1 Corinthians 15
The Resurrection of Christ
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel aI preached to you, which you received, bin which you stand, 2 and by which ayou are being saved, if you bhold fast to the word I preached to you—cunless you believed in vain.
3 For aI delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died bfor our sins cin accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised aon the third day bin accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that ahe appeared to Cephas, then bto 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 aJames, then bto all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, ahe appeared also to me. 9 For aI am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because bI persecuted 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, aI worked harder than any of them, bthough it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
The Resurrection of the Dead
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, ahow can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, athen 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 ahe raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and ayou are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who ahave fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, awe are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact aChrist has been raised from the dead, bthe firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as aby a man came death, bby a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For aas in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then aat his coming bthose who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers athe kingdom to God the Father after destroying bevery rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign auntil he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be adestroyed is death. 27 For a“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. 28 When aall things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that bGod may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, 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? 30 Why are we ain danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by amy pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, bI die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, aI fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, b“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 aDo not be deceived: b“Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 aWake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For bsome have no knowledge of God. cI say this to your shame.
The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, a“How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! aWhat you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There 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. 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.
42 aSo is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; ait is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, a“The first man Adam became a living being”; bthe last Adam became a clife-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 aThe first man was from the earth, ba man of dust; cthe second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, aso also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just aas we have borne the image of the man of dust, bwe shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
Mystery and Victory
50 I tell you this, brothers: aflesh and blood bcannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. aWe shall not all sleep, bbut we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For athe trumpet will sound, and bthe dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and athis mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
a“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 a“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and athe power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, awho gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 aTherefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in bthe work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord cyour labor is not in vain. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.