1 Corinthians 15:1-2
Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

† Paul begins with the foundation, the gospel itself.
† Salvation is tied to holding fast to what was preached, not wavering.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

† The gospel is centered on Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.
† This was foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 53, Psalm 16).
† Justin Martyr (Dialogue with Trypho 97) argued that the prophets foretold the resurrection on the third day.

1 Corinthians 15:5-8
And that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

† The resurrection was verified by eyewitness testimony.
† Paul includes himself as the final witness of the risen Christ.
† Clement of Rome (1 Clement 42) upheld the apostolic witness as trustworthy.

1 Corinthians 15:9-11
For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain, but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach, and so you believed.

† Paul magnifies God's grace in his apostleship.
† The message was the same, whether preached by Paul or the others.

1 Corinthians 15:12-14
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? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain.

† Denying the resurrection undermines the gospel itself.
† The resurrection of Christ and of the dead are inseparably connected.

1 Corinthians 15:15-19
Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless, you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied.

† Without resurrection, faith collapses, sins remain, and hope is lost.
† The apostles would be false witnesses if the resurrection were not true.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22
But the fact is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man death came, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

† Christ's resurrection is the guarantee of the resurrection of His people.
† Adam brought death, Christ brought life.
† Irenaeus (Against Heresies 5.12.3) saw Christ as the new Adam reversing the curse.

1 Corinthians 15:23-24
But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to our God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

† The resurrection is ordered: Christ, then His people at His coming, then the consummation.
† Christ's kingdom culminates in victory over all opposing powers.

1 Corinthians 15:25-26
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

† Christ reigns now, subduing His enemies.
† Death, the last enemy, was defeated through His resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:27-28
For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is clear that this excludes the One who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

† Paul emphasizes God's final victory and unity.
† Subjection points to the Son's perfect obedience and the Father's all-in-all glory.

1 Corinthians 15:29
For otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?

† The obscure practice of baptism for the dead made no sense without resurrection.
† Paul appeals to their actions as evidence that they acknowledged resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:30-32
Why are we also in danger every hour? I affirm, brothers and sisters, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If from human motives I fought with wild animals at Ephesus, what good is it to me? If the dead are not raised, let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

† Paul's constant suffering makes sense only if the resurrection is true.
† Without resurrection, hedonism would be the only logical response.
† Tacitus (Annals 15.44) described Christians enduring persecution, confirming Paul's reality of danger.

1 Corinthians 15:33-34
Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." Sober up morally and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

† False teaching leads to corrupt living.
† Knowledge of God leads to righteousness.

1 Corinthians 15:35-38
But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?" You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies, and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or something else. But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.

† Paul explains resurrection through the metaphor of sowing seed.
† The new body is given by God's design, not identical to the old.

1 Corinthians 15:39-41
All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of mankind, another flesh of animals, another of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory.

† Diversity in creation illustrates God's power to provide new, glorious bodies.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body, it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory, it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power, it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

† The resurrection body is transformed, imperishable, glorious, and spiritual.
† Paul contrasts corruption with incorruption, weakness with power.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49
So also it is written: "The first man, Adam, became a living person." The last Adam was a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy, the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy one, so also are those who are earthy, and as is the heavenly One, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

† Adam brought natural life, Christ gives spiritual life.
† Believers are transformed into His heavenly image.

1 Corinthians 15:50-53
Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I am telling you a mystery, we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

† Paul reveals the mystery of transformation.
† The living and the dead are changed together at the resurrection.
† Josephus (Wars 6.299) wrote of signs and portents at Jerusalem's fall, connecting to the trumpet imagery.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57
But when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law, but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

† Paul quotes Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14 to proclaim death's defeat.
† Christ's resurrection removes sin's sting and the Law's condemnation.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

† Paul concludes with exhortation: stand firm, labor faithfully, because resurrection guarantees victory.

How it applies to us today
† 1 Corinthians 15 establishes the resurrection as central to the gospel.
† Christ's resurrection guarantees the resurrection of His people.
† Death is defeated, hope is secure, and labor in the Lord is never wasted.

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †

Source Index
† Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 97 - resurrection foretold
† Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 42 - apostolic witness upheld
† Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.12.3 - Christ as the new Adam
† Tacitus, Annals 15.44 - Christians enduring persecution
† Josephus, Wars 6.299 - trumpet signs at Jerusalem's fall
† Isaiah 25:8, Hosea 13:14 - death swallowed up in victory