And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
Parallel translations
- WEB If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.
- KJV And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
- NKJV And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
- NASB and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
- NLT And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
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
If Christ is not raised, faith is futile and believers remain in their sins. It matters because the resurrection confirms that Christ's death actually atoned for sin.
Overview
Paul names the gravest consequence of a Christless tomb: sins would remain unforgiven and faith would be useless. The resurrection is God's vindication of Christ's atoning death, proof the sacrifice was accepted. Because Christ is risen, believers can be assured their sins are truly forgiven.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Rom 4:25He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.
- 1 Pet 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- 1 Cor 15:14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.
- 1 Pet 1:21Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him; and so your faith and hope are in God.
- Rom 8:33–34Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
- Rom 5:10For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!
- Acts 5:31God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
- Heb 10:4–12because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
- 1 Cor 15:2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
- John 8:21–24Again He said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
- Acts 13:38–39Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
- Heb 9:22–28According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
- Heb 7:23–28Now there have been many other priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office.
- Ezek 33:10Now as for you, son of man, tell the house of Israel that this is what they have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we are wasting away because of them! How can we live?’
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 15:17 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.