Chapter Fifteen

On the resurrection of the dead. Closely connected with faith in the resurrection of the dead is faith in redemption (1–34). How the dead will rise and in what kind of body they will exist (35–58)

1 Cor 15:1-34. From ecclesiastical, moral, and liturgical questions, the Apostle now turns to a doctrinal question — the resurrection of the dead. It is very probable that doubt about the resurrection of the dead arose among some of the Corinthians (v. 12) under the influence of the Platonic view of matter in general (ύλη) as the source of physical and moral evil, and of the body in particular as the sinful principle in human nature. This view alone can explain why it seemed to the Greeks wholly undesirable that the body should be restored or resurrected in the future. Perhaps the false teachers in Corinth who denied the future resurrection, like the later heretics (2 Tim 2:18), were saying that “the resurrection had already taken place,” understanding by resurrection the spiritual renewal of humanity through the grace of redemption. — In opposition to these false teachers, the Apostle first argues that all of redemption stands or falls with the resurrection of the dead. First of all, he firmly establishes the fact of the resurrection of Christ, which is the foundation on which rests the hope of our own resurrection (1–11). He then explains that denial of the resurrection of the dead inevitably leads to denial of the resurrection of Christ, and with that to denial of the truthfulness of the apostolic testimony and of all Christianity (12–19), and that — conversely — faith in the resurrection of the dead, closely bound up with faith in the resurrection of Christ, is the foundation on which all the hopes of the Christian rest (20–28). In addition to what has been said, the Apostle makes a remark about certain further consequences to which the denial of the future resurrection leads. Specifically, in that case “baptism for the dead” and death for Christ’s sake become utterly meaningless. On the contrary, a life of pleasure becomes the only logical outcome of such a denial (29–34).

1 Corinthians 15:1. I remind you, brothers, of the Gospel which I proclaimed to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, 1 Corinthians 15:2. by which you are also being saved, if you hold fast to what I proclaimed to you — unless you believed in vain. “I remind you” — more precisely: “I bring to your attention” (γνωρίζω). The Apostle had already “proclaimed” the “Gospel” to them, but had presented it to them only as a historical fact. Now, however, he wishes to explain in detail the significance of that fact. — “If you hold fast to what I proclaimed.” It is not enough merely to accept and confess the Gospel: in order to attain salvation, one must hold firmly and correctly to this Gospel, understanding it in precisely the way that the Apostle Paul understood it. — “Unless you believed in vain,” that is, unless — which the Apostle cannot allow — you believed in Christ without purpose and without result (εικῆ).

1 Corinthians 15:3. For I delivered to you first of all what I myself also received: that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:4. and that He was buried, and that He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:5. and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve; The Apostle earlier (1 Cor 11:2) praised the Corinthians for firmly maintaining the church ordinances he had introduced, but now, as he begins to speak of doctrinal traditions, he refrains from praise. Clearly, in the latter respect the Corinthians were not deserving of praise. On the contrary, he considers it necessary to set before them once again the entire teaching on the resurrection, which he had previously delivered to them orally. In doing so, he first of all reminds them of a series of irrefutable testimonies on which faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ rests — a resurrection that is the guarantee of our own future resurrection. — “For.” Why does the Apostle consider it necessary to explain to the Corinthians the significance of the resurrection of Christ and of the universal resurrection of the dead (v. 1)? Because, when he came forward in Corinth, this was the most important point of his preaching, forming, so to speak, the foundation of his teaching. — “Received.” The Apostle learned the facts (for example, about the appearances of Christ to Peter and James) from the Apostles, but as for the significance of the very events of the death and resurrection, this was made clear to him by means of inner illumination which he received from the Lord Himself (Gal 1:12). In this way it was made clear to him that Christ died to redeem people from their sins, and that this death of Christ was fully in accordance with the writings of the Old Testament. — “Was buried.” This fact of the burial testifies that death had truly come upon Christ, that He really died and did not merely appear to have died. — “According to the Scriptures.” A foreshadowing of Christ’s resurrection on the third day may be found in the fate of the prophet Jonah, as well as in the prophet Hosea (Hos 6:2). — “Appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” Both of these appearances, which took place on the first day of the resurrection, are mentioned by the evangelist Luke (Luke 24:34), and only the second by the evangelist John (John 20:19 and following). The Apostle is evidently speaking here of a bodily appearance of the risen Christ. Indeed, what purpose did the Apostle have in enumerating the apostolic testimonies? He clearly wished by this to prove the truth of our future bodily resurrection, and this truth could be founded only upon the bodily appearance of the risen Lord. It should be noted that the western codices read not “the twelve” but “the eleven” (as our Slavonic translation also has it). Which reading is more correct? From the standpoint of precise meaning, certainly the latter, because when Christ rose, Judas was no longer among the Apostles and only eleven remained. But the former reading also has a claim to acceptance, since “the twelve” remained “the twelve” even when one or two members were absent from this circle of Christ’s first disciples (for example, Judas and Thomas — at the appearance of the risen Christ). The expression “the 12 Apostles” was a technical term for designating the dignity of those first disciples of His who had been called by Christ Himself, just as in history the term “Council of Ten” is known, and so forth. Furthermore, this reading “to the twelve (Apostles)” is confirmed by the most ancient manuscripts.

