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Pauline Letters · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

1 Corinthians 15

Paul addresses division, holiness, worship, gifts, love, and resurrection in a troubled church.

New Testament

1 Corinthians 15

1Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand,

2by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep.

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

8and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.

9For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God.

10But 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.

11Whether then it is I or they, so we preach, and so you believed.

12Now 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?

13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised.

14If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith also is in vain.

15Yes, 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.

16For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised.

17If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.

18Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

19If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.

20But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruit of those who are asleep.

21For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man.

22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s at his coming.

24Then 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.

25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

26The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

27For, “He put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when he says, “All things are put in subjection”, it is evident that he is excepted who subjected all things to him.

28When 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.

29Or 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?

30Why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour?

31I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

32If 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.”

33Don’t be deceived! “Evil companionships corrupt good morals.”

34Wake up righteously and don’t sin, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

35But someone will say, “How are the dead raised?” and, “With what kind of body do they come?”

36You foolish one, that which you yourself sow is not made alive unless it dies.

37That which you sow, you don’t sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, maybe of wheat, or of some other kind.

38But God gives it a body even as it pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own.

39All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

40There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial differs from that of the terrestrial.

41There 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.

42So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown perishable; it is raised imperishable.

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

44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body.

45So also it is written, “The first man Adam became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

46However, that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual.

47The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven.

48As 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.

49As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let’s also bear the image of the heavenly.

50Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can’t inherit God’s Kingdom; neither does the perishable inherit imperishable.

51Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

52in 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.

53For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54But 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.”

55“Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?”

56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58Therefore, 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.

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Paul addresses division, holiness, worship, gifts, love, and resurrection in a troubled church. Read 1 Corinthians 15 within the complete 1 Corinthians overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in 1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 15 contains 58 verses and about 1120 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand,” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 58 closes: “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.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include raised, will, christ, dead, body, been. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About 1 Corinthians 15

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, 1 Corinthians 15:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer