1 A nd now let me remind you, brethren, of the Gospel (the glad tidings of salvation) which I proclaimed to you, which you welcomed and accepted and upon which your faith rests,

Christian brothers, I want to tell the Good News to you again. It is the same as I preached to you before. You received it and your faith has been made strong by it.

2 A nd by which you are saved, if you hold fast and keep firmly what I preached to you, unless you believed at first without effect and all for nothing.

This is what I preached to you. You are saved from the punishment of sin by the Good News if you keep hold of it, unless your faith was worth nothing.

3 F or I passed on to you first of all what I also had received, that Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

First of all, I taught you what I had received. It was this: Christ died for our sins as the Holy Writings said He would.

4 T hat He was buried, that He arose on the third day as the Scriptures foretold,

Christ was buried. He was raised from the dead three days later as the Holy Writings said He would.

5 A nd that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the Twelve.

Christ was seen by Peter. After that, the twelve followers saw Him.

6 T hen later He showed Himself to more than five hundred brethren at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep.

After that, more than 500 of His followers saw Him at one time. Most of them are still here, but some have died.

7 A fterward He was seen by James, then by all the apostles (the special messengers),

After that, James saw Christ. Then all the missionaries saw Him.

8 A nd last of all He appeared to me also, as to one prematurely and born dead '> no better than an unperfected fetus among living men].

Last of all, Christ showed Himself to me as if I had been born too late.

9 F or I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit or deserving to be called an apostle, because I once wronged and pursued and molested the church of God.

For I am the least important of all the missionaries. I should not be called a missionary because I made it so hard for God’s church.

10 B ut by the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not for nothing (fruitless and without effect). In fact, I worked harder than all of them, though it was not really I, but the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God which was with me.

I am different now. It is all because of what God did for me by His loving-favor. His loving-favor was not wasted. I worked harder than all the other missionaries. But it was not I who worked. It was God’s loving-favor working through me.

11 S o, whether then it was I or they, this is what we preach and this is what you believed.

It makes no difference how you heard the Good News. It could have been through the other missionaries or through me. The important thing is this: We preached the Good News to you and you believed it. We Will Be Raised from the Dead Also

12 B ut now if Christ (the Messiah) is preached as raised from the dead, how is it that some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

We preached to you that Christ has been raised from the dead. But some of you say that people are not raised from the dead. Why do you say this?

13 B ut if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen;

If the dead are not raised, then Christ was not raised from the dead.

14 A nd if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is devoid of truth and is fruitless (without effect, empty, imaginary, and unfounded).

If Christ was not raised from the dead, then what we preach to you is worth nothing. Your faith in Christ is worth nothing.

15 W e are even discovered to be misrepresenting God, for we testified of Him that He raised Christ, Whom He did not raise in case it is true that the dead are not raised.

That makes us all liars because we said that God raised Christ from the dead. But God did not raise Christ from the dead if the dead do not come to life again.

16 F or if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised;

If the dead are not raised, then not even Christ was raised from the dead.

17 A nd if Christ has not been raised, your faith is mere delusion, and you are still in your sins;

If Christ was not raised from the dead, your faith is worth nothing and you are still living in your sins.

18 A nd further, those who have died in '> spiritual fellowship and union with] Christ have perished (are lost)!

Then the Christians who have already died are lost in sin.

19 I f we who are in Christ have hope only in this life and that is all, then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied.

If we have hope in Christ in this life only, we are more sad than anyone else.

20 B ut the fact is that Christ (the Messiah) has been raised from the dead, and He became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

But it is true! Christ has been raised from the dead! He was the first One to be raised from the dead and all those who are in graves will follow.

21 F or since through a man that death also through a Man that the resurrection of the dead.

Death came because of a man, Adam. Being raised from the dead also came because of a Man, Christ.

22 F or just as '> union of nature] in Adam all people die, so also '> union of nature] shall all in Christ be made alive.

All men will die as Adam died. But all those who belong to Christ will be raised to new life.

23 B ut each in his own rank and turn: Christ (the Messiah) the firstfruits, then those who are Christ’s at His coming.

This is the way it is: Christ was raised from the dead first. Then all those who belong to Christ will be raised from the dead when He comes again.

24 A fter that comes the end (the completion), when He delivers over the kingdom to God the Father after rendering inoperative and abolishing every rule and every authority and power.

Next, at the end of the world, Christ will give His holy nation over to God the Father. Christ will have destroyed every nation and power.

25 F or must be King and reign until He has put all enemies under His feet.

Christ must be King until He has destroyed all those who hate Him and work against Him.

26 T he last enemy to be subdued and abolished is death.

The last thing that will be destroyed is death.

27 F or He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when it says, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that He is excepted Who does the subjecting of all things to Him.

The Holy Writings say that God has put all things under Christ’s feet except Himself.

28 H owever, when everything is subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also subject Himself to Who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.

When Christ is over all things, He will put Himself under God Who put all things under Christ. And God will be over all things.

29 O therwise, what do people mean by being baptized in behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?

What good will it do people if they are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised, why are people baptized for them?

30 w hy do I live in peril every hour?

Why are we also in danger every hour?

31 b y the pride which I have in you in '> fellowship and union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, that I die daily.

