The resurrection of Christ
1Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance15:3 Or you at the first: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas,15:5 That is, Peter and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
The resurrection of the dead
12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For he ‘has put everything under his feet’.15:27 Psalm 8:6 Now when it says that ‘everything’ has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
29Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptised for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptised for them? 30And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31I face death every day – yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
‘Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.’15:32 Isaiah 22:13
33Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’15:33 From the Greek poet Menander 34Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God – I say this to your shame.
The resurrection body
35But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?’ 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39Not all flesh is the same: people have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendour of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendour of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendour, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendour.
42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’15:45 Gen. 2:7; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we15:49 Some early manuscripts so let us bear the image of the heavenly man.
50I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’15:54 Isaiah 25:8
55‘Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?’15:55 Hosea 13:14
56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.
基督的復活
1弟兄姊妹，我希望你們記住我傳給你們的福音，就是你們曾經領受，向來堅持的福音。 2你們若持守我傳給你們的，必因這福音而得救——除非你們沒有真正相信。
3我所領受並傳給你們的最重要的信息是：基督照聖經的記載為我們的罪死了， 4然後被埋葬了；又照聖經的記載在第三天復活了， 5並曾向彼得顯現，又向十二使徒顯現； 6後來有一次向五百多位弟兄姊妹顯現，其中有許多至今依然健在，也有些已經安息了； 7隨後，祂向雅各顯現，又向眾使徒顯現； 8到最後，竟也向我這好像未按產期出生15·8 保羅用「未按產期出生」來指自己非比尋常的蒙召經歷。的人顯現。
9在眾使徒中我最微不足道，根本不配稱為使徒，因為我曾迫害上帝的教會。 10但靠著上帝的恩典，我成了今天的我，祂賜給我的恩典沒有枉費。我比其他人更加賣力，不過我不是靠自己，而是上帝的恩典與我同在。 11不論是我傳的還是其他使徒傳的，我們怎樣傳，你們也怎樣相信了。
死人復活
12既然我們一直都在傳揚基督已經從死裡復活，怎麼你們當中卻有些人否定死人復活的事呢？ 13要是沒有死人復活的事，基督也就沒有復活。 14如果基督沒有復活，我們所傳的就是虛空，你們所信的也是虛空， 15而且，我們就是在為上帝做假見證，因為我們見證上帝已經使基督復活了。如果沒有死人復活的事，上帝也就沒有叫基督復活。 16如果人死了不會復活，基督也就沒有復活。 17如果基督沒有復活，你們的信仰就是虛空，你們依舊沉淪在罪中， 18那些在基督裡安息的人也滅亡了。 19如果我們對基督的盼望只在今世，我們就是世上最可憐的人。
20然而，基督已經從死裡復活，祂是死人中第一個復活的15·20 「是死人中第一個復活的」希臘文是「成為已經睡了之人初熟的果子」。。 21既然死亡的到來是藉著一人，復活的到來也是藉著一人。 22因為正如在亞當裡眾人都死了，同樣，在基督裡眾人也都要復活。 23然而，各人要按照先後次序復活。基督最先復活，以後祂再來時，屬祂的人也要復活。 24最後末日來臨，那時基督會廢除一切執政的、掌權的、有能力的，將國度交給父上帝。 25因為基督必執掌王權，直到上帝將所有的仇敵都放在祂腳下。 26祂最後要毀滅的仇敵就是死亡。 27因為聖經上說：「上帝使萬物降服在祂腳下。」當然，這裡說的「萬物都降服祂」不包括使萬物降服祂的上帝。 28到了萬物都歸服基督以後，聖子基督也要歸服那使萬物歸服祂的上帝，使上帝做萬物的主宰。
29否則，那些人代替死人受洗有什麼意義呢？死人如果不會復活，為什麼要代替他們受洗呢？ 30我們又何必時刻身臨險境呢？ 31我天天與死亡搏鬥。弟兄姊妹，我這樣說，就跟我在主基督耶穌裡以你們為榮一樣，沒有半點虛假。 32從人的角度看，我在以弗所與那些「惡獸」格鬥對我有什麼益處呢？如果死人不會復活，「讓我們吃喝吧！因為明天我們就死了。」 33你們不要上當受騙，「交壞朋友會敗壞好品德」。 34你們該醒悟了！不要繼續犯罪，因為你們當中有些人不認識上帝。我說這話是要叫你們羞愧。
復活後的身體
35或許有人會問：「死人怎樣復活呢？復活後會有怎樣的身體呢？」 36無知的人啊！你們種下的種子必須先死，然後才能生長。 37而且，你們種下的並不是那將來要長成的形體，僅僅是種子，或麥種，或其他種子。 38上帝按自己的旨意賜給種子形體，每個種子都有自己的形體。 39血肉之體各不相同，人、魚、鳥、獸都各有不同的形體。
40此外，有天上的形體，也有地上的形體，兩者的榮光各不相同。 41日有日的榮光，月有月的榮光，星有星的榮光，這顆星和那顆星的榮光也有分別。
42死人復活也是同樣的道理。種下去的會朽壞，復活的不會朽壞； 43種下去的是羞恥的，復活的是榮耀的；種下去的是軟弱的，復活的是剛強的； 44種下去的是血肉之軀，復活的是屬靈的形體。既有血肉之軀，也必有屬靈的形體。 45聖經上也說：「第一個亞當成了有生命的人」，但末後的亞當是賜人生命的靈。 46先有的不是屬靈的形體，而是血肉之軀，以後才有屬靈的形體。 47第一個人亞當來自地上，是用塵土造的，但第二個人基督來自天上。 48塵土所造的那位是什麼樣，屬地的人也是什麼樣；從天而來的那位是什麼樣，屬天的人也是什麼樣。 49我們既然有屬地的形像，將來也必有屬天的形像。
50弟兄姊妹，我告訴你們，血肉之軀不能承受上帝的國，必朽壞的身體也不能承受永不朽壞的產業。 51聽著，我要告訴你們一個奧祕：我們並不是都要死亡15·51 「死亡」希臘文是「睡覺」。，乃是都要改變—— 52就在一剎那，眨眼之間，最後的號角吹響的時候。因為號角一吹響，死人就要復活成為永不朽壞的，我們也要改變。 53那時，這必朽的身體要變成不朽的，這必死的要變成不死的。 54當這一切發生的時候，就應驗了聖經上的話：
「死亡被勝利吞滅了。」
55「死亡啊！你得勝的權勢在哪裡？
死亡啊！你的毒鉤在哪裡？」
56死亡的毒鉤就是罪，罪藉著律法施展它的權勢。 57但感謝上帝，祂使我們靠著主耶穌基督得勝。
58所以，我親愛的弟兄姊妹，你們務要堅定不移，總要竭力做主的工作，因為你們知道自己在主裡面的辛勤付出不會白費。
