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The Resurrection of Christ
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 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 was not in vain; but I laboured 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 ye believed.
The Resurrection of the Dead
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, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that 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 vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
The Order of Resurrection
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? 30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? 31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. 33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
The Resurrection Body
35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; 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, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is 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 of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Where O Death is Your Victory?
(Isaiah 57:1-2)
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
1 CORINTHIANS 15: THE GOSPEL AS BAPTISM, DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION
Thesis
1 Corinthians 15 is not merely a chapter about resurrection. Paul introduces it as a declaration of the gospel itself:
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel…”
The chapter unfolds the gospel from beginning to end. It traces the believer’s journey from the sleep of sin and death through awakening, transformation, and immortality until death itself is swallowed up in victory. Baptism, dying daily, the seed that dies, Adam and Christ, the Last Trump, the putting on of immortality, and the swallowing up of death are all presented as parts of one gospel process culminating in victory through Jesus Christ.
Verses 1-4: The Gospel Defined
Paul begins by declaring the gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. These are not merely historical events but the pattern of salvation itself. The believer is called to participate in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Verses 5-11: The Witnesses
The risen Christ is seen by many witnesses. Resurrection is therefore something that can be testified to and experienced. Paul himself becomes a witness of resurrection power operating in a living person.
Verses 12-19: If There Is No Resurrection
Paul argues that without resurrection faith is vain. Without resurrection there is no victory over sin, no transformation, and no true gospel.
Verses 20-23: Christ the Firstfruits
Christ is risen and is the firstfruits of them that slept. The firstfruits reveal the nature of the coming harvest. What occurred in Christ is intended to occur in those who follow Him.
Verses 24-28: The End of the Reign of Death
All enemies are brought under Christ’s feet, and the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Death is understood as the dominion of sin and separation from God. The destruction of death therefore requires the destruction of sin.
Verse 29: Baptized for the Dead
Paul introduces baptism. Baptism signifies burial and entry into the process whereby death is overcome. The old man enters the grave so that a new life may emerge.
Verses 30-34: Dying Daily
Paul stands in jeopardy every hour and declares, “I die daily.” Death to self and death to sin are continuous experiences. This corresponds to the repeated strokes of Isaiah’s swimmer and the repeated stripes which reach the inward parts. Pride and self-will are gradually brought down through God’s dealings.
Verses 35-38: The Seed Must Die
The seed cannot bring forth fruit until it falls into the ground and dies. The old man must enter the grave before new life can appear. Death is presented as the pathway to life.
Verses 39-41: Different Glories
Paul shows that there are different kinds of bodies and different degrees of glory. The gospel moves man from an earthly condition toward a heavenly one.
Verses 42-44: The Great Transformation
What is sown in corruption is raised in incorruption.
What is sown in dishonour is raised in glory.
What is sown in weakness is raised in power.
What is sown a natural body is raised a spiritual body.
The fallen condition is transformed through the work of God.
Verses 45-49: Adam and Christ
The first Adam is earthly and natural. The last Adam is a life-giving spirit. The believer must move from the image of Adam to the image of Christ.
Verses 50-52: The Last Trump
Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Then Paul reveals a mystery:
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.”
The twinkling of an eye is the moment of spiritual perception. The eye is cast toward the Last Trump, who is Christ. In that instant understanding changes. The believer beholds Christ and is transformed by what he sees.
“Look unto me, and be ye saved.”
“They looked unto him, and were lightened.”
“We all, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image.”
Thus the sequence is:
Casting of the Eye Toward Christ → Revelation → Faith → Humbling of Pride → Destruction of Sin → Mortality Putting on Immortality
Verse 53: Mortality Putting on Immortality
“This mortal must put on immortality.”
The emphasis is on this mortal. Paul does not say that a corpse puts on immortality. The living mortal experiences the transformation. Mortality is swallowed up as the life of Christ increases.
Connection to Isaiah 25:8
Isaiah declares:
“He will swallow up death in victory.”
Paul explains the means whereby this occurs:
“This mortal must put on immortality.”
The swallowing up of death is therefore connected to the mortal’s participation in immortality. The prophecy does not merely announce the end result; it reveals a process. As the mortal puts on immortality, death loses its dominion. As sin loses its power, death loses its sting.
The sequence therefore becomes:
Casting of the Eye Toward Christ → Revelation → Faith → Humbling of Pride → Destruction of Sin → This Mortal Putting on Immortality → Death Swallowed Up in Victory
Paul immediately follows the statement concerning the mortal putting on immortality with the declaration:
“Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
The fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy is therefore directly connected to the action described in the preceding verse. The mortal putting on immortality is presented as the means by which death is swallowed up in victory.
