THE FIRST EPISTLE
OF
PAUL THE APOSTLE
TO THE
CORINTHIANS
1 Corinthians 15 ©
1 The apostle proves the truth of the resurrection of the dead by many firm reasons, of which the first is taken from the resurrection of Christ, which he confirms by the sum of his doctrine which, according to the Scriptures, he had propounded unto them. 4 And by the testimonies of Peter. 6 Of more than five hundred brethren. 7 Of James, and of all the apostles, 8 And of himself. 13 Concludes that Christ would otherwise not be raised up. 14 Which he proves to be absurd, seeing thereby that their testimonies, the grounds of the Christian faith and the hope of Christians would be made of none effect. 21 Teaches that Christ is He Who shall raise the dead, and that it shall come to pass at His coming, when He shall destroy all His enemies, and subject all things unto God. 29 That otherwise also baptism for the dead is used in vain. 30 That believers, as also he himself, would endure so many perils in vain; and that the Epicureans would be in the right. 35 Afterward he teaches that believers shall arise with the same bodies, but with other spiritual qualities, as incorruptibility, glory, immortality. 47 And that the faithful shall have bodies, not as Adam had, but as the Lord Christ has now. 51 Reveals also a mystery, that they, who live at the coming of Christ, shall not die but be changed. 54 And that death than shall be swallowed up; whereat he sings a song of triumph, and thanks God. 58 With an exhortation to the Corinthians that they would continue steadfast in the faith.
MOREOVER, brethren, 1I declare unto you the gospel whicha I 2preached unto you, which also ye have 3received, and wherein ye 4stand;
Byb which also ye 5are saved, if ye 6keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed 7in vain.
For I 8delivered unto you 9first of all 10that which I also received, how thatc Christ died 11for our sins according to the 12scriptures;
And that he was buried,d and that he rosee again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seenf of 13Cephas, theng of the 14twelve:
After that, he was seen 15of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part 16remain unto this present, but some are 17fallen asleep.
After that, he was seen 18of James; then of 19all the apostles.
And last of all he was seen ofh me also, as of 20one born out of due time.
For I am thei least of the apostles, that am 21not meet to be called an apostle, becausej I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am 22what I am: and his grace which was bestowed 23upon me was not 24in vain; butk I 25laboured more abundantly than 26they all: yet 27not I, but the grace of God 28which was with me.
Therefore whether it were I or 29they, 30so we preach, and so ye believed.
Now if Christ 31be preached that he rose from the dead, 32how say 33some among you that there 34is no resurrection of the dead?
But if there be no resurrection of the dead, 35then is Christ not risen:
And if Christ be not risen, then is 36our preaching 37vain, and your faith is also 38vain.
Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; 39because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
For if the dead rise not, 40then is not Christ raised:
And if Christ be not raised, your faith is 41vain; 42ye are yet in your sins.
Then they also which are 43fallen asleep 44in Christ are 45perished.
If in this life 46only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men 47most miserable.l
But now is Christm48risen from the dead, and 49become then firstfruits of them 50that slept.
For since 51by man came death,o52by man came 53also the resurrection of the dead.
For as 54in Adam all 55die, even so 56in Christ shall 57all 58be made alive.
But every man 59in his own order: 60Christ the firstfruits; afterward they 61that are Christ’s 62at his coming.
Then cometh 63the end, when 64he shall have delivered up 65the kingdom to 66God, even the Father; whenp he shall have 67put down 68all rule and all authority and power.
Forq69he must reign, 70till he hath put 71all enemies 72under his feet.
73The last 74enemy that 75shall be destroyed is 76death.
Forr77he hath put 78all things under 79his 80feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that 81he is excepted, which did put all things under 82him.
And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be 83subject unto him that put all things under him, that 84God may be 85all in all.
Else 86what shall they do 87which are baptized 88for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
And why stand 89we 90in jeopardy every hour?
I protest 91by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, 92I die daily.
If after the manner 93of men I have fought 94with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, 95if the dead rise not? 96lets us eat and drink; for 97to morrow we 98die.
99Be not deceived: 100evil communications corrupt good manners.
101Awake to 102righteousness, 103and sin not; for 104some have not 105the knowledge of God: I speak this to 106your shame.
But 107some man will 108say, 109Howt are the dead raised up? and 110with what body do they come?
Thou 111fool, thatu which thou sowest 112is not quickened, except it 113die:
And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body 114that shall be, but 115bare grain, it 116may chance of wheat, or of 117some other grain:
But 118God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed 119his own body.
120All flesh is not 121the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
There are also 122celestial bodies, and bodies 123terrestrial: but 124the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is 125one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the 126stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
127Sov also is the resurrection of the dead. 128It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
It is sown 129in dishonour; it is raised 130in glory: it is sown 131in weakness; it is raised in 132power:
It is sown 133a natural body; it is raised 134a spiritual body. 135There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
And so it is 136written, Thew first man Adam was made 137a living soul; 138the last Adam was made 139a quickening spirit.
Howbeit that was 140not first which is 141spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
142The first man is of 143the earth, 144earthy: 145the second man is 146the Lord from heaven.
147As is the earthy, 148such are they also that are earthy: and 149as is the heavenly, 150such are they also that are heavenly.
And asx we have borne 151the image of the earthy, 152we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Now this I say, brethren, thaty153flesh and blood 154cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth 155corruption inherit 156incorruption.
Behold, I shew you 157a mystery; 158Wez shall not all 159sleep, but we shall all be 160changed,
161In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at 162theaa last trump:ab for the trumpet shall sound, and 163the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and 164we shall be changed.
For 165this corruptible 166must 167put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.ac
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be 168brought to pass the saying 169that is written, 170Deathad171is swallowed up 172in victory.
O 173death, where is thy 174sting? O 175grave, where is thy 176victory?
The sting of death is 177sin; and the strength of sin 178is the law.
Butae thanks be to God, 179which giveth us the victory 180through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye 181stedfast, 182unmoveable, always 183abounding 184in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye 185know that your labour is not 186in vain in the Lord.