1 Corinthians 15

The Resurrection of Christ

1Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters,* of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message! told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.* 3I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. “He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5He was seen by Peter* and then by the Twelve. 6After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers* at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7Then he was seen by James and later by all 14:33 The phrase as in alf the meetings of God's holy people could instead be joined to the beginning of 14:34. a 14:34, 35 Does this mean that women should not speak in a key text for the defense of Christianity. The three most important church services today? It is clear from 11:5 that women prayed points are: (1) Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. and prophesied in public worship. It is also clear in chapters Without the truth of this message, Christ’s death was worthless, 12-14 that women are given spiritual! gifts and are encouraged and those who believe in him are still in their sins and without to exercise them in the body of Christ. Women have much to hope. However, Christ as the sinless Son of God took the punishcontribute and can participate in worship services. ment of sin so that those who believe can have their sins removed. In the Corinthian culture, women were not allowed to confront “The Scriptures” refers to Old Testament prophecies such as men in public. Apparently some of the women who had become Psalm 16:8-11 and Isaiah 53:5, 6. Christ's death on the cross was Christians thought that their Christian freedom gave them the no accident or afterthought. It had been part of God’s plan from all right to question the men in public worship. This was causing eternity in order to bring about the salvation of all who believe. division in the church. In addition, women of that day did not (2) He was buried. The fact of Christ's death is reveaied in the receive formal religious education as did the men. Women may fact of his burial. Many have tried to discount the actual death have been raising questions in the worship services that could of Christ, but Jesus did in fact die and was buried in a tomb. have been answered at home without disrupting the services. (3) He was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scrip- Paul was asking the women not to flaunt their Christian freedom tures said. Christ was raised permanently, forever; his Father during worship. The purpose of Paul's words was to promote raised him from the dead “on the third day” as noted in the Gosunity, not to teach about women's roles in the church. pels (Friday afternoon to Sunday morning—three days in Jewish reckoning of time). This also occurred “as the Scriptures said.” Jesus quoted the prophet Jonah in Matthew 12:40 (see Jonah 1:17) to show the connection to “three days” as prophesied in the Old Testament. Psalm 16:8-11 and Psalm 110 also foretell the resurrection of the Messiah. the apostles. ®Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. 9For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. 10But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. 11So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

1212But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 20But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 21So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. 24After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.”* (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) 28Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God's authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere. 291f the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again? 30And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? 31For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our LORD has done in you. 32And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus*—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let's feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”* 33Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” °4Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.

The Resurrection Body

3536 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory. 42]t is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. 45The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.’* But the last Adam —that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 4*What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like* the heavenly man. 50What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. 51But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 54Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,* this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.*

55O death, where is your victory?O death, where is your sting?*”

56For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our LORD Jesus Christ. 58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the LORD, for you know that nothing you do for the LORD is ever useless.