1 Now, brethren, I make known to you the gospel which I preached to you,
which you received also, in which you stand;
2 Through which you are saved also, if you hold fast with what word I preached to you (here refers to the substance of his preaching, based as it was on the facts of the Lord's death and resurrection, which last was challenged by some false teachers [v.12]), unless you believed to no purpose. (See Rom. 13:4)
3 For I delivered (see John 19:30) to you among the first things
that which I received also, how that Christ (Christ is the Greek translation of Messiah. Christos has the same meaning, from chrio, to anoint) died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that He was buried, and that He has been raised the third day according to the scriptures: (Ps. 16:10. Isa. 53:9-11. Jonah 1:17. Cp. Matt. 12:39. Luke 11:20)
5 And that He was seen by Cephas (Luke 24:34), then of the twelve: (John 20:19,24)
6 After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once (see Rom. 6:10. There is no mention of this in the Gospels, unless it be Matt. 28:16-20, where "some doubted" may imply that others than the 11 present); of whom the greater part remain until now, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, He was seen of James; then of all the apostles. (Luke 24:50-52. Acts 1:6-9.)
8 And last of all He was seen of me also, as [it were] of an abortion. (See Job 3:16. Ecc. 6:3)
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet 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 which was bestowed upon me did not become (i.e. prove to be) in vain (empty); but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, not even has Christ been raised:
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then is our preaching vain, and your faith also is vain.
15 Moreover we are found false witnesses of God; because we testified against God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if at least the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is to no purpose (see Acts 14:15); you are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which fell asleep in Christ perished.
19 If in this life only we are having our hope in Christ, we are more to be pitied than all men.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, and become the first-fruits (see Rom. 8:23, and cp. John 20:1,17) of those that have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die (see Rom. 5:12-19), so in Christ also shall all be made alive. (Christ also has a relationship to the human race. It is that of Lordship [Rom. 14:9.]. This is acknowledged by some now [John 13:13; 20:28], and brings salvation [Rom. 10:9]. It is the work of the Holy Spirit [12:3]. Hence Judas only said, "Master" [Matt. 26:25,49. The natural man rebels against such acknowledgment [Ex. 5:2. Ps. 2:2,3; 12:4. Luke 19:14]. But this Lordship shall one day be asserted and acknowledged by all, including the arch-rebel himself [Ps. 2:6,7. Phil. 2:9-11. Rev. 19:16]. To this end all must be raised)
23 But every one in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's in His coming.
24 Then comes the end (Christ's coming brings that "end", but this is the end of the millennial age), when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have brought to naught (see Rom. 3:3) all rule and all authority and power. (Cp. Eph. 1:21. 1 Pet. 3:22)
25 For He must reign, till He has put all enemies under His feet. (It is God Who puts all enemies under Christ's feet. The 5th quotation of Ps. 110:1. Cp. Matt. 22:44)
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For He subjected (cp. Luke 2:51) all things under His feet.
But when He says "all things are put under Him," (= subjected. Quoted from Ps. 8:6) it is manifest (it's an actuality) that it is with the exception of Him, which did put all things under Him.
28 And when all things shall be subjected to Him, then shall the Son Himself also be subjected to Him That put all things under Him, (It is the Father Who puts all enemies as a footstool for the feet of the Son. See Matt. 22:44. But when this is done, the Son rises up, takes His great power and reigns [Rev. 11:17], and putting His feet on the footstool, treads down the nations His enemies, and continues to put down all that exalts itself against God throughout His Millennial reign. See Pss. 18:37-50; 60:12; 101:8; 145:20. Isa. 63:3,6. Rev. 19:15)
in order that God may be over all things in all [places]. (Defacto. See John 14)
29 Else what shall they do which are being baptized for the dead (see v.20), if the dead rise not at all? why are they baptized also? it is for the dead. (It is to remain dead, as Christ remains, if there be no resurrection, v.13. The argument is, What is the use of being baptized, if it is only to remain dead? No suggestion here of the vicarious baptism which sprang up later among the Macionites and others.)