I say this, Christian brothers, I have joy in what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for you. That is why I face death every day.

32 W hat do I gain if, merely from the human point of view, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will be dead.

As men look at it, what good has it done for me in the city of Ephesus to fight with men who act like wild animals? If the dead are not raised, we might as well be like those who say, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

33 D o not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.

Do not let anyone fool you. Bad people can make those who want to live good become bad.

34 A wake '> from your drunken stupor and return] to sober sense and your right minds, and sin no more. For some of you have not the knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

Keep your minds awake! Stop sinning. Some do not know God at all. I say this to your shame. The Body That Will Be Raised

35 B ut someone will say, How can the dead be raised? With what body will they come forth?

Someone will say, “How are the dead raised? What kind of bodies will they have?”

36 Y ou foolish man! Every time you plant seed, you sow something that does not come to life unless it dies first.

What a foolish question! When you plant a seed, it must die before it starts new life.

37 N or is the seed you sow then the body which it is going to have, but it is a naked kernel, perhaps of wheat or some of the rest of the grains.

When you put it in the earth, you are not planting the body which it will become. You put in only a seed.

38 B ut God gives to it the body that He plans and sees fit, and to each kind of seed a body of its own.

It is God Who gives it a body just as He wants it to have. Each kind of seed becomes a different kind of body.

39 F or all flesh is not the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for beasts, another for birds, and another for fish.

All flesh is not the same. Men have one kind of flesh. Animals have another kind. Fish have another kind, and birds have another kind.

40 T here are heavenly bodies (sun, moon, and stars) and there are earthly bodies (men, animals, and plants), but the beauty and glory of the heavenly bodies is of one kind, while the beauty and glory of earthly bodies is a different kind.

There are bodies in the heavens. There are bodies on earth. Their greatness is not the same.

41 T he sun is glorious in one way, the moon is glorious in another way, and the stars are glorious in their own way; for one star differs from and surpasses another in its beauty and brilliance.

The sun has its greatness. The moon has its greatness. Stars have their greatness. One star is different from another star in greatness.

42 S o it is with the resurrection of the dead. that is sown is perishable and decays, but that is resurrected is imperishable (immune to decay, immortal).

It is the same with people who are raised from the dead. The body will turn back to dust when it is put in a grave. When the body is raised from the grave, it will never die.

43 I t is sown in dishonor and humiliation; it is raised in honor and glory. It is sown in infirmity and weakness; it is resurrected in strength and endued with power.

It has no greatness when it is put in a grave, but it is raised with shining-greatness. It is weak when it is put in a grave, but it is raised with power.

44 I t is sown a natural (physical) body; it is raised a supernatural (a spiritual) body. there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.

It is a human body when it dies, but it is a God-like body when it is raised from the dead. There are human bodies and there are God-like bodies.

45 T hus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit.

The Holy Writings say, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” But the last Adam (Christ) is a life-giving Spirit.

46 B ut it is not the spiritual life which came first, but the physical and then the spiritual.

We have these human bodies first. Then we are given God-like bodies that are ready for heaven.

47 T he first man from out of earth, made of dust (earthly-minded); the second Man the Lord from out of heaven.

Adam was the first man. He was made from the dust of the earth. Christ was the second man. He came down from heaven.

48 N ow those who are made of the dust are like him who was first made of the dust (earthly-minded); and as is from heaven, so also who are of heaven (heavenly-minded).

All men of the earth are made like Adam. But those who belong to Christ will have a body like the body of Christ Who came from heaven.

49 A nd just as we have borne the image of dust, so shall we and so let us also bear the image of heaven.

Now, our bodies are like Adam’s body. But in heaven, our bodies will be like the body of Christ.

50 B ut I tell you this, brethren, flesh and blood cannot inherit or share in the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable (that which is decaying) inherit or share in the imperishable (the immortal).

Christian brothers, our bodies which are made of flesh and blood will not go into the holy nation of God. That which dies can have no part in that which will never die.

51 T ake notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed (transformed)

For sure, I am telling you a secret. We will not all die, but we will all be changed.

52 I n a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed).

In a very short time, no longer than it takes for the eye to close and open, the Christians who have died will be raised. It will happen when the last horn sounds. The dead will be raised never to die again. Then the rest of us who are alive will be changed.

53 F or this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality (freedom from death).

Our human bodies made from dust must be changed into a body that cannot be destroyed. Our human bodies that can die must be changed into bodies that will never die.

54 A nd when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the Scripture that says, Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished forever) in and unto victory.

When this that can be destroyed has been changed into that which cannot be destroyed, and when this that does die has been changed into that which cannot die, then it will happen as the Holy Writings said it would happen. They said, “Death has no more power over life.”

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

O death, where is your power? O death, where are your pains?

56 N ow sin is the sting of death, and sin exercises its power through the Law.

The pain in death is sin. Sin has power over those under the Law.

57 B ut thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But God is the One Who gives us power over sin through Jesus Christ our Lord. We give thanks to Him for this.

58 T herefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile.

So then, Christian brothers, because of all this, be strong. Do not allow anyone to change your mind. Always do your work well for the Lord. You know that whatever you do for Him will not be wasted.