Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Corinthians 15:1 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 1. 1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse reintroduces the gospel Paul proclaimed and the Corinthians received.
Read It With
- 1 Corinthians 15:1–11
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1 with 15:1–11. This verse reintroduces the gospel Paul proclaimed and the Corinthians received. The complete unit establishes: Paul reminds the Corinthians of the gospel they received and stand in: Christ died for sins, was buried, was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and appeared to named witnesses; Paul includes his own untimely appearance, remembers persecuting God's church, and attributes his transformed labor to grace.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Before reasoning about resurrection bodies, Paul reestablishes the shared proclaimed tradition that created the community. At 15:1, the distinct clause is “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto.”
Follow the Context
- The gospel was proclaimed, received, and remains the community's standing ground.
- Holding fast matters unless belief was empty.
- The received tradition names death for sins, burial, resurrection, and scriptural accordance.
- Appearances are listed from Cephas through groups, James, apostles, and Paul.
- Paul calls his appearance untimely and remembers persecution.
- Grace creates real labor without self-credit.
- Different messengers share one proclamation and one received faith.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto”
In plain language: This is the verse's opening clause in the pinned KJV.
It contributes specifically to The Received Gospel Announces Christ's Death, Burial, Resurrection, and Appearances inside 1 Corinthians 15:1–11.
Why it matters: The verse carries enough interpretive or pastoral weight to require the full unit and its explicit limits.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The witness list does not authorize fabricated certainty about details Paul does not supply or dismissal of every historical question.
What Remains True
At 1 Corinthians 15:1, Christian proclamation rests on the received claim that the crucified and buried Christ was raised and appeared, while grace turns remembered harm toward accountable service.
How It Can Shape Life
- For 1 Corinthians 15:1, State the core claim clearly, distinguish evidence from inference, honor questions, and let testimony remain accountable to harmed people and shared witnesses.
Teach It Back
Explain 1 Corinthians 15:1's contribution to 1 Corinthians 15:1–11. Include the surrounding argument, the named interpretive uncertainty, and one use the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 — The Received Gospel Announces Christ's Death, Burial, Resurrection, and AppearancesSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The exact scriptural texts, chronology, nature of appearances, and historical use of the witness list are debated. The passage explicitly asserts bodily death, burial, divine resurrection, and appearances.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
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 15:1–11, 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, 15:1–11
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 15:1–11 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 15:1–11
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 15:1–11
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 ↗