30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? (See Acts 19:27.)
31 I affirm by the boasting concerning you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32 If according to a man I have fought with beasts at Ephesus (referring to the riot [Acts 19:28-31]. Ignatius, in his epistle to the Romans, says, "From Syria even to Rome, I fought with beasts...being bound to ten leopards, I mean, a band of soldiers, who, even when they receive benefits, show themselves the worse"), what is the profit to me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die. (See Isa. 22:13. Cp. Wisdom 2:5-9)
33 Be not deceived: evil associations corrupt good manners. (A quotation from Thais of Menander, an Athenian poet.)
34 Awake (lit. return to sobriety [of mind]) righteously (i.e. as is right), and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. (See 6:5)
35 But some one will say, "How are the dead raised up? and with what kind of body do they come?"
36 You fool (see Luke 11:40), that which you sow is not made alive, except it die:
37 And that which you sow, you sow not that body that shall be, but naked grain, if it should happen of wheat, or of some one of the rest grain:
38 But God gives it a body even as He purposed, and to each of the seeds its own body. (In vv.36-38 the apostle shows that as we know not how the seeds come to life and grow up [Matt. 4:27], much less do we know how the resurrection change is affected)
39 Not all flesh is the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts (see Acts 23:24), another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial (Gr. epouranios) bodies, and bodies terrestrial (Gr. epigeios): but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. (See note at end of the this book of 1 Corinthians.)
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for star differs from star in glory.
42 So is the resurrection of the dead also (i.e. with a different body). It is sown in corruption (see Rom. 8:21); it is raised in incorruption: (See Rom. 2:27)
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, there is a spiritual body also.
45 So it has been written also (we have the proof from nature and analogy of the variety and resources in the Divine working, and the testimony of the Word besides), "The first man Adam was made a living soul;" (Gen. 2:7) the last Adam was made into a quickening spirit. (See John 5:21)
46 But not first the spiritual, but the natural; afterward the spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image (Rom. 1:23) of the earthy, we shall bear the image also of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood (see Matt. 16:17) are not able to inherit (enter into) the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit (enter into) incorruption. (flesh body, the body that gets old, sheds and you enter into your spiritual body, the body that never gets old.)
51 Behold, I tell you a secret; We shall not all be sleeping (i.e. die), but we shall all be changed, (See Acts 6:14)
52 In a moment (Gr. atomos, lit. that which cannot be cut or divided. Hence "atom"), in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump (the 7th trump): for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead (spiritually dead) shall be raised incorruptible (see Rom 1:1:23. The bodies, not the souls), and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption (change into spiritual body), and this mortal (see Rom. 6:12. Soul, liable to die) must put on immortality. (Eternal life. 1 Tim. 6:16)
54 So when this corruptible (That means it can age and get sick) shall have put on incorruption (That is to step into the spiritual body), and this mortal (That means this soul, “mortal” in the Greek means “liable to die”) shall have put on immortality (deathlessness. See Matt. 10:28. Which means God has judged me and I am an overcomer.), then shall be brought to pass the word that is written, "Death is swallowed up (Matt. 23:24. 2 Cor. 2:7; 5:4. Heb. 11:29. 1 Pet. 5:8. Rev. 12:16) in victory." (This quotation is from Isa. 25:8, and the following verse from Hos. 13:14. This word “swallowed” is an interesting word in the Greek. It means like you would take a cup of water and swallow it. So it means the same thing that it does in the English! It’s gone! Death will come to a point that it is gone. It doesn’t exist. It’s blotted out.)
55 "O death, where is your sting? (see Acts 24:16) O grave (death), where is your victory?" (Which is the same word “hell” translated throughout the bible. It has none because it cannot hold God’s children.)
56 The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law. (It gives sin power because it lets you recognize it. )
57 But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 So then, my beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.