Verses 1-11: The Received Gospel and the Risen Christ Witnessed

¹ Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed 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 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all, as to the 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 assembly of God. ¹⁰ But 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. ¹¹ Whether then it is I or they, so we preach, and so you believed.

• The gospel is received, stood in, and truly saves as it is held fast:

  Paul presents the Good News as something preached and received, in which believers “stand,” and by which they “are saved,” while also warning that salvation is not a trivial attachment to religious ideas. The call to “hold firmly” underscores that genuine faith is living and persevering rather than empty—yet the emphasis remains on the gospel itself as God’s saving instrument, not human merit.

• Christ’s death and resurrection are objective, Scriptural, and atoning “for our sins”:

  The message is not merely moral instruction but an event: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” was buried, and was raised on the third day “according to the Scriptures.” This anchors Christian forgiveness and reconciliation in God’s promised saving work, fulfilled in Christ’s real death and bodily resurrection.

• The resurrection is publicly attested and apostolically proclaimed:

  Paul lists appearances to Cephas, the twelve, “over five hundred,” James, “all the apostles,” and finally to Paul. This testimony shows that the resurrection is central apostolic proclamation and foundational to the church’s faith, grounded in witnessed reality rather than private speculation.

• Grace produces humble service without erasing real human labor:

  Paul’s story joins deep humility (“least of the apostles”) with transforming grace: “by the grace of God I am what I am.” His strenuous work is real (“I worked more than all of them”), yet he refuses self-glory (“yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me”), presenting Christian obedience as a true participation empowered by God’s prior gift.

Verses 12-19: If There Is No Resurrection, Faith Collapses

¹² Now 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? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. ¹⁴ If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain. ¹⁵ Yes, 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 so that the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised. ¹⁷ If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.

• Christian hope stands or falls with a real resurrection:

  Paul argues with relentless logic: to deny the resurrection of the dead is to deny Christ’s resurrection; to deny Christ’s resurrection is to empty preaching and faith of substance. Christianity is therefore not a symbolic program of inspiration—it is grounded in God’s act of raising Jesus.

• The resurrection is inseparable from forgiveness and justification before God:

  Paul connects the absence of resurrection to the terrifying conclusion: “you are still in your sins.” The risen Christ is not an optional add-on to the cross; his resurrection is tied to the efficacy and vindication of his saving death, so that believers can have solid assurance that sin and death have truly been confronted by God.

• Without resurrection, the church’s dead are lost and Christian suffering is tragic:

  If Christ is not raised, those “fallen asleep in Christ have perished,” and believers who hope in Christ “in this life” alone are “most pitiable.” The point is pastoral and theological: Christian endurance, sacrifice, and grief must be interpreted through the reality of future life, or else the gospel becomes a cruel illusion.

Verses 20-28: First Fruits, Final Order, and the Kingdom Handed to the Father

²⁰ But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep. ²¹ For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man. 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 first fruits, then those who are Christ’s, at his coming. ²⁴ Then the end comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be abolished is death. ²⁷ For, “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. ²⁸ When 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.

• Christ’s resurrection is the first installment and guarantee of the harvest to come:

  Calling Christ “the first fruits” teaches both continuity and certainty: what happened to Jesus will happen to “those who are asleep.” The resurrection is therefore not wishful thinking but the beginning of God’s promised end-time renewal already inaugurated in Christ.

• Human ruin and human restoration are traced through Adam and Christ:

  Paul sets a sweeping biblical storyline: death came “by man,” and resurrection also comes “by man.” “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive,” showing solidarity in human fallenness and also a new solidarity in Christ’s life-giving work, centered on union with him.

• Resurrection unfolds according to God’s appointed order and Christ’s coming:

  The sequence is clear: “Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s, at his coming.” This ties the believer’s future resurrection to Christ’s return and locates Christian hope in God’s purposeful timing rather than speculation or fear.

• Christ reigns until every enemy is subdued, and death itself will be abolished:

  The risen Christ is not passive; “he must reign” until all enemies are placed under his feet. The climax is explicit: “The last enemy that will be abolished is death,” proclaiming that God’s final victory is not merely moral improvement but the decisive undoing of death’s tyranny.

• The Son’s mediatorial reign culminates in God’s all-encompassing glory:

  Paul describes all things subjected under Christ, with the Father as the one who ultimately subjects all things to him, and then the Son himself being subjected to the Father “that God may be all in all.” This guards both Christ’s true lordship and the ultimate unity of God’s kingdom purpose, with no rivalry within the Godhead and no enduring corner of creation outside God’s rightful reign.