1 Corinthians 15:6. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom remain alive until now, though some have also fallen asleep; The appearance mentioned here is undoubtedly the same as that reported by the evangelist Matthew (Matt 28:16). If the evangelist mentions only “the eleven” while passing over “the five hundred brothers” in silence, this is explained by the fact that his account contains the commands of Christ which related only to the Apostles (Matt 28:18-20). — “Remain alive until now.” The Apostle mentions this in order to point out to the Corinthians the possibility of asking those who saw the risen Christ about Him.

1 Corinthians 15:7. Then He appeared to James, and then to all the Apostles; “James” — this is, of course, the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, who later became bishop of the Jerusalem Church: had the Apostle meant someone other than this widely known churchman (Gal 1:19; Acts 12:17), he would certainly have identified him more precisely. James did not believe in Christ during His earthly life (John 7:5), but after the ascension of Christ we find him together with the Apostles and the holy women in the upper room in Jerusalem (Acts 1:14). This sudden transformation from unbeliever to believer could have been brought about only by the force of a particular compelling evidence, which must have been for James the appearance of the risen One Himself. — “To all the Apostles.” This was the appearance on the day of the Lord’s ascension into heaven, when — clearly by a special command of the Lord — all the Apostles gathered together (cf. Acts 1:4).

1 Corinthians 15:8. And last of all He appeared also to me, as to one untimely born. The appearance of the risen One that came to him personally the Apostle places on the same level as the other appearances. Therefore, it was not an inner event from his personal life but a genuine appearance. — “Untimely born” (έκτρωμα) was the term for a child born before its time and, one might say, forcibly extracted from its mother’s womb by a procedure. The other Apostles fell like ripened fruit from the tree of Judaism and landed in the basket of Christ, whereas the Apostle Paul was torn from the bosom of Judaism by force, by Christ Himself, without having been prepared to become His Apostle.

1 Corinthians 15:9. For I am the least of the Apostles, and am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 1 Corinthians 15:10. But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more than all of them — not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me. The Apostle confirms his unpreparedness for apostolic ministry by pointing to the fact that he had been a persecutor of the Church of Christ. “The least of the Apostles” — this the Apostle says of himself out of a sense of humility. Moreover, in the epistle to the Ephesians he calls himself the least of all Christians (Eph 3:8). — “What I am,” that is, I became a Christian, an Apostle, and finally an Apostle to the entire gentile world. — “More than all of them” — certainly more than all the Apostles taken together. Cf. Rom 15:19. — “Labored.” This expression denotes not only the process of work itself but also indicates its results (cf. John 4:38). Even at that time the Apostle Paul could say of himself that his preaching had produced greater results than the preaching of all the Apostles. — “Grace... with me.” The Apostle does not forget, however, that in all his deeds the all-working grace of God aided him.

1 Corinthians 15:11. So whether it was I or they, this is how we preach, and this is how you believed. “You believed in this way” — that is, the Church unanimously recognized that both the Gospel of the twelve Apostles and the Gospel of the Apostle Paul rest on one and the same foundation — namely, the events of the death and resurrection of Christ, through which we, in accordance with the Scriptures, received forgiveness of sins.

1 Corinthians 15:12. Now if Christ is preached as having risen from the dead, how is it that some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? Our new life, which grows out of communion with Christ, is nothing other than participation in His life. It follows from this that if Christ now has a glorified body — which became such through the resurrection of Christ from the dead — then we also must receive such a body and by the same means.

1 Corinthians 15:13. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either; 1 Corinthians 15:14. and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is empty as well. 1 Corinthians 15:15. Moreover, we would also be found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified of God that He raised Christ — whom He did not raise, if indeed the dead are not raised; “And Christ has not been raised.” Whoever denies the consequence (the universal resurrection) must also deny its cause (the resurrection of Christ). — “Our preaching is empty.” The main subject of apostolic testimony is the resurrection of Christ. Therefore, with the denial of the resurrection of Christ, the apostolic preaching loses all its essential content as well (“empty” — more accurately: “hollow”). The faith of the Corinthians likewise turns out to be attached to an object that exists only in imagination. — “False witnesses of God,” that is, they would have ascribed to God something He had not done. — “Testified of God” — more accurately: “against” God. This would be an offense against God.

1 Corinthians 15:16. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 1 Corinthians 15:17. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless: you are still in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:18. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 1 Corinthians 15:19. And if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are more pitiable than all people. With the denial of the resurrection of Christ, faith in redemption also falls. If Christ did not rise, then He is not the Redeemer. — “Your faith is useless” — more precisely: pointless, leads to nothing. — “You are still in your sins.” If Christ had only died and had not risen, then He Himself would have remained under the curse of sin, and humanity would not have received from Him justification from sins: those who died in communion with Christ — those who deny the resurrection of Christ must tell themselves — will not arise to a better life, and the living followers of His who have taken up in this life the heavy cross of sufferings, in view of future glorification with Christ, turn out to be the most unfortunate of people!

