incorruption]. 43 ·When the body is “planted,” it is without honor [L It is sown/buried in dishonor], but it is raised in glory. ·When the body is “planted,” it is weak [L It is sown/buried in weakness], but ·when it is raised, it is powerful [L it is raised in power]. 44 ·The body that is “planted” is a physical body [L It is sown/buried a natural/physical/soulish body]. ·When it is raised, it is [L It is raised] a spiritual body.
There is a ·physical [natural; soulish] body, and there is also a spiritual body. 45 [L So also] It is written in the Scriptures: “The first man, Adam, became a living ·person [soul; Gen. 2:7].” But the last Adam [C Christ] became a spirit that gives life. 46 [L But] The spiritual did not come first, but the ·physical [natural; soulish] and then the spiritual. 47 The first man came from the dust of the earth. The second man came from heaven. 48 People who ·belong to the earth [or are of dust] are like the first man of ·earth [dust]. But those people who belong to heaven are like the man of heaven. 49 Just as we ·were made like [L have borne the image of] the man of earth, so we will[a] also ·be made like [bear the image of] the man of heaven.
50 I tell you this, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood cannot ·have a part in [inherit] the kingdom of God. ·Something that will ruin cannot […nor can the perishable/corruptible] ·have a part in something that never ruins [inherit the imperishable/incorruptible]. 51 But look! I tell you ·this secret [a mystery; 2:1]: We will not all ·sleep in death [L sleep; C a euphemism for death], but we will all be changed. 52 It will ·take only a second [happen in a flash]—as quickly as an eye ·blinks [or twinkles]—when the last trumpet sounds. The trumpet will sound, and those who have died will be raised ·to live forever [imperishable; incorruptible], and we will be changed [1 Thess. 4:13–17]. 53 [L For] This body that ·can be destroyed [is perishable/corruptible] must clothe itself with ·something that can never be destroyed [the imperishable/incorruptible]. And this ·body that dies [L mortal] must clothe itself with ·something that can never die [immortality]. 54 So when this body that ·can be destroyed [is perishable/corruptible] will clothe itself with that which ·can never be destroyed [is imperishable/incorruptible], and this ·body that dies [L mortal] will clothe itself with ·that which can never die [immortality], then this Scripture will ·be made true [come to pass]:
“Death is ·destroyed forever [L swallowed up] in victory [Is. 25:8].”
55 “[L O] Death, where is your victory?
Death, where is your ·pain [L sting; Hos. 13:14]?”
56 Death’s ·power to hurt [L sting] is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But we thank God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 So my ·dear [beloved] brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything move you. Always ·give yourselves fully to [excel in] the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is ·never wasted [not useless/in vain].
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 15:49 so we will Some Greek copies read “so let us.”