1 Corinthians 15:35-58 Lesson 338

1 Corinthians 15:35-58
Lesson 338

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The defeat of sin and death.
When Christ returns, we will have new bodies.
But what kind of bodies?

Notice that verse 15:49 summarizes verses 15:42-48.
Look for the teachings in verses 15:55:57.

Verses 15:39-58 are a comforting passage for the bereaved.

This lesson ends Paul's teachings on pride, the roles of men and women, doctrinal
questions, the resurrection of Christ, and love that began in verse 11:2 (lesson 228).

The Resurrected Lord.
By American artist Del Parson.

Study Tip:

Apply important Bible verses to your life by asking yourself;

What lesson does this verse teach me?
What difference could it make in my life?

The First Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Corinthians

The King James Bible

1 Corinthians 15:35-58
The resurrection body

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Margin notes:

"How are the dead raised up?" (15:35) - Since the body decays after death, skeptics challenged Paul on how resurrection is possible. Paul answered their challenge in verses 15:36-49. Two thousand years later, skeptics still question the resurrection.

"With what body do they come?" (15:35) - "What kind of body will they have?" What will be resurrected, our current body or something different? Paul answers in verses 15:38-54.

"That which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die." (15:36) - "The seed you sow does not grow, until it dies." A seed does not grow into a plant until it ceases to be a seed.

"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial." (15:40) - "There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies." Someday we will have heavenly bodies (Philippians 3:21). Additional note: Some Bible scholars believe that "celestial bodies" refers to the moon, planets, sun, and stars.

"There is one glory of the sun." (15:41) - "The sun has one kind of beauty."

"Raised in glory." (15:43) - Believers will be with Jesus (Colossians 3:4).

"Raised in power." (15:43) - See Philippians 3:20-21.

"A natural body." (15:44) - The physical body we were born with.

"A spiritual body." (15:44) - The resurrected body we will be given.

"The first man Adam was made a living soul." (15:45) - "The first man, Adam, was given a human body" (Genesis 2:7).

"The last Adam." (15:45) - "Jesus Christ."

"A quickening spirit." (15:45) - "A life-giving spirit." Jesus is the life giving spirit, granting new life to all who believe (Romans 5:12-19).

"Howbeit." (15:46) - "However."

"Earthy." (15:47) - "Made of dust."

"As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." (15:49) - This means, as surely as we have physical bodies, we will someday have spiritual bodies. This verse summarizes 15:39-48.

"We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." (15:51) - "We will not all die, but we will all be changed." Although some will be alive when Christ returns, they will still be changed from a natural to a spiritual body (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

"The trumpet shall sound." (15:52) - A trumpet will announce the Second Coming (Leviticus 25:9; Matthew 24:31; Revelations 8:2), and all will be resurrected, believers to everlasting glory, unbelievers to everlasting damnation.

"Death is swallowed up in victory." (15:54) - Death will be abolished (Isaiah 25:8).

"The sting of death is sin." (15:56) - Why? Because unrepentant sin leads to eternal death (Romans 5:12; 6:23).

"The strength of sin is the law." (15:56) - Without the (Mosaic) law, we would not know what is sinful and what isn't (Romans 7:7-13). The Mosaic Law showed us what is wrong/sinful. If there was no Mosaic Law to break, there would be no sin. The law shows our sinful nature and how far short we come to God's standards (Romans 5:20).

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (17:57) - Thanks to God, who gave us victory over sin through His son Jesus Christ (Romans 5:12-19; 6:6-7).

"Be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." (15:58) - Study and follow the word of God, so you are prepared when you meet Him (2 Peter 3:14).

"Your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (15:58) - Every believer is a servant of God. God has a plan for each, and each will be rewarded for spreading the word of God (1 Corinthians 3:8).

New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 15:35-58
The Resurrection Body

35 But someone may ask, "How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?"

36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn't grow into a plant unless it dies first.

37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting.

38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed.

39 Similarly there are different kinds of flesh-one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies.

41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.

42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.

43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.

44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

45 The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam-that is, Christ-is a life-giving Spirit.

46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later.

47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven.

48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man.

49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.

50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.

51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!

52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.

53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

"Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.

57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What will our resurrected bodies be like?

Strengthen your relationship with God by studying the Bible every day.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Our resurrected bodies will be quite different from our current bodies.

NOW THEN

Our bodies age and decay after death. We will never age or die (15:42). We will be immortal (15:54).

We become ill and feeble with age. We will be "raised in glory," free from sickness and disease (15:43).

We will be buried in weakness. We will rise again in strength (15:43).

We have a physical body. We will enjoy a spiritual body (15:44).

We came from the dust of the earth. We will have bodies suited for heaven (15:47).

Application thought for the day:

Look back at the last eleven lessons,
pick out the most important insights from verses 11:2-15:58, and apply them to your life?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2024 evolke

Subscribe for Free Bible Lessons