1 Corinthians 15

The Resurrection of Christ

1 Listen, let me remind you all of the Good News I preached to you, the message you believed and that is holding you down.

2 This message is saving you all if you hold on to it tight; otherwise, what is the point of believing,

3 First things first: Christ died for our sins, just like the Scriptures said.

4 He got buried, then rose up on the third day, just like the Scriptures said.

5 Then he showed up to Peter, then to the twelve.

6 After that, he popped up to more than 500 people at once, most of them still around, some have passed on.

7 Then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles.

8 Last of all, he showed up to me, like a baby born outta nowhere.

9 I am the least of all the apostles, not even worthy to be called one because I was hating on God’s people.

10 But by God’s grace, I am what I am. His grace was not wasted on me; I worked harder than the rest, but it was not me, just God’s grace working through me.

11 So whether it was me or them, this is what we preach, and this is what you all believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

12 But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, why some of you all fronting like there is no resurrection,

13 If there is no resurrection, then Christ is not risen.

14 And if Christ is not risen, then what we preach is pointless, and your faith is empty.

15 We had even be liars about God, saying He raised Christ, if He did not actually do it.

16 If the dead is not raised, then Christ is not raised either.

17 And if Christ is not raised, your faith is worthless, and you still stuck in your sins.

18 Then those who died believing in Christ are lost.

19 If our hope in Christ is just for this life, we are more pitiful than anyone.

20 But Christ has risen from the dead, the first of all those who have died.

21 Since death came through a man, the resurrection also comes through a man.

22 In Adam, everybody dies; in Christ, everybody gets brought back to life.

23 But each in order: Christ first, then those who belong to him when he comes back.

24 Then comes the end, when he hands the kingdom over to God the Father after destroying all dominion, authority, and power.

25 For Christ has to rule until he is put all his enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy to get shut down is death.

27 God put everything under Christ’s feet, though when it says “everything,” it is clear God is not included in “everything.”

28 When everything is under Christ, then Christ will turn everything over to God, so God will be all in all.

29 If the dead are not raised, then what is the point of being baptized for the dead, Why do people even bother,

30 And why do we put ourselves in danger every day,

31 I swear, brothers and sisters, I die every day, this is as real as the pride I have in you all through Jesus.

32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for no reason, what is the point if the dead are not raised, Might as well say, “Eat, drink, and party, because tomorrow we are gone.”

33 Do not get it twisted: bad company ruins good habits.

34 Wake up, you all, live right, and stop sinning. Some of you all do not even know God, shame on you.

35 But someone is going to ask, “How are the dead raised, What kinda body they coming with?”

36 Listen, that is a silly question. When you plant a seed, it is must die before it sprouts.

37 What you plant is not the body it will become; it is just a seed.

38 But God gives it the body He wants, and each seed gets its own body.

39 Not all flesh is the same, humans, animals, birds, and fish are different.

40 There is heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, each with its own glory.

41 The sun, the moon, and the stars each shine different; even stars got different brightness.

42 Same with the resurrection: what is sown as corruptible rises incorruptible.

43 It is sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power.

44 It is sown a physical body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is a spiritual one too.

45 The first man, Adam, became a living being; the last Adam (Jesus) became a life-giving spirit.

46 The spiritual did not come first, but the physical, then the spiritual.

47 The first man was from the dust, the second man is from heaven.

48 Earthly folks are like the earthly man; heavenly folks are like the heavenly man.

49 And just like we bore the image of the earthly man, we will bear the image of the heavenly man too.

The Victory Over Death

50 Flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s kingdom; what is corruptible do not inherit what is incorruptible.

51 Listen, fam, here is a mystery: we will not all die, but we will all be changed.

52 In a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet, the dead will rise and we will be transformed.

53 The perishable has to put on the imperishable; the mortal has to put on immortality.

54 When that happens, then what is written will come true: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 Where is your sting, death, Where is your victory, grave,

56 Sin brings death’s sting, and the law gives sin its power.

57 But thank God for the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 So, fam, stand strong, be unshakeable, and give yourself fully to God’s work. What you do for Him is not in vain.