1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Chapter 15
20
But no, Christ has been raised from the dead, and he is victorious over all who have fallen asleep.
21
A human being brought death; a human being also brings the resurrection of the dead.
22
For, as in Adam all die, so in Christ, all will be made alive.
23
However, each one in his own time: first Christ, then Christ’s people when he comes.
24
Then, the end will come when Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father, after having destroyed every rule, authority, and power.
25
For he must reign and put all enemies under his feet.
26
The last enemy to be destroyed will be death.
27
As Scripture says: God has subjected everything under his feet. When we say that everything is put under his feet, we exclude, of course, the Father who subjects everything to him.
Commentaries
We Too Are Resurrected.
Paul proves this point by showing how those who deny the resurrection are wrong. If Jesus did not rise, then our faith has no basis, and our hope is pointless and tragic. The Apostle even says that Christians would be the “most pitiable” people because they have put their hope in Christ “only for this life” (19). That would be a disaster for those already dead and a vast emptiness for those still alive. A vague idea of immortality of the “soul” without the body, as Greek philosophy suggests, is repulsive to both the Paul of Jewish tradition and the Christian Paul. These verses are a strong declaration of Christian hope. Finally, referring to himself, Paul assures them that he would be suffering for them in vain if he didn’t believe in the resurrection.