1 Corinthians 15:3-21

New King James Version

³ For ^(A)I delivered to you first of all that ^(B)which I also received: that Christ died for our sins ^(C)according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day ^(D)according to the Scriptures, ^5 (E)and that He was seen by ^[a]Cephas, then ^(F)by the twelve. ⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have ^[b]fallen asleep. ⁷ After that He was seen by James, then ^(G)by all the apostles. ^8 (H)Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

⁹ For I am ^(I)the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because ^(J)I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But ^(K)by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, ^(L)yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. ¹¹ Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Risen Christ, Our Hope^(M)

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, ^(N)then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴ And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ¹⁵ Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because ^(O)we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶ For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁷ And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; ^(P)you are still in your sins! ¹⁸ Then also those who have ^[c]fallen ^(Q)asleep in Christ have perished. ^19 (R)If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

The Last Enemy Destroyed

²⁰ But now ^(S)Christ is risen from the dead, and has become ^(T)the firstfruits of those who have ^[d]fallen asleep. ²¹ For ^(U)since by man came death, ^(V)by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.