Day 64 of 90

^15:1Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, ^15:2by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ^15:3For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ^15:4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ^15:5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ^15:6Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. ^15:7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ^15:8and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. ^15:9For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God. ^15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. ^15:11Whether then it is I or they, so we preach, and so you believed. ^15:12Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ^15:13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. ^15:14If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith also is in vain. ^15:15Yes, we are also found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up if it is true that the dead are not raised. ^15:16For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised. ^15:17If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. ^15:18Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ^15:19If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable. ^15:20But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruit of those who are asleep. ^15:21For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man. ^15:22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. ^15:23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s at his coming. ^15:24Then the end comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God the Father, when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power. ^15:25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ^15:26The last enemy that will be abolished is death. ^15:27For, “He put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when he says, “All things are put in subjection”, it is evident that he is excepted who subjected all things to him. ^15:28When all things have been subjected to him, then the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all. ^15:29Or else what will they do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead aren’t raised at all, why then are they baptized for the dead? ^15:30Why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour? ^15:31I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. ^15:32If I fought with animals at Ephesus for human purposes, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, then “let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” ^15:33Don’t be deceived! “Evil companionships corrupt good morals.” ^15:34Wake up righteously and don’t sin, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. ^15:35But someone will say, “How are the dead raised?” and, “With what kind of body do they come?” ^15:36You foolish one, that which you yourself sow is not made alive unless it dies. ^15:37That which you sow, you don’t sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, maybe of wheat, or of some other kind. ^15:38But God gives it a body even as it pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own. ^15:39All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. ^15:40There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial differs from that of the terrestrial. ^15:41There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. ^15:42So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown perishable; it is raised imperishable. ^15:43It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. ^15:44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body. ^15:45So also it is written, “The first man Adam became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ^15:46However, that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual. ^15:47The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven. ^15:48As is the one made of dust, such are those who are also made of dust; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. ^15:49As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let’s also bear the image of the heavenly. ^15:50Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can’t inherit God’s Kingdom; neither does the perishable inherit imperishable. ^15:51Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, ^15:52in a moment, 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. ^15:53For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. ^15:54But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” ^15:55“Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?” ^15:56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ^15:57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ^15:58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. ^16:1Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I commanded the assemblies of Galatia, you do likewise. ^16:2On the first day of every week, let each one of you save as he may prosper, that no collections are made when I come. ^16:3When I arrive, I will send whoever you approve with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem. ^16:4If it is appropriate for me to go also, they will go with me. ^16:5I will come to you when I have passed through Macedonia, for I am passing through Macedonia. ^16:6But with you it may be that I will stay with you, or even winter with you, that you may send me on my journey wherever I go. ^16:7For I do not wish to see you now in passing, but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits. ^16:8But I will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost, ^16:9for a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. ^16:10Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without fear, for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. ^16:11Therefore let no one despise him. But set him forward on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I expect him with the brothers. ^16:12Now concerning Apollos the brother, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brothers, but it was not at all his desire to come now; but he will come when he has an opportunity. ^16:13Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong! ^16:14Let all that you do be done in love. ^16:15Now I beg you, brothers—you know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have set themselves to serve the saints— ^16:16that you also be in subjection to such, and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. ^16:17I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus; for that which was lacking on your part, they supplied. ^16:18For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge those who are like that. ^16:19The assemblies of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, together with the assembly that is in their house. ^16:20All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. ^16:21This greeting is by me, Paul, with my own hand. ^16:22If any man doesn’t love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be cursed. Come, Lord! ^16:23The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. ^16:24My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the assembly of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: ²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵For as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, even so our comfort also abounds through Christ. ⁶But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer. ⁷Our hope for you is steadfast, knowing that, since you are partakers of the sufferings, so you are also of the comfort. ⁸For we don’t desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia: that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life. ⁹Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, ¹⁰who delivered us out of so great a death, and does deliver, on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us, ¹¹you also helping together on our behalf by your supplication; that, for the gift given to us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on your behalf. ¹²For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you. ¹³For we write no other things to you than what you read or even acknowledge, and I hope you will acknowledge to the end— ¹⁴as also you acknowledged us in part—that we are your boasting, even as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus. ¹⁵In this confidence, I was determined to come first to you, that you might have a second benefit, ¹⁶and by you to pass into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and to be sent forward by you on my journey to Judea. ¹⁷When I therefore planned this, did I show fickleness? Or the things that I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be the “Yes, yes” and the “No, no?” ¹⁸But as God is faithful, our word toward you was not “Yes and no.” ¹⁹For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not “Yes and no,” but in him is “Yes.” ²⁰For however many are the promises of God, in him is the “Yes.” Therefore also through him is the “Amen”, to the glory of God through us. ²¹Now he who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, ²²who also sealed us and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts. ²³But I call God for a witness to my soul, that to spare you, I didn’t come to Corinth. ²⁴We don’t control your faith, but are fellow workers with you for your joy. For you stand firm in faith.