1 Corinthians 15:20. But Christ has risen from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 1 Corinthians 15:21. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 1 Corinthians 15:22. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive, “But Christ.” More accurately: “but now Christ.” The Apostle contrasts with a state of hopelessness a new state of the human soul, which has its place precisely “now,” since the resurrection of Christ. — “Firstfruits” — more accurately: “first-fruits” (απαρχή). The risen Christ stands in relation to all those who are to rise at His second coming as the first ripened stalk in the entire harvest. — “For as...” — these words serve to explain why the Apostle called Christ “the first-fruits of the dead.” Both death and resurrection alike proceed from a human being: a human being must heal the evil that was also caused by a human being. — “As in Adam.” The thought just expressed in abstract terms is now stated with specific reference to persons — Adam and Christ. — “In Adam — in Christ.” By this change of the preposition “through” (διά in v. 21) to the preposition “in” (εν), the Apostle points to the close bond, the close vital communion, between humanity on one side and Adam and Christ on the other. The Apostle wishes to say: “if all die through Adam, this has its basis in the fact that they are all in him, as in their first ancestor, infected with death. If all are to be restored to life again through Christ, this comes from the fact that in Him resides a power by which they are justified and by which they will one day, by virtue of their communion with Him, be awakened to new life.” — “All.” Some hold that the reference here is truly to the “universal” salvation and restoration of all things. But such a supposition is contradicted by the teaching of the entire New Testament (cf. Matt 12:32; Mark 9:48; 2 Thess 1:9; Phil 3:19). Others apply this prophecy only to those who believe in Christ, but to restrict the meaning of the expression “all” (all will be made alive in Christ) in this way is an act of willfulness. Moreover, the comparison between the work of Adam and the work of Christ does not hold: Adam leads all to death, Christ leads many... It is better therefore to accept the view of St. John Chrysostom, according to which the expression “all” in both cases has exactly the same scope. And in John the Theologian, Christ appears as the cause of the resurrection of both the righteous and sinners (John 5:28 and following). If the Apostle used here the expression “will be made alive” (ζωοποιεῖν) even of sinners — an expression more commonly used of the resurrection of the righteous — he could have used it in the sense of resurrection in general, just as in v. 19 the word “life” (ζωή) he used as a designation of earthly existence in general.

1 Corinthians 15:23. each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then those who are Christ’s at His coming. “In his own order” (Τάγμα). A specific place in the great whole is assigned to each individual person or entire class of persons. In the first place stands Christ alone. — “Those who are Christ’s.” These are without doubt the righteous, who have the Spirit of Christ in them (Rom 8:9), for whom Christ is the foundation of their life (Col 3:4). They form the second rank or division of the risen.

1 Corinthians 15:24. Then comes the end, when He delivers the Kingdom to God the Father, when He abolishes every rule and every authority and power. “Then comes the end.” The Apostle thus posits some interval between the second coming of Christ, of which he spoke in the preceding verse, and the end. By “end” (τέλος) one should understand the conclusion of the present order of God’s economy for the salvation of people. People will reach such a state that it will be possible to pronounce a final judgment upon them (cf. 1 Pet 4:7). This end will come precisely when Christ “delivers the Kingdom to God the Father.” As is evident from vv. 25 and 28, Christ will deliver to the authority of the Father a new kingdom, in which a new order of life will be established. — God is called “God and Father” in order to show both the voluntary submission of Christ to Him as God, and the unity of Christ with God in essence as with His Father. — Between the second coming and the “end,” the abolition of “every rule, authority, and power” will be accomplished (instead of “when He abolishes” it is more accurate to translate: “after He has abolished”; first He will “abolish,” and only then will He “deliver”). The forces being abolished must of course be understood as the forces hostile to the Kingdom of God (cf. vv. 25 and 28), to which “death” also belongs (v. 26). Thus the time between the second coming and the end will be an epoch of judgment.

1 Corinthians 15:25. For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The necessity of such a judgment upon the forces hostile to God the Apostle confirms with words from Scripture (Ps 109:1). But from what point does the “reign” of Christ begin? Since the reference here is to an external and not merely an inward, spiritual reign (the proof of this being the subjection of enemies by Christ), it is more natural to see the beginning of this reign in the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ at His second coming. Then He will appear visibly to all as King and Judge of the world, and this reign will continue until He has overcome all the enemies of God. — Does the Apostle’s assertion about the cessation of the reign of Christ contradict the prophecies of the Old Testament according to which the Kingdom of the Messiah will have no end (Isa 9:6-7)? No, because for the prophets the Kingdom of the Messiah and the Kingdom of God seemed identical: for them it was one Kingdom, and in speaking of the eternity of the Kingdom of the Messiah they meant the eternity of the Kingdom of God in general.

1 Corinthians 15:26. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, In order for Christ’s victory over the enemies of the Kingdom of God to be complete, death must be annihilated as the last enemy. This annihilation of death will be accomplished through the resurrection of the dead and the accompanying transformation of the bodily constitution of the human being, which will no longer be subject to the action of death or destruction.

