1Cor 15:21-57 | ESV | STEP | For as by a man came death , by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead .

21 For as ^aby a man came death, ^bby a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For ^cas in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then ^dat his coming ^ethose who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers ^fthe kingdom to God the Father after destroying ^gevery rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign ^huntil he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be ⁱdestroyed is death. 27 For ^j“God ^{▼▼Greek he} has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When ^lall things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that ^mGod may be all in all.

29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we ⁿin danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by ^omy pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, ^pI die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, ^qI fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, ^r“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 ^sDo not be deceived: ^t“Bad company ruins good morals.” ^{▼▼Probably from Menander’s comedy Thais} 34 ^vWake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For ^wsome have no knowledge of God. ^xI say this to your shame.

The Resurrection Body

35 But someone will ask, ^y“How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! ^zWhat you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 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 ^aaSo is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; ^abit 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. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, ^ac“The first man Adam became a living being”; ^{▼▼Greek a living soul} ^aethe last Adam became a ^aflife-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 ^agThe first man was from the earth, ^aha man of dust; ^aithe second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, ^ajso also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just ^akas we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^alwe shall ^{▼▼Some manuscripts let us} also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Mystery and Victory

50 I tell you this, brothers: ^anflesh and blood ^aocannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. ^apWe shall not all sleep, ^aqbut we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For ^arthe trumpet will sound, and ^asthe dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and ^atthis mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

^au“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 ^av“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and ^awthe power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, ^axwho gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.