The resurrection of Christ is one of the most important and most celebrated events by Christians around the world, since it is a clear example of the restoration of the life of a body, which goes from mortal to immortal, reaching eternal life.
There are several texts that speak of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but 1 Corinthians 15 is one of the most beautiful and profound, with a message that will not leave you indifferent. This is a long text, although it should be so due to the importance of the subject.
Do you want to discover 1 Corinthians 15 right now? We won’t keep you waiting any longer, below you will find all the information on the text and a detailed analysis of it.
15 And we are found false witnesses of God: for we have testified of God, that he raised up Christ, whom he raised not up, if indeed the dead rise not.
1 Corinthians 15 summary
To begin with, and as is customary in our analysis articles, we first recommend that you listen to the entire video chapter, to have a first contact with the subject.
It is a long text and you will need a few minutes to listen to the whole text and assimilate everything that is said in it. Take it easy and enjoy these powerful verses on the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15 of the Bible in English and large print
Have you understood the meaning of 1 Corinthians 15? If you have not yet understood all his words, don’t worry, now you can read the whole chapter in English and large print, and then start with the analysis we have prepared for you. We are sure that by the time you finish reading this article, you will be an expert on 1 Corinthians 15.
Now, stay with the main message of the text, since it is difficult to remember each verse exactly due to its length. Read without prejudice and open your heart to God so that these beautiful words will resonate strongly within you.
1 Moreover I declare unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye continue;
2 By which also, if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you, ye are saved, if ye believed not in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures;
5 And that he appeared to Cephas, and afterward to the twelve.
6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, of whom many are still living, and some are asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
8 and last of all, as to an abortifacient, he appeared to me.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy 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 hath not been in vain toward me, but I have laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God toward me.
11 For whether it is I or they, so we preach, and so you have believed.
12 But if it is preached of Christ that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither was Christ raised.
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 And we are found false witnesses of God: for we have testified of God, that he raised up Christ, whom he raised not up, if indeed the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead are not raised, neither was Christ raised;
17 and if Christ is not risen, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ perished.
19 If in this life only we hope in Christ alone, we are the most worthy of commiseration of all men.
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead; the first fruits of them that slept is become.
21 For since by one man came death, by one man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; then those who are Christ’s, at his coming.
24 Then the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God and Father, when he shall have done away with all dominion, all authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. And when he says that all things have been subjected to him, he clearly excepts the one who subjected all things to him.
28 But when all things have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what will those who are baptized for the dead do, if by no means the dead are raised? Why then are they baptized for the dead?
30 And why are we in danger at all times?
31 I assure you, brethren, by the glory which I have from you in our Lord Jesus Christ, that I die daily.
32 If as a man I fought in Ephesus against wild beasts, what does it profit me? If the dead do not rise, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.
33 Do not err; bad conversations corrupt good manners.
34 Watch ye diligently, and sin not: for some know not God; to your shame I say this.
35 But one will say, How shall the dead rise? With what body will they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest shall not come to life, except it die first.
37 And what you sow is not the body that is to come forth, but the naked grain, whether it be wheat or other grain;
38 but God gives him the body as he willed, and to each seed its own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but one flesh is the flesh of men, another the flesh of beasts, another the flesh of fish, and another the flesh of birds.
40 And there are celestial bodies, and there are terrestrial bodies: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, and another the glory of the stars, for one star differs from another in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it will rise in incorruption.
43 It is sown in dishonor, it will rise in glory; it is sown in weakness, it will rise in power.
44 Animal body is sown, spiritual body will be resurrected. There is an animal body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 Thus also it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
46 But that which is spiritual is not first, but that which is animal; then that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man, who is the Lord, is from heaven.
48 Which the earthly, such also are the earthly; and which the heavenly, such also are the heavenly.
49 And as we have brought the image of the earthly, we will also bring the image of the heavenly.
50 But this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither does corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 And when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be fulfilled the word that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 Where, O death, is your sting? Where, O grave, thy victory?