Verses 29-34: Resurrection Shapes Worship, Risk, and Holiness

²⁹ Or 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? ³⁰ Why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour? ³¹ I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. ³² If 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.” ³³ Don’t be deceived! “Evil companionships corrupt good morals.” ³⁴ Wake up righteously, and don’t sin, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

• Resurrection hope gives coherence to Christian practice and courage:

  Paul appeals to practices and patterns among them (“baptized for the dead”) and to apostolic suffering (“jeopardy every hour,” “I die daily”) to show that denying resurrection makes Christian life irrational. The church’s worship and mission presuppose that God will raise the dead; otherwise, a hedonistic slogan—“let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”—would be more consistent.

• Resurrection truth demands moral vigilance and godly relationships:

  Because false ideas corrupt life, Paul warns, “Don’t be deceived!” and cites the proverb that “Evil companionships corrupt good morals.” The call to “Wake up righteously, and don’t sin” shows that resurrection is not merely future comfort; it is present ethical power that summons believers to holiness, sobriety, and a life shaped by the knowledge of God.

Verses 35-49: How the Dead Are Raised—Continuity, Transformation, and the New Humanity

³⁵ But someone will say, “How are the dead raised?” and, “With what kind of body do they come?” ³⁶ You foolish one, that which you yourself sow is not made alive unless it dies. ³⁷ That which you sow, you don’t sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, maybe of wheat, or of some other kind. ³⁸ But God gives it a body even as it pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own. ³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. ⁴⁰ There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial differs from that of the terrestrial. ⁴¹ There 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. ⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown 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. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ However that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸ As 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. ⁴⁹ As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let’s also bear the image of the heavenly.

• God’s resurrection work transforms the same life into a glorified mode of existence:

  Using the seed analogy, Paul teaches both continuity and change: what is “sown” is not identical in form to what will be, yet it is truly connected, and “God gives it a body even as it pleased him.” Resurrection is not the mere survival of a soul without embodiment; it is God’s act of raising, refashioning, and glorifying human bodily life.

• Resurrection bodies differ in glory, and believers are raised imperishable:

  By pointing to the diversity of “flesh” and differing celestial glories, Paul prepares the church to expect resurrection as a divinely given, appropriate embodiment. The perishable is raised imperishable; dishonor becomes glory; weakness becomes power—showing resurrection as comprehensive healing and exaltation, not a slight improvement.

• “Natural” and “spiritual” describe God-ordered stages, not the rejection of the body:

  Paul contrasts a “natural body” with a “spiritual body,” insisting both are truly “body.” The “spiritual” is not less physical but more fully animated, empowered, and perfected by God’s life, fitting believers for the coming kingdom.

• Adam and Christ define two humanities—dust and heaven:

  The first Adam is “of the earth,” and humanity bears his image in mortality; Christ, “the Lord from heaven,” is “the last Adam” and “life-giving.” The call, “let’s also bear the image of the heavenly,” frames sanctification and final glorification together: believers are being oriented toward the new humanity whose destiny is shaped by Christ’s heavenly life.

Verses 50-58: The Mystery of Change, Death Defeated, and Steadfast Labor

⁵⁰ Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can’t inherit God’s Kingdom; neither does the perishable inherit imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, ⁵² in 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. ⁵³ For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ But 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?” 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, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

• God’s kingdom requires transformation, not mere continuation of mortal life:

  “Flesh and blood can’t inherit God’s Kingdom” teaches that our current mortal condition is unfit for the imperishable inheritance. The hope offered is not escape from creation but a necessary change—God’s gift that makes believers suited for the coming fullness of his reign.

• At Christ’s decisive moment, both the dead and the living are changed:

  Paul reveals a “mystery”: not all will “sleep” (die), but all will be “changed,” instantly, “at the last trumpet.” The dead are raised “incorruptible,” and the living are transformed, showing the unity of God’s saving action for the whole people of Christ at his coming.

• Death’s defeat is tied to sin’s defeat, and victory is God’s gift through Christ:

  When immortality comes, Scripture’s promise is fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” Paul traces death’s sting to sin and sin’s power to the law, then breaks into thanksgiving: God “gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The triumph is therefore not human achievement but divine deliverance in Christ, producing both assurance and worship.

• Resurrection hope fuels steadfast holiness and meaningful service:

  The chapter ends not in speculation but in vocation: “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work.” Because resurrection is real and God grants victory in Christ, believers’ present obedience matters—“your labor is not in vain in the Lord”—even when it is costly, unseen, or opposed.

Conclusion: 1 Corinthians 15 proclaims the death and resurrection of Christ as the heart of the gospel, insists that Christian faith is empty without a real resurrection, and anchors the believer’s future in Christ’s victory as the first fruits. It presents resurrection as God’s transforming gift—defeating sin and death, completing Christ’s reign, and bringing God’s kingdom to its intended fullness—so that believers can pursue holiness and serve the Lord with unshakable hope.