1 Corinthians 15:27. For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when it says that all things are subjected to Him, it is plain that this excludes the One who subjected all things to Him. The opening words of the verse are taken from Psalm 8 (Ps 8:7). They properly have in view the human being at the moment of his creation, but since this calling — to be lord of the earth — was not realized by the human being but was realized by the incarnate Son of God, the Messiah, these words in the New Testament came to be applied to Him with full right (e.g. Eph 1:22; Heb 2:8). — “Subjected” — God, of course. — “Except for the One” — this remark serves as a transition to the thought about the subjection of Christ to God, which is expressed in the following verse.

1 Corinthians 15:28. And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all. “When all things are subjected to Him.” According to the more accepted reading, one should translate here not “will subject” but “are subjected” or “have been subjected.” — “Then the Son Himself will also be subjected.” Here the Apostle returns to the thought expressed in v. 24. He said there that the “end” must come, then in vv. 25–27 gave parenthetical remarks about what must precede this “end.” Now he speaks still more precisely, saying that the very “end” will consist in the subjection of the Son and, together with Him, of the entire world to God. — The subjection of the Son to the Father will be wholly voluntary (the Son “will be subjected,” not “will be made subject”). According to the interpretation of John Chrysostom, this subjection of the Son should signify His complete agreement with the Father. According to the opinion of blessed Augustine, there is a hint here that the Son will present the elect to the favorable consideration of the Father. Other interpreters refer this subjection only to the human nature of the Son, or to the cessation of Christ’s mediatorial role between God and humanity. The latter opinion is the more correct. To the Son, as redeemer and intercessor for humanity, dominion over the Church and the world was granted with a specific purpose and for a specific term, upon the expiration of which the Son must once again occupy His former position as “Son.” “By this, however, He loses nothing: it is not He who will descend from the throne of God, but His subjects will ascend with Him to that throne... The Son returns again to the position which He left to fulfill His Messianic ministry — He ceases to be the mediator of the divine governance of the world, because God Himself enters into direct communion with humanity” (Godet). “To the One who subjected all things to Him.” Thus the Son will return to the Father what was given Him by the Father. — “So that God may be all in all.” These words serve to explain why the Son will return all to the Father. Previously, God revealed Himself to the world through Him — He is “all and in all” (Col 3:11). But He uses this position of His for the purpose of bringing all things to God and, in particular, so that God may be “all things” in believers. — It should be noted that the Apostle here says “God,” not “the Father.” Clearly from this he is thinking of God in the fullness of His being — as Father, as Son, and as the Holy Spirit. — “All in all” — more accurately: all things (instrumental case) in all people. God will dwell in all people, in every individual believer, and work through them. They, like Christ during His earthly life, will be bearers of the holiness and love of God; through them God will fill all things, all creation (cf. John 17:21).

1 Corinthians 15:29. Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? If one does not acknowledge the truth of the resurrection, then baptism for the dead becomes an entirely pointless act. — “What will they do?” — according to the better attested reading: “what will they gain?” (future tense), that is, what profit will they receive? No answer is given, but it is clear: they will gain nothing! — “Those who are baptized for the dead.” This expression is interpreted in very different ways. Some see here a reference to a rite that supposedly existed even in apostolic times, when, in the event of the death of a believer who had not been baptized, one of his relatives or friends would receive baptism on his behalf. This interpretation is unfounded, because we know of the existence of such a practice only in heretical communities, and there is no evidence that it existed in the apostolic church. Others (e.g. John Chrysostom) interpret this passage as a reminder that the one being baptized, by the very act of receiving baptism, confesses his faith in the resurrection. “Recalling this very thing, the Apostle says: if there is no resurrection, then why are you baptized for the sake of the dead, that is, for the sake of bodies? For in baptism you believe in the resurrection of the dead body — that it will no longer remain dead.” This interpretation, accepted among modern commentators also by Bachmann, is the most plausible, since the apostolic Church undoubtedly recognized a special connection between the sacrament of baptism and the bodily resurrection of the baptized (cf. Rom 6:3 and following, Gal 3:27). Not improbable is also the view of those who see here a reference not to water baptism but to baptism of blood, or to Christian martyrdom. In the Gospel, the term “to be baptized” is used twice in precisely this sense (see Luke 12:50 and Mark 10:38). Under the influence of such sayings of Christ Himself, there may have appeared in the apostolic Church such a designation of a Christian martyr’s death as we find here in the Apostle. Thus one may give the following sense to the Apostle’s question: “if there is no resurrection, then what benefit will be received by those Christians who out of love for Christ and faith in the future life are baptized for the dead — that is, go to death and thereby join the ranks of those who have died forever”? Closely connected with this explanation is also the question of v. 30: “why are we also in danger every hour?” — “if the dead” — this second question is a more detailed repetition of the first.

1 Corinthians 15:30. Why are we also in danger every hour? 1 Corinthians 15:31. I die every day — I affirm this by the pride I take in you, brothers, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. From the martyr’s death the Apostle moves to the ordinary life of the Apostles, which consists of constant dangers for them. — “We,” that is, Paul, Silas, and Timothy, known to the Corinthians, and then also the other Apostles. — “I affirm this by the pride I take in you,” that is, as proof of the truthfulness of my words I can appeal to your own acknowledgment: you yourselves praise me for my labors, for the fact that I expose myself to mortal dangers. — “In Christ Jesus.” The Apostle performs these labors, however, thanks to the help of Christ, with whom he abides in close communion.

