15 Now I declare to you, brothers and sisters, the Gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you stand firm. 2 It is by this Gospel that you are being saved[1083] — if you hold firmly to the Gospel-word which I preached to you. Otherwise you have believed for nothing.
    3 For among matters of first importance,[1084] I delivered to you what I also received: that Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures;  4 that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day,[1085] according to the Scriptures;  5 and that he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve.  6 After that he appeared to over 500 brothers and sisters at once, most of whom are still alive now, though some have fallen asleep in death. [1086] 7 Then he appeared to James, and then to all the Apostles.  8 And last of all, as though to a child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.  9 For I am the least of the Apostles, who is 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. His grace which was given to me was not for nothing, but I have worked more than all of them — though not I, but the grace of God with me.  11 So whether it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you believed.
    12 Now if it is preached that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, how are some among you saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? [1087]  13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Messiah has not been raised from the dead either.  14 And if Messiah has not been raised, then our preaching is pointless, and your faith is pointless too.  15 Indeed we would be false witnesses of God because we would have testified against God that He raised Messiah, whom He did not raise if the dead are not raised!  16 For if the dead are not raised, then Messiah has not been raised either,  17 and if Messiah has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still in your sins.  18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in death in Messiah have perished. [1088]  19 For if we have hoped in Messiah in this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone!
    20 But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep in death.  21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a human being. [1089] 22 For just as in Adam all die, so in the Messiah all will be made alive. [1090] 23 But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruits, then those who belong to Messiah at his coming. [1091]  24 Later comes the end, when he will hand over the Kingdom[1092] to God who is the Father, after abolishing all rule, authority, and power. 25 For Messiah is destined to reign[1093] until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For “He has put[1094] all things in subjection under his feet.” Of course when it says “all things” are put in subjection, it is evident that this does not include the One who subjected all things to him.  28 And when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.
    29 Otherwise what do some of you mean by being baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are people baptized for them? 30 And why do we live in danger every moment? 31 Brothers and sisters, I affirm by the pride in you which I have in Messiah Jesus our lord, I face death daily. 32 If I fought with wild animals at Ephesus for human purposes, what did it benefit me? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we die”! 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Become sober and right-minded, and stop sinning. For some have no knowledge of God — I say this to your shame.
    35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have?” 36 You foolish person! What you sow does not sprout into life unless it dies. 37 And when you sow, you do not sow the plant it will grow into, just the bare seed, whether wheat or something else. 38 But God gives it a body as He has planned, and each kind of seed grows into a different plant. 39 All bodies are not the same, but humans have one kind of body, animals another, birds another, and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, and the brightness of the heavenly bodies differs from that of the earthly bodies. 41 The sun has one kind of brightness, the moon another, and the stars another. And one star differs from another star in brightness.
    42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown mortal; it is resurrected immortal. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in honor and 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 as it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living person”; the last Adam became a life-imparting spirit. 46 Yet the spiritual did not come first, but the natural. Then the spiritual came after that. [1095] 47 The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is of heaven. [1096] 48 As is the one made from dust, so also are those made from dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.
    50 Now I say this to you, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood[1097] cannot inherit the Kingdom of God;[1098] the perishable does not inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I am revealing a mystery to you: We will not all fall asleep in death,[1099] but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet.[1100] For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be resurrected unable ever to die again, and we will be changed. [1101] 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will happen the saying that is written: “Death has been swallowed up by victory. 55 Death, where is your victory? Death, where 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 Messiah. 58 So my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always abounding in the lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the lord is not for nothing.