1 Corinthians 15:1-34
“Now,
brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of THE GOSPEL I preached to you, which
you received and on which you have taken your stand.
2 By THIS
GOSPEL you are saved, if you hold firmly to THE WORD I preached
to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed
on to you as of first importance: that CHRIST died for our sins according to the
Scriptures,
4 that HE was buried,
that HE
was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that HE appeared to Cephas, and
then to the Twelve.
6 After that, HE appeared to more
than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom
are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then HE appeared to
James, then to all the apostles,
8 and last of all HE appeared to me
also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the
apostles and do not even deserve 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 to
me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I,
but THE GRACE OF GOD
that was with me.
11 Whether, then, it is I or
they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
12 But if it is preached that CHRIST has been
raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no
resurrection of the dead?
13 If there is no resurrection of the
dead, then not even CHRIST
has been raised.
14 And if CHRIST has not been raised, our
preaching is useless and so is your faith.
15 More than that, we are then found
to be false witnesses about GOD, for we have testified about GOD that HE raised CHRIST from the
dead. But HE did not raise HIM if in fact the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised,
then CHRIST
has not been raised either.
17 And if CHRIST has not been raised, your faith
is futile; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen
asleep in CHRIST
are lost.
19 If only for this life we have hope
in, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But CHRIST has indeed been raised from the
dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since death came through a
man, THE
RESURRECTION of the dead comes also through A MAN.
22 For as in Adam all die, so in CHRIST all will be
made alive.
23 But each in turn: CHRIST, the
firstfruits; then, when HE comes, those who belong to HIM.
24 Then the end will come, when HE
hands over the kingdom to GOD THE FATHER after HE has destroyed all
dominion, authority and power.
25 For HE must reign until HE
has put all HIS enemies under HIS feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is
death.
27 For H E ‘has put everything under HIS
feet.’ Now when it says that ‘everything’ has been
put under HIM, it is clear that this does not include GOD HIMSELF, who put
everything under CHRIST.
28 When HE has done this, then THE SON HIMSELF will
be made subject to HIM who put everything under HIM, so that GOD may be all in all.
29 Now if there is no RESURRECTION, what
will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all,
why are people baptized for them?
30 And as for us, why do we endanger
ourselves every hour?
31 I face death every day—yes, just
as surely as I boast about you in CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.
32 If I fought wild beasts in
Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are
not raised,
‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’
33 Do not be misled: ‘Bad
company corrupts good character.’
34 Come back to your
senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of GOD – I say this to
your shame.”