1 Corinthians 15:32. If from a merely human standpoint I fought with wild beasts in Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die! “From a merely human standpoint” (κατά άνθρωπον; cf. Rom 3:5; the verb λέγω “I say” is omitted here), that is, if one judges from the point of view of ordinary human notions, not in the light of Christian teaching. — “I fought with wild beasts.” Nearly all modern commentators understand by “wild beasts” the fierce enemies of the Apostle Paul who fell upon him in crowds like wild beasts. Although St. Ignatius also calls his guards ten leopards (To the Romans, ch. V), with whom he fought day and night throughout his journey, it is doubtful that the Apostle here intended to designate his persecutors in this way. The epistle to the Corinthians was written before the disturbance that the silversmith Demetrius stirred up in Ephesus against the Apostle, and at that time the Apostle was not yet “fighting” with hostile crowds. Moreover, the very term “to fight with wild beasts” had a meaning clear to all and could hardly have been interpreted by the Corinthians in a figurative sense. In those times, throughout the Roman Empire, it was customary to condemn criminals to some dangerous contest in the circus amphitheater, so that citizens could enjoy the spectacle. It is very probable that the Apostle Paul was also forced, during one of the disturbances in Ephesus, to appear along with other condemned persons as a fighter against wild animals (bestiarius). His right as a Roman citizen could not have helped him in this case — a mob in its excitement forgets all rights — and only the power of God delivered him from death. — “What does it profit me,” that is, was it worth my while to risk my life in the name of Christ, if I had no certainty of the future resurrection? — “Let us eat and drink.” Commentators consider these words a borrowing from the book of Isaiah (Isa 22:13). With the denial of the resurrection of the dead, the principle of Epicureanism must reign in life.

1 Corinthians 15:33. Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals. 1 Corinthians 15:34. Come to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for I say to your shame that some of you have no knowledge of God. “Bad company” — these words appear in the comedy of the Greek comic playwright Menander “Thais” (3rd century BC). The Apostle may have known this saying, which had become a common proverb. He cites this proverb wishing to instill caution in the Corinthians regarding their association with pagans, under whose influence some of the Corinthian Christians had apparently begun to doubt the truth of the resurrection of the dead. — “Come to your senses as you ought.” The Corinthians had already awakened from spiritual slumber, but had not yet fully recovered — they might fall asleep again! — “And stop sinning” (present tense), that is, do not continue your sinful life, because living this way you will perish. — “Have no knowledge of God” — more precisely: they have an ignorance (αγνωσία) of God, that is, they do not have an adequate knowledge of God as a personal Being, as a Judge and rewarder, and for this reason allow themselves to live according to their lusts. 1 Cor 15:35-38. The Apostle here gives an answer to two questions that might be raised in connection with his teaching about the resurrection of the dead. The first question: in what manner can a dead body be brought back to life? and the second: what will the new body of the risen be like? The Apostle answers the first question with a comparison of the fate of the decaying human body to a grain decaying in the earth, which nevertheless sends forth a shoot, and to the second question he says that the new bodies will of course not be such as we have now: they will be more refined and adapted to the activity of the higher side of our being — the spirit. In doing so, the Apostle also gives an explanation of why the human being was not given such a higher body at the very moment of creation (35–49). As for those who will be living at the time of the second coming of Christ, their bodies too will be changed into the same higher bodies as will be had by those raised from the dead, and thus death will be definitively conquered (50–58).

1 Corinthians 15:35. But someone will ask: how are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come? “How will they be raised?” — that is, can this be? How can a completely decomposed body be brought back to life? This is one question. — “With what kind of body” — this is the other question, about the nature of the new body.

1 Corinthians 15:36. Foolish one! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. Here is the answer to the first question. The Apostle draws the readers’ attention to what constantly takes place in nature. A grain sown in the earth loses its outer shell, which decomposes under the action of the soil’s moisture. Through this decomposition an outlet is given to the life-germ of the plant, which is invisible to the human eye. Thus, through death life is obtained. The same must happen with the human body. — From this, readers could draw two conclusions. First, the new body will not be an assembly of particles of the former, destroyed body, just as a magnificent oak or a beautiful apple tree is not an assembly of particles of a decomposed acorn or apple seed. Second, between the body of the risen person and his former, destroyed body there will exist an organic connection. If the body of the risen person stood in no relation to the present body, death could not be considered conquered: it would have retained its prey.

1 Corinthians 15:37. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare grain — whatever kind it may be, of wheat or some other kind — 1 Corinthians 15:38. but God gives it a body as He has willed, and to each kind of seed its own body. Here is the answer to the second question. In speaking of how the seed that was sown receives a new garment and new adornment, thereby becoming an actual plant, the Apostle evidently gives an answer to the question about the fate of the dead human body. The latter too is “bare” when it is placed in the earth and decomposes there, but it must then receive the fullness of the organs necessary for the new life. — “As He has willed” — more accurately: as He willed (καθώς ηθέλησεν). By this the Apostle points to the law of development which God placed in each individual plant at creation. The divine will invariably maintains such an order that from a given seed there arises necessarily a given plant (“its own body”).

