1 Corinthianschapter 15

A.The Gospel Paul Received: Died, Buried, Raised, Seenvv. 1-11

1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, and in which you stand firm. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

B.If Christ Is Not Raised, We Are the Most Pitiablevv. 12-19

12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith. 15 In that case, we are also exposed as false witnesses about God. For we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead, but He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men.

C.Firstfruits, Then the End, and Death Last of Allvv. 20-28

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him. 24 Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put everything under His feet.” Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him. 28 And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.

D.Why Stand We in Jeopardy Every Hour?vv. 29-34

29 If these things are not so, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day, brothers, as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.

E.Sown in Weakness, Raised in Power: The Two Adamsvv. 35-49

35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 You fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else. 38 But God gives it a body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another, and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is of one degree, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is of another. 41 The sun has one degree of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man.

F.At the Last Trumpet: Death Swallowed Upvv. 50-58

50 Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition

← Back: 1 Corinthians 14 Continue: 1 Corinthians 16 →

Chapter summary

The gospel declared.

Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴

The gospel declared. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some that there is no resurrection? If Christ be not risen, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. But now is Christ risen from the dead, the firstfruits of them that slept. The last Adam a quickening spirit. Death is swallowed up in victory. Calvin reads this as the gospel's cornerstone chapter.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.

Context

Epistle · Paul — 1 Corinthians overview

A. 1–11 The Gospel Paul Received: Died, Buried, Raised, Seen
B. 12–19 If Christ Is Not Raised, We Are the Most Pitiable
C. 20–28 Firstfruits, Then the End, and Death Last of All
D. 29–34 Why Stand We in Jeopardy Every Hour?
E. 35–49 Sown in Weakness, Raised in Power: The Two Adams
F. 50–58 At the Last Trumpet: Death Swallowed Up

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

1 Corinthians 1510 verses
- 1 Corinthians 15:14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.
- 1 Corinthians 15:16For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised.
- 1 Corinthians 15:17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
- 1 Corinthians 15:20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
- 1 Corinthians 15:23But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.
- 1 Corinthians 15:38But God gives it a body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.
- Read 1 Corinthians 15: 4 more there →
Romans 85 verses
- Romans 8:2For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.
- Romans 8:11And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.
- Romans 8:29For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
- Romans 8:36As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
- Romans 8:37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
- Read Romans 8 →
1 Thessalonians 43 verses
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise.
- Read 1 Thessalonians 4 →
Hebrews 23 verses
- Hebrews 2:1We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
- Hebrews 2:8and placed everything under his feet.” When God subjected all things to him, He left nothing outside of his control. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
- Hebrews 2:14Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,
- Read Hebrews 2 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Acts 263 verses
- Acts 26:8Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
- Acts 26:16‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.
- Acts 26:23that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”
- Read Acts 26 →
John 33 verses
- John 3:3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
- John 3:6Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.
- John 3:31The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.
- Read John 3 →
Philippians 32 verses
- Philippians 3:20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
- Philippians 3:21who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
- Read Philippians 3 →
Matthew 282 verses
- Matthew 28:10“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”
- Matthew 28:18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
- Read Matthew 28 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.