返回Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
1 Cor. 15:1. I remind you, brethren, of the Gospel which I preached to you.
He passes on to the teaching about the resurrection, which constitutes the foundation of our faith. For if there is no resurrection, then Christ has not risen either; and if He has not risen, then He did not become incarnate either; and thus our entire faith will vanish. Since the Corinthians had such waverings (for the worldly wise are ready to accept everything except the resurrection), Paul contends for the resurrection. Very wisely he reminds them of what they have already accepted on faith. I am telling you nothing strange, he says, but I make known (γνωρίζω) to you, that is, I remind you of what was already communicated to you but has been forgotten. By calling them "brethren," he partly humbled them and partly reminded them of that through which we became brethren, namely, the manifestation of Christ in the flesh, in which they may have ceased to believe, and baptism, which serves as an image of the burial and resurrection of the Lord. By the name "gospel" he also reminded them of those countless blessings which we received through the incarnation and resurrection of the Lord.
1 Cor. 15:1. Which you also received.
He did not say: which you heard; but: which you received; for they received it not by word only, but also by deeds and miracles. He said this also in order to persuade them to hold fast to it as something long since received.
1 Cor. 15:2. In which also you stand firm, by which also you are being saved.
Although they wavered, he nevertheless says that they stood firm in it: he deliberately presents himself as unknowing, and forewarns them so that they cannot deny it, even if they very much wished to. What then is the benefit of standing firm in it? That you are saved.
1 Cor. 15:2. If you hold fast what was delivered to you just as I preached to you.
He speaks as if to say: concerning the fact that there is a resurrection, I am not informing you of anything; for you have not doubted this truth. But perhaps you need to know in what manner the resurrection will occur, which I proclaimed to you. It is about this—that is, about how the resurrection will be—that I am now speaking to you.
1 Cor. 15:2. Unless you believed in vain.
If by the words "you are established" he should make them careless, he says: if you hold fast, if only you have not believed in vain, that is, if you are not called Christians for nothing. For the essence of Christianity consists in the teaching of the resurrection.
1 Cor. 15:3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received.
Since the teaching about the resurrection is very important, I delivered it to you first of all. For it is, as it were, the foundation of the entire faith. And I myself received it, that is, from Christ. Therefore, as I hold to it, so you also must hold to it. And since you accepted it in the beginning, you are now wrong to have doubted even for a time.
1 Cor. 15:3. That is, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scripture.
These words evidently belong to Christ Himself, who was speaking through Paul. Since the Manicheans would later say that by death Paul means sins, and by resurrection the deliverance from them, it pleased Him to refute them in advance with these words. So, Christ died. By what death? Without doubt, a bodily death, not a sinful one; for He committed no sin. But if they are not ashamed to say that He too died a sinful death, then how is it said that He died for our sins? For if He too was a sinner, how did He die for our sins? He strikes them down very clearly also with this remark: "according to the Scriptures." For the Scriptures everywhere ascribe to Christ this bodily death. Thus it is said: "they pierced my hands and my feet" (Ps. 22:16); again: "they shall look on Him whom they pierced" (Zech. 12:10); again: "He was wounded for our transgressions; for the transgression of my people He was led to death" (Isa. 53:5, 8).
1 Cor. 15:4. And that He was buried.
So, He also had a body. For it is the body that is buried. And he did not add the words "according to the Scriptures" either because the tomb was known to all, or because the phrase "according to the Scriptures" refers to everything in general.
1 Cor. 15:4. And that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Where then do the Scriptures say that He rose on the third day? In the type of Jonah, and before this in Isaac, who in three days was preserved alive for his mother and was not slain, and in very many other types; also in the words of Isaiah: "The Lord wills to cleanse him from his wound, to show him light"; in the words of David: "Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell" (Ps. 16:10).
1 Cor. 15:5. And that He appeared to Cephas.
First he puts forward the most trustworthy witness of all. Although the Gospel says that the Lord appeared first to Mary (Mark 16:9), yet among men He appeared first to Peter, as the chief of the disciples. For it was fitting that he who first confessed Him as the Christ should also be the first to see the Resurrection; and He appears to him before the others also on account of his denial, in order to show him that he was not rejected.
1 Cor. 15:5. Then to the Twelve (τοῖς δώδεκα).
Matthias was numbered among them in place of Judas after the Lord's Ascension. How then does Paul say, "then to the twelve"? We answer: most likely, He appeared to Matthias after the Ascension, just as He also appeared to Paul, who was called after the Ascension. For this reason he did not specify the time, but expressed himself indefinitely. Some, however, say that this is a copyist's error; or: the Lord, knowing and foreseeing in advance that Matthias would be numbered among the eleven, appeared to him as well, so that in this respect too he would not be inferior to the rest of the apostles. John expresses something similar when he says: "Thomas..., one of the twelve" (Jn. 20:24). For anyone would sooner say that He numbered Matthias among the rest of the apostles by foreknowledge than Judas after his betrayal and suicide.
1 Cor. 15:6. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time.
After the proof from the Scriptures, he brings as witnesses the apostles and other faithful people. The word "more" (επάνω) some explain thus: "from above," from heaven; that He appeared to them on high and overhead in order to confirm the truth of the Ascension. Others, however, understood it thus: more than five hundred.
1 Cor. 15:6. Of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
I, he says, have living witnesses. By the expression "have fallen asleep" he prepares the beginning of the resurrection. For he who sleeps also rises.
1 Cor. 15:7. Then He appeared to James.
The Brother of the Lord, appointed by Him as the first bishop in Jerusalem.
1 Cor. 15:7. Then to all the Apostles.
For there were other apostles as well, such as the seventy disciples.
1 Cor. 15:8. And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one born out of due time.
This is a word of humility. And he employed this humility prudently, so that when he says something lofty about himself — "I labored more than all of them" (1 Cor. 15:10) — they would not refuse to believe him as a boaster. An "untimely birth" in the proper sense refers to a premature child that a woman