1 Corinthians 15:12–19, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
1 Corinthians 15:12–19
Without Resurrection, Gospel and Hope Collapse
If the dead are not raised, Christ is not raised, and the announcement empties.
If Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of them say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. Then Paul's preaching is empty and their faith is empty. They are even found to be misrepresenting God, because they testified that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.
If Christ has not been raised, faith is futile and they are still in their sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only they have hoped in Christ, they are of all people most to be pitied. The argument is the inner logic of the Christian announcement, not a claim that non-Christians' lives, grief, love, or moral action have no value. Resurrection hope does not deny that people have died. It refuses a gospel that leaves the dead lost and the living unforgiven.
How this should shape us
Do not settle for a Jesus who only improves this life. Grieve the dead as truly dead, and hope for them as people God can raise. Refuse a piety that never risked a bodily claim and therefore never had to pity anyone.
Teach it back
Explain 1 Corinthians 15:12–19 in your own words. Include its place in 1 Corinthians, the unit's logic, one material uncertainty, and one use the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: The opponents' exact anthropology and motives are uncertain. Paul's logical dependence of Christian hope on Christ's and believers' resurrection is explicit.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
1 Corinthians 15:12–19, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 15:12–19
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
NET Bible 1 Corinthians 15:12–19 print view with translator, study, and textual notes
Supports: Independent morphology and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
STEP Bible Data repository morphology and lexical records for 1 Corinthians 15:12–19
Supports: Whole-letter movement, Corinthian setting, bibliography, major alternatives, and verse-level interpretation.
Redmond, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary: 1 Corinthians, introduction and section on 15:12–19
Supports: Bodily resurrection language, pagan and Jewish comparanda, transformation, and a qualified empty-tomb inference.
Cook, 'Resurrection in Paganism and the Question of an Empty Tomb in 1 Corinthians 15,' New Testament Studies 63.1 (2017), pp. 56–75
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Corinthians 15:12–19, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 15:12–19
Open the 1 Corinthians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - 1 Corinthians with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible 1 Corinthians 15:12–19 print view with translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET 1 Corinthians PDFLexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Independent morphology and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository morphology and lexical records for 1 Corinthians 15:12–19
Open source ↗modern open commentary
1 Corinthians
Eric C. Redmond
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Whole-letter movement, Corinthian setting, bibliography, major alternatives, and verse-level interpretation.
Exact location: Redmond, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary: 1 Corinthians, introduction and section on 15:12–19
Open source ↗peer reviewed resurrection and language article
Resurrection in Paganism and the Question of an Empty Tomb in 1 Corinthians 15
John Granger Cook
New Testament Studies 63(1), 2017
Supports: Bodily resurrection language, pagan and Jewish comparanda, transformation, and a qualified empty-tomb inference.
Exact location: Cook, 'Resurrection in Paganism and the Question of an Empty Tomb in 1 Corinthians 15,' New Testament Studies 63.1 (2017), pp. 56–75
Open source ↗