The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 15 -

And so I make known to you, brothers, the Gospel that I preached to you, which you also received, and on which you stand.

By the Gospel, too, you are being saved, if you hold to the understanding that I preached to you, lest you believe in vain.

For I handed on to you, first of all, what I also received: that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures;

and that he was buried; and that he rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures;

and that he was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven.

Next he was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, many of whom remain, even to the present time, although some have fallen asleep.

Next, he was seen by James, then by all the Apostles.

And last of all, he was seen also by me, as if I were someone born at the wrong time.

For I am the least of the Apostles. I am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.

But, by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace in me has not been empty, since I have labored more abundantly than all of them. Yet it is not I, but the grace of God within me.

For whether it is I or they: so we preach, and so you have believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

Now if Christ is preached, that he rose again from the dead, how is it that some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen.

And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is useless, and your faith is also useless.

Then, too, we would be found to be false witnesses of God, because we would have given testimony against God, saying that he had raised up Christ, when he had not raised him up, if, indeed, the dead do not rise again.

For if the dead do not rise again, then neither has Christ risen again.

But if Christ has not risen, then your faith is vain; for you would still be in your sins.

Then, too, those who have fallen asleep in Christ would have perished.

If we have hope in Christ for this life only, then we are more miserable than all men.

The Order of Resurrection

But now Christ has risen again from the dead, as the first-fruits of those who sleep.

For certainly, death came through a man. And so, the resurrection of the dead came through a man

And just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be brought to life,

but each one in his proper order: Christ, as the first-fruits, and next, those who are of Christ, who have believed in his advent.

Afterwards is the end, when he will have handed over the kingdom to God the Father, when he will have emptied all principality, and authority, and power.

For it is necessary for him to reign, until he has set all his enemies under his feet.

Lastly, the enemy called death shall be destroyed. For he has subjected all things under his feet. And although he says,

“All things have been subjected to him,” without doubt he does not include the One who has subjected all things to him.

And when all things will have been subjected to him, then even the Son himself will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.(a)

Otherwise, what will those who are being baptized for the dead do, if the dead do not rise again at all? Why then are they being baptized for them?(b)

Why also do we endure trials every hour?

Daily I die, by means of your boasting, brothers: you whom I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If, according to man, I fought with the beasts at Ephesus, how would that benefit me, if the dead do not rise again? “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die.”(c)

Do not be led astray. Evil communication corrupts good morals.

Be vigilant, you just ones, and do not be willing to sin. For certain persons have an ignorance of God. I say this to you with respect.

The Resurrection Body

But someone may say, “How do the dead rise again?” or, “What type of body do they return with?”

How foolish! What you sow cannot be brought back to life, unless it first dies.

And what you sow is not the body that will be in the future, but a bare grain, such as of wheat, or of some other grain.

For God gives it a body according to his will, and according to each seed’s proper body.

Not all flesh is the same flesh. But one is indeed of men, another truly is of beasts, another is of birds, and another is of fish.

Also, there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But while the one, certainly, has the glory of heaven, the other has the glory of earth.

One has the brightness of the sun, another the brightness of the moon, and another the brightness of the stars. For even star differs from star in brightness.

So it is also with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown in corruption shall rise to incorruption.

What is sown in dishonor shall rise to glory. What is sown in weakness shall rise to power.

What is sown with an animal body shall rise with a spiritual body. If there is an animal body, there is also a spiritual one.

Just as it was written that the first man, Adam, was made with a living soul, so shall the last Adam be made with a spirit brought back to life.

So what is, at first, not spiritual, but animal, next becomes spiritual.

The first man, being earthly, was of the earth; the second man, being heavenly, will be of heaven.

Such things as are like the earth are earthly; and such things as are like the heavens are heavenly.

And so, just as we have carried the image of what is earthly, let us also carry the image of what is heavenly.

Where, O Death, Is Your Victory?

(Hosea 13:9–14)

Now I say this, brothers, because flesh and blood is not able to possess the kingdom of God; neither will what is corrupt possess what is incorrupt.

Behold, I tell you a mystery. Certainly, we shall all rise again, but we shall not all be transformed:(d)

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise up, incorruptible. And we shall be transformed.

Thus, it is necessary for this corruptibility to be clothed with incorruptibility, and for this mortality to be clothed with immortality.

And when this mortality has been clothed with immortality, then the word that was written shall occur: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and unmovable, abounding always in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not useless in the Lord.

Footnotes

(a)15:28 The Son also himself shall be subject unto him:That is, the Son will be subject to the Father, according to his human nature, even after the general resurrection; and also the whole mystical body of Christ will be entirely subject to God, obeying him in every thing.(Challoner)

(b)15:29 That are baptized for the dead:Some think the apostle here alludes to a ceremony then in use; but others, more probably, to the prayers and penitential labours, performed by the primitive Christians for the souls of the faithful departed; or to the baptism of afflictions and sufferings undergone for sinners spiritually dead.(Challoner)

(c)15:32 Let us eat and drink, etc:That is, if we did not believe that we were to rise again from the dead, we might live like the impious and wicked, who have no belief in the resurrection.(Challoner)

(d)15:51 The just rise up with transformed incorruptible bodies; the unjust also rise up, but not with this type of holy transformation to incorruptibility. The bodies of the unjust are corrupt, even beyond the corruption of earthly bodies, for their resurrected bodies are neither of heaven, nor of earth, but of a new Hell, fit for body and soul.(Conte)

Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand,

by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep.

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,

and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.

For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Whether then it is I or they, so we preach, and so you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised.

If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith also is in vain.

Yes, we are also found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up if it is true that the dead are not raised.

For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.

Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.

The Order of Resurrection

But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruit of those who are asleep.

For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s at his coming.

Then the end comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God the Father, when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

For, “He put all things in subjection under his feet.”(a) But when he says, “All things are put in subjection”, it is evident that he is excepted who subjected all things to him.

When all things have been subjected to him, then the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all.

Or else what will they do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead aren’t raised at all, why then are they baptized for the dead?

Why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour?

I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

If I fought with animals at Ephesus for human purposes, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, then “let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”(b)

Don’t be deceived! “Evil companionships corrupt good morals.”

Wake up righteously and don’t sin, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

The Resurrection Body

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

You foolish one, that which you yourself sow is not made alive unless it dies.

That which you sow, you don’t sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, maybe of wheat, or of some other kind.

But God gives it a body even as it pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own.

All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial differs from that of the terrestrial.

There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown perishable; it is raised imperishable.

It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body.

So also it is written, “The first man Adam became a living soul.” (c) The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

However, that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual.

The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven.

As is the one made of dust, such are those who are also made of dust; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let’s(d) also bear the image of the heavenly.

Where, O Death, Is Your Victory?

(Hosea 13:9–14)

Now I say this, brothers,(e) that flesh and blood can’t inherit God’s Kingdom; neither does the perishable inherit imperishable.

Behold,(f) I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”(g)

“Death, where is your sting? Hades,(h) where is your victory?”(i)

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Footnotes

(a)15:27 ℘ Psalms 8:6

(b)15:32 ℘ Isaiah 22:13

(d)15:49 NU, TR read “we will” instead of “let’s”

(e)15:50 The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”

(f)15:51 “Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.

(g)15:54 ℘ Isaiah 25:8

(h)15:55 or, Hell

(i)15:55 ℘ See Hosea 13:14