And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.
Parallel translations
- WEB For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised.
- KJV For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
- BSB For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised.
- NKJV For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.
- NASB For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised;
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul repeats that if the dead are not raised, neither is Christ. It matters because it firmly links the believers' resurrection to Christ's.
Overview
By restating the premise, Paul drives home the inseparable connection between the general resurrection and Christ's own. The repetition gives weight to the logic he is building. It leaves no room to affirm Christ's resurrection while denying that believers too will rise.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 15:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.