1 Corinthians 15:39. Not all flesh is the same; there is one kind of flesh for humans, another for animals, another for fish, and another for birds. 1 Corinthians 15:40. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the glory of the heavenly is one kind, and the glory of the earthly is another. 1 Corinthians 15:41. 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. Since those who doubted the resurrection of the dead evidently thought it impossible for any new body to appear differing from the present one, the Apostle considers it necessary to draw the readers’ attention to the infinite variety of organisms that make up even the present visible world. — “Not all flesh.” The word “flesh” here denotes substance, and not merely the outward form of the organism. (In v. 39 the Apostle enumerates four kinds of “earthly” beings, while further on he speaks of “heavenly” bodies.) — “There are heavenly bodies” — these bodies (the stars) differ from earthly ones in both substance and brightness. — “Glory” (δόξα): brightness, radiance. Earthly beings also have their own brightness, which in flowers consists in their various colors, in animals in their strength or agility, in humans in the noble expression of the face. — By pointing to the varied power of radiance in heavenly bodies, the Apostle conveys to his readers that they should not doubt the fullness of God’s might. “God — the Apostle wishes to say — has sufficient power to give the human being a new and better body.” But indirectly the Apostle also suggests here the thought that the bodies of the risen will differ in dignity (John Chrysostom, Ambrose).

1 Corinthians 15:42. So also is the resurrection of the dead: it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption; 1 Corinthians 15:43. it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; These verses contain the answer to the second question of v. 35: “with what kind of body do they come?” The Apostle gives this answer: in a body that is by no means the present body restored, but has entirely different properties from your present body. — “Is sown.” This verb is used three times here, and each time it undoubtedly has a special meaning. — “Is sown in corruption” — this refers to the burial of the body. — “Is sown in dishonor” — this expression encompasses all the afflictions of life that prepare the destruction of the body. — “Is sown in weakness” — this denotes the helplessness of the newborn infant. — Incorruption, glory, and power are the opposites of corruption, dishonor, and weakness. The first term designates the future body as free from sickness, exhaustion, and death; the second, as free from the ordinary weaknesses of the present body and radiating the brilliance of a perfect life; the third, as endowed with the fullness of strength.

1 Corinthians 15:44. it is sown a soulish body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a soulish body, and there is also a spiritual body. The contrasts indicated in vv. 42–43 have their basis in the distinction between “soulish” and “spiritual” bodies. The first is designed to serve as the organ of the soul (ψυχή), that is, of the vital force of the human organism; the second is to serve as the instrument of the higher principle of human existence — the spirit (πνεῦμα). The spirit will act upon the life-germ of the decayed human body, but not so that from this germ there will arise exactly the same body as existed before — as happens with the decaying seed of a plant — but so that the development of this germ will proceed in another direction and toward another, higher form of existence. Thus the newly appearing body will be an obedient instrument of the spirit. — “There is a soulish body, and there is also a spiritual body.” This passage speaks in favor of the assumption that the Apostle saw an essential difference between soul and spirit, and did not regard these two elements as different functions of one and the same substance. Otherwise it would be incomprehensible why he so insistently pointed out the distinction between the bodies.

1 Corinthians 15:45. Thus it is also written: the first man Adam became a living soul; and the last Adam is a life-giving spirit. The Apostle confirms the existence of a twofold body by an appeal to Holy Scripture. — “Thus it is also written.” These words refer only to the first half of the verse. — “Became a living soul” (Gen 2:7). The reference is to the creation of the human being. The human being “became,” was made into a human being or a living creature, after God breathed the breath of life into his body, which was formed from the dust of the earth. With these words the Apostle defines the boundary beyond which the first human being could never step. This boundary is indicated by the expression “a living soul” (ψυχή ζῶσα). This definition given to the human being would seem at first glance to place him on a par with the animals, who are also called “living souls” in Moses (Gen 1:20). But in fact, with respect to the human being, this term contains incomparably more than in its application to animals. According to the book of Genesis as well, the first-created human being immeasurably surpassed the animals in reason, free will, and heart. Furthermore, it is known that the first-created human being entered into direct communion with God, and this belongs to the activity of the higher principle of human existence — the “spirit.” If Moses does not directly attribute a spirit to the human being, he thereby shows that even by the fact that the human being became “a living soul,” the goal of the first creation was achieved. The spirit, as the guiding principle of human existence, was meant to come into activity at a later period. The first-created human being, according to the Apostle Paul, was passing through only the initial stage of existence and activity. “The last Adam.” By this the Apostle designates Christ as the Head of humanity, after whom there will be no new head. — “Is a life-giving spirit.” This is a human state opposite to the other human state — that of “a living soul.” The spirit is called here “life-giving” not because it imparts spiritual life (as in John 4:14), but as something that enlivens the body serving as its organ. The soul too enlivens and moves the body, but the spirit does more — it makes the body living, imparting to it new powers and vitality. But to what point in the life of Christ must the fulfillment of this saying be referred? It is better to suppose that Christ became “a life-giving spirit” progressively — from His miraculous birth and ending with His miraculous ascension into heaven, when His body became fully “spiritual.” But in the full sense, Christ will manifest His life-giving spiritual activity when He glorifies the bodies of those who believe in Him and makes them like His own body (cf. Phil 3:21).