Verse 54: Death Swallowed Up in Victory
Paul quotes Isaiah 25:8:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
Isaiah’s context includes the mountain of God, the removal of reproach from off all the earth, and the swimmer spreading forth his hands as he swims. The swimmer’s repeated strokes bring down pride. Pride gives strength to sin, and sin gives strength to death. Therefore:
Spreading of the Hands → Humbling of Pride → Destruction of Sin → Swallowing Up of Death
The swallowing up of death occurs as immortality replaces mortality and the dominion of sin is overcome.
Verses 55-56: The Sting of Death
“O death, where is thy sting?”
Paul identifies the root issue:
“The sting of death is sin.”
Death derives its power from sin. Therefore whenever sin is destroyed, death loses its sting.
Verse 57: The Victory
The victory comes through Jesus Christ. The believer does not overcome through self-effort but through participation in Christ’s own overcoming life.
Verse 58: The Conclusion
Paul concludes with steadfastness and labor in the Lord. Resurrection is not presented as speculation but as a present reality with practical consequences. Because resurrection life is operative, believers are to continue in the work of God.
SUMMARY
The chapter unfolds the gospel as a living process:
Faith → Baptism → Death to Sin → Daily Dying → Burial of the Old Man → Revelation of Christ → Casting of the Eye Toward the Last Trump → Humbling of Pride → Destruction of Sin → This Mortal Putting on Immortality → Sin Losing Its Sting → Death Swallowed Up in Victory
The gospel is the process by which the mortal man, through union with Christ, undergoes death, burial, and resurrection until pride is humbled, sin is destroyed, immortality is put on, and death is swallowed up in victory. The saying of Isaiah 25:8 is brought to pass as the mortal puts on immortality and the power of sin is overcome through the life of Christ.
Sleep in 1 Corinthians 15
Verse 6
“After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”
Here, “fallen asleep” distinguishes some believers from those still living. The term identifies a condition entered into after a previous state of life.
Theme: Some have entered sleep.
Verse 18
“Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”
Paul argues hypothetically. If there is no resurrection, then those who have fallen asleep have perished.
Theme: Sleep requires an awakening if it is not to remain a condition of loss.
Verse 20
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”
Notice the shift:
Verse 6:
“fallen asleep”
Verse 20:
“them that slept”
The focus moves from the act of entering sleep to the class of people identified by it.
Theme: Christ’s resurrection is presented as having significance for those who slept.
Verse 51
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
This is the most remarkable sleep reference in the chapter.
Paul speaks of two possibilities:
- Some sleep.
- All are changed.
The emphasis finally lands not on sleeping but on changing.
The contrast is:
Sleep vs. Change
The mystery is not sleep itself.
The mystery is transformation.
The Progression of Sleep in the Chapter
Paul’s argument can be viewed as:
Some have fallen asleep (v.6)
↓
Those who slept need resurrection (v.18)
↓
Christ is the firstfruits of those who slept (v.20)
↓
Not all shall sleep, but all shall be changed (v.51)
The chapter begins by acknowledging sleep but ends by emphasizing change.
Sleep and Awakening
When verse 51 is read alongside:
“Awake to righteousness, and sin not” (v.34)
another pattern appears:
Sleep is associated with a condition requiring awakening.
Awakening leads to righteousness.
Righteousness removes sin.
Sin is the sting of death.
Death is swallowed up in victory.
This produces the chain:
Sleep → Awakening → Righteousness → Destruction of Sin → Loss of Death’s Sting → Victory
Sleep and the Gospel Pattern
In the framework you’ve been developing, the references form another layer of the chapter:
Fallen Asleep → Baptism → Daily Dying → Burial → Awakening → Revelation of Christ → Change → This Mortal Putting on Immortality → Death Swallowed Up in Victory
Thus the chapter begins with those who have “fallen asleep” and concludes with:
“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
The ultimate emphasis of the chapter is not the sleeping condition but the transformation that overcomes it. In that sense, the final movement of the chapter is away from sleep and toward change, immortality, and victory over death.
Addition: Sleep in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:8
The Continuity of Paul’s Argument
A common interpretation treats the sleep of 1 Thessalonians 4 and the sleep of 1 Thessalonians 5 as two different subjects. According to this view, chapter 4 refers to those who have died, while chapter 5 suddenly changes to spiritual carelessness or indifference.
However, the flow of the passage suggests continuity rather than contrast.
The chapter division is not part of Paul’s original letter. The discussion beginning in 4:13 continues uninterrupted into chapter 5. The opening words of chapter 5 function naturally as a continuation of the same subject rather than the introduction of an entirely different one.