56 for 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 brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Explanation and Meaning of 1 Corinthians 15
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But what was Paul’s objective with 1 Corinthians 15? Without going any further, he wanted to explain to the new Christians the meaning of the resurrection of Christ and of the dead. If for us who live in the s. XXI can also be a complicated concept, imagine in those times.
The text offers two very distinct parts: the first (verses 1-11) which speaks of the resurrection of Christ, and the second (verses 12-58) which deals with the resurrection of the dead.
From the first part, it is important to highlight the account of the apparitions of Jesus after his death and resurrection, this being the first reference to these events in the New Testament. A nice example of the verses that refer to the resurrection is verse 6:
“Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at once, of whom many are yet living, and some are asleep.”
In addition, we find a beautiful act of humility of St. Paul, recognizing himself as the least of the apostles for having lived far from the path of Christ, before converting to Christianity. In this way, he justifies that Jesus Christ appeared before him as the last apostle and thanks God that this is so. You will find this in verse 9:
“For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
The second part is the most extensive and dense, since the subject to be developed is a little more complex.
It begins with a rhetorical question addressed to the Corinthian skeptics who denied the resurrection of Christ. Paul stresses the resurrection as one of the fundamental pillars of our faith, as we see in verse 14:
“And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, vain is your faith also.”
Next, Paul speaks of the second coming of Christ in which he will put an end to death, property and all that pertains to ephemeral humanity. The clearest example of this is the following verse, corresponding to verse 24:
“Then the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God and Father, when he shall have done away with all dominion, all authority and power.”
From here to the end, the chapter deals in more detail with the resurrection of the dead at the Last Judgment, in which all human beings, living and dead, will live eternally in a new spiritual reality. Furthermore, in verse 33, he leaves us a perfect phrase to remember and apply in our lives:
“Do not err; bad conversations corrupt good manners.”
One conversation with the wrong person can break even our healthiest, most ingrained habits. On the other hand, the verse that perfectly summarizes the second coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead is verse 52, which explains the disappearance of death in the world:
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Historical context of 1 Corinthians 15
If you’ve made it this far, we can only congratulate you! As we have told you, this is not an easy text, but when you finish reading it, you understand much more than if you only listen to it once. And since you have come this far, we are going to explain in depth everything you need to know about 1 Corinthians 15.
This is the last chapter of the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. It was written by Paul of Tarsus from Ephesus, with the purpose of answering the doubts of the new Christians of Corinth, who sent him a letter.
We are talking about the year 54 A.D., in the midst of Paul’s evangelization of the Mediterranean cities. In those times, people hardly knew the story of Christ and it was the apostles and followers of Jesus who were in charge of taking the Word of God, written in the Gospels, to the entire population.
Paul wrote 7 confirmed epistles, although there are others whose authorship is in doubt and could also be his. Through these letters, Paul gave guidelines for behavior and resolved doubts about the cities he had visited or was going to visit.
Thus, the Church of Corinth became one of the most important on the Mediterranean coast.
Final reflection on 1 Corinthians 15
You may already be a little fatigued, because of the great length of 1 Corinthians 15, and because of all the information we have given you and now you must process little by little.
Before finishing, we would like to share with you the reflection of our brother Jorge Rampogna, who with his plain words and after having read our analysis, will help you to assimilate some of the concepts that we have been dealing with. We hope you like it!
The best verse of 1 Corinthians 15 51
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
For us, verse 51 is one of the best verses of 1 Corinthians 15, because it confronts us with the mystery of understanding the concept of the resurrection and at the same time it is explained with ease and clarity.
Those of us who wake up in time, and follow the path of the Lord, are transformed by the work of God, following a path that will lead us to eternity. On the other hand, if we decide not to walk the path of the Lord, we will go asleep in the world without understanding the power of eternal life.
Resurrection is a subject that requires reflection and above all faith. It is one of our most important pillars of the Christian faith, so we cannot fail to reflect and delve into its mystery.
That’s all for today, we hope we have helped you to think and to read in a more pleasant way, this text so elaborate and so full of content. As we always say, we hope you have learned something important.
We say goodbye until the next article!