1 Corinthians 15:46. But the spiritual is not first; the soulish is first, and then the spiritual. But why did God not immediately create a life-giving spirit, that is, something more perfect? To this the Apostle replies by pointing to a general law: “first the soulish, and only then the spiritual!” The meaning of the Apostle’s words is as follows: the life of the spirit is in essence identical with holiness and, consequently, like holiness, could not be given to the human being in a ready-made form at the very moment of creation: it is the work of his free will. The first-created human being was to either live for himself or for God. In the first case he was bound to fall and fall ever lower; in the second, elevation awaited him, even improvement of the body itself. The human being fell, going along the first path, but even in the fallen state the desire for something better could not entirely disappear from the human being, and God kindled this desire in soulish humanity by means of a special pedagogical influence, which was bestowed upon the people He had chosen — the Jewish nation. And other nations too had not wholly suppressed in themselves spiritual strivings, so that humanity proved to be prepared to receive the Spirit of God and to begin a new spiritual life. Yes, humanity could fully appreciate the advantages of spiritual life only after it had passed through the initial stage — soulish life.

1 Corinthians 15:47. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. Genesis 2:7. The law indicated in v. 46 is applied to the condition of bodies. First there had to exist the “earthly” body, corresponding to the “soulish” state of the first man, and only then had to appear the “heavenly” body, corresponding to the new “spiritual” state of the second Adam. — “Earthy” — that is, in the quality of his body he represents the same particles as are found in ordinary dust or earth (cf. Gen. 2:7). — “The second man” — that is, the one who appeared afterward (δεύτερος έπειτα in v. 46). — “Lord.” This word is absent in most ancient manuscripts. — “From heaven.” Since throughout this entire section the Apostle’s aim is to give an answer to the question “in what kind of body will the dead be raised?”, it is most natural to understand this expression as a designation of the body in which the risen Christ will appear at His second coming (there is also another view, according to which the Apostle supposedly has in mind here the pre-existence of Christ in heaven as the heavenly man). And the parallel expressions: “will descend from heaven” (1 Thess 4:16) or: “the appearing of the Lord Jesus from heaven” (2 Thess 1:7) likewise refer to the second coming of Christ to earth (cf. Phil 3:20, where it is said that we await the Savior, the Lord, “from heaven”). 1 Corinthians 15:48. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 1 Corinthians 15:49. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. People who descended from the “earthy” first ancestor, Adam, must in body resemble him, while those whose first ancestor is the “heavenly” one must have the same glorified body as He has. — “We will bear.” Some see here the indicative mood of the future tense (φορέσομεν), others the subjunctive aorist (φορέσωμεν). Although the former understanding is supported only by the testimony of the Vaticanus codex and the Peshitta, it is nevertheless more consistent with the sense of the whole passage. With the second understanding one would have to see here an exhortation (“let us bear!”), whereas what is being set forth here is positive doctrine (cf. Rom 5:1) of the following content: “the body with which the dead will rise is a heavenly body, like the body of the Lord Himself.”

1 Corinthians 15:50. But this I say to you, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. This verse represents a transition to the following section. “Flesh and blood,” that is, our present bodily organism, cannot remain unchanged when believers are to enter the glorious Kingdom of Christ. — “Corruption” — this is the same as “flesh and blood,” but as if already touched by decay.

1 Corinthians 15:51. I tell you a mystery: not all of us will die, but we will all be changed — 1 Corinthians 15:52. in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. “Mystery.” What the Apostle goes on to say became known to him through a special revelation from God (cf. 1 Thess 4:15). — “At the last trumpet.” No trumpet can awaken the dead. Therefore this expression here can only mean a special, almighty divine command by virtue of which the dead are to rise and the living are to be changed in body. The very image is borrowed from those signals that the Jewish priests gave when the Jews, wandering in the desert, had to set out on the road or gather for a festival at the tabernacle (Num 10:2-10). From the fact that the trumpet is called “the last,” one can draw the conclusion that other divine commands will have taken place earlier, which will have significance for the world of spirits. — “For the trumpet will sound,” that is, the trumpet will sound. Again this is a figurative expression, pointing to the simultaneity of the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of the living. — “We,” that is, all believers who will live until the second coming. The Apostle did not know whether he himself would live until that time (cf. vv. 30 and 31; 1 Cor 6:14; Phil 1:20), and, given his characteristic hope for the imminent coming of the Lord, he was more likely to count himself among those who would live until that time.

1 Corinthians 15:53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:54. And when this corruptible puts on incorruption and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come to pass the word that is written: death has been swallowed up in victory. “Put on.” This expression indicates that between the present and the future, transformed body there will exist a connection. Our body will not be destroyed but will only take on a new form of existence, as if putting on a new garment. — “The word will come to pass.” The prophet Isaiah (Isa 25:8) speaks of how the members of the theocratic community, both living and dead, will at the end of the history of God’s economy of salvation be endowed with immortality. The Apostle, as with many other prophecies that seemingly apply only to the chosen people, applies this prophecy to the future transformation of the bodies of all people. — “In victory,” that is, through the full unfolding of the inner powers of human existence, when any weakening of them becomes impossible. “Death will be swallowed up by eternal life” (Godet).