Paul begins:
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep…” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)
He continues through his discussion of the coming of the Lord and then proceeds directly into:
“But of the times and the seasons, brethren…” (1 Thessalonians 5:1)
The subject has advanced, but it has not changed.
The Repeated Use of Sleep
Paul first speaks of:
“them which are asleep” (4:13)
Then later says:
“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (5:6)
And again:
“For they that sleep sleep in the night.” (5:7)
The same language continues throughout the discussion. Rather than introducing a second, unrelated kind of sleep, Paul appears to be further explaining the condition he has already introduced.
The Pattern of Paul’s Thought
The movement of the passage is:
Sleep → Awakening → Watchfulness → Sobriety → Light → Salvation
Paul contrasts:
- Sleep and wakefulness
- Night and day
- Darkness and light
- Drunkenness and sobriety
The emphasis increasingly shifts away from the sleeping condition and toward awakening and readiness.
Connection to 1 Corinthians 15
This same pattern appears in 1 Corinthians 15.
Paul speaks of:
“them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20)
and later:
“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51)
Between these statements he commands:
“Awake to righteousness, and sin not.” (1 Corinthians 15:34)
In both epistles the movement is remarkably similar:
Sleep → Awakening → Transformation
In Thessalonians the emphasis falls upon wakefulness and sobriety.
In Corinthians the emphasis falls upon change and immortality.
Both culminate in life rather than sleep.
The Gospel Pattern
Viewed together, both passages describe the same spiritual progression:
Sleep → Awakening → Light → Righteousness → Destruction of Sin → Transformation → Life
This harmonizes with the larger gospel pattern revealed in 1 Corinthians 15:
Faith → Baptism → Death to Sin → Daily Dying → Burial of the Old Man → Revelation of Christ → Casting of the Eye Toward the Last Trump → Humbling of Pride → Destruction of Sin → This Mortal Putting on Immortality → Sin Losing Its Sting → Death Swallowed Up in Victory
Under this reading, Paul’s concern is not merely the condition of those who sleep, but the process by which they are awakened, transformed, and brought into the life of Christ. The emphasis ultimately rests not on sleep itself, but on the victory over that condition through awakening, righteousness, immortality, and life.
The Sleeping Condition as Allegiance to Sin
A key question in understanding 1 Corinthians 15 is the meaning of Paul’s repeated references to those who “sleep” or have “fallen asleep.”
The common interpretation assumes that every occurrence refers exclusively to physical death. However, the chapter itself invites a broader examination, particularly in light of Paul’s command:
“Awake to righteousness, and sin not.” (1 Corinthians 15:34)
Paul places awakening and freedom from sin side by side. This raises the possibility that sleep represents a condition characterized by the rule of sin, while awakening represents deliverance into righteousness.
Consider the progression of the chapter.
Some Have Fallen Asleep
“Some are fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:6)
Paul introduces a class of people described by sleep.
Those Fallen Asleep in Christ
“They also which are fallen asleep in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:18)
The phrase identifies those who are both asleep and in Christ. The focus is not merely upon a historical event but upon a condition requiring deliverance through Christ.
Christ the Firstfruits of Them That Slept
“Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)
Christ is presented as the firstfruits of those in the sleeping condition. His victory is therefore the pattern and promise of their own deliverance.
Awake to Righteousness
“Awake to righteousness, and sin not.” (1 Corinthians 15:34)
This command forms a central interpretive key. Awakening is connected directly with righteousness and the cessation of sin.
The progression becomes:
Sleep → Awakening → Righteousness → Freedom from Sin
We Shall Not All Sleep
“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51)
Paul concludes the discussion of sleep by emphasizing change rather than sleep itself.
The goal of the gospel is not to describe the sleeping condition but to overcome it.
The Sting of Death Is Sin
Near the climax of the chapter Paul reveals:
“The sting of death is sin.” (1 Corinthians 15:56)
This statement provides an important link between sleep, sin, and death.
If sin is the sting by which death operates, then the conquest of sin is the conquest of death’s power.
The sequence becomes:
Sin → Death
and therefore:
Destruction of Sin → Victory over Death
The Full Pattern
Viewed as a whole, the chapter unfolds as:
Sleep → Awakening → Righteousness → Destruction of Sin → Change → This Mortal Putting on Immortality → Death Swallowed Up in Victory
Under this understanding, the sleeping condition is not merely a description of physical death but a condition defined by the dominion or allegiance of sin. Christ enters that condition, overcomes it, awakens those within it, and leads them through transformation into immortality and victory.
Thus the chapter’s emphasis moves steadily away from sleep and toward awakening, righteousness, transformation, immortality, and life.