1 Corinthians 15:55. Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory? 1 Corinthians 15:56. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. In a feeling of thanksgiving to God for this liberation from the yoke of death that assuredly awaits believers, the Apostle speaks in the words of the prophet Hosea of the complete defeat of death. He quotes Hosea’s words approximately according to the LXX text (Hos 13:14). — “Sting” (κέντρον). The prophet pictures death as a venomous creature, like a scorpion, which becomes harmless through the loss of its sting. — “The sting of death is sin.” By this the Apostle points to the inner cause of the defeat of death. He penetrates, so to speak, into those mysterious retreats where death prepares its poison, and shows how the victor managed to put an end to this harmful force. “Sin” and “the law” — these are the inner causes through which death was able to establish its dominion over people. The first cause is sin. This is clearly stated in Scripture (Gen 2:17; Rom 5:12 and 1 Cor 15:21). Although the human being was created mortal in body, he would have escaped death had he not sinned (cf. Rom 13:10). But from where did sin obtain this terrible power over the human being? From the law. The Apostle in the epistle to the Romans says that sin is not imputed to the human being as a transgression deserving the death penalty if there is no law (Rom 5:13). Only the law made sinners who transgressed it liable to death. It, so to speak, drove the sting of death deep into the interior of the human being, condemning the human being to death, and was the driving force behind this sting of death.

1 Corinthians 15:57. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! The victory over death was won by Christ in the following manner. Since it was first necessary to conquer sin — the sting of death — the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished this work by not allowing sin into His own nature, even though He had the same flesh as people, except for sinfulness. By this He also disarmed the other support of death — the law, since the law could have nothing against the One who had fully fulfilled the law. This twofold personal victory was the necessary precondition for His own resurrection. But in addition, the activity of Christ was directed toward making this victory the lot of all humanity, and He did indeed achieve this: He delivered us by His intercession from the condemnation of the law and reconciled us to God, and through this reconciliation we received the grace-given powers for victory over sin, which has ceased to be our master. — “Who gives us” — according to the more authoritative reading: “who gives” (present tense). The Apostle could indeed not think that victory over sin was won by people once and for all (cf. Romans, ch. II): the Lord constantly gives us the strength to win victories over sin.

1 Corinthians 15:58. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain before the Lord. Here there is a moral conclusion drawn from what was said about the victory of Christians over sin and death. — “In the work of the Lord,” that is, in the spreading of the Gospel and in one’s own self-improvement. — “Your labor is not in vain,” that is, your work is of great significance. * * * Some find here something demeaning to Christian society, which apparently is guided in its striving toward virtue by the expectation of reward, and not by the beauty of virtue in itself. But critics of Christianity forget that the reference here is not to the fulfillment of the moral law in general, but to the taking upon oneself of special labors not obligatory for every person. Furthermore, the reward that forms the object of Christian expectation consists in the satisfaction of the highest, most noble strivings of the soul. In this passage the adherents of the doctrine of the restoration of all things to their original state seek a point of support. But as for the expression about “all,” even though it may be applied to condemned people, it is not in the sense that “all of them” will be saved. It can indicate only that “all” will be directly and immediately subject to divine authority, which in relation to sinners will manifest itself in the form of justice and omnipotence. Furthermore, if one speaks of universal salvation, this salvation would have to be counted as the lot of demons as well, yet in v. 25 the “defeat” of evil forces is spoken of. Therefore the natural supposition is that the Apostle here foretells the formation of a society of rational and free beings, who will be brought by Christ into the closest union with God and will labor for the glory of God, just as Christ Himself labored throughout His earthly life. — Parallels to the teaching on the universal resurrection contained here are: 1 Thess 4:13-17 and Rev 19-21. In these passages it is also said that at the moment of the second coming only believers will rise first. Particularly consistent with one another are: 1 Cor 15:24 and Rev 19:20; 1 Cor 15:23 and Rev 20; 1 Cor 15:26 and Rev 20:14; 1 Cor 15:28 and Rev 21:3. — Much that is similar to the teaching of the Apostle Paul on the resurrection of believers is also found in the sayings of the Lord Jesus Christ about His second coming (e.g. Luke 17:22-37, where there is discussion of the preliminary judgment to which believers will be subjected at the second coming of Christ; this judgment is distinct from the final universal judgment, at which “all nations,” or more precisely all the gentiles (παντα τά έθνη), will gather, of which it speaks in the Gospel Matt 25:31 and following). Some discern in vv. 32–34 a confusion of the teaching on the resurrection of the body with the teaching on the immortality of the soul. They say that the Apostle draws from the denial of the former such conclusions as are properly drawn from the denial of the latter. — But it seems that even the deniers of the resurrection themselves supposed that with the final destruction of the body, personal immortality for the human being is also impossible (see the last words of v. 32). And then, for the Apostle Paul himself, immortality without certainty of the resurrection of Christ and of the future resurrection of believers is of absolutely no significance. Such immortality is rather to be feared than desired. With whom will the soul of a human being be in communion after the death of the body, if there is no risen Christ on the other side of the grave?! Therefore, naturally, in the thinking of the Apostle Paul, the resurrection of the body and immortality were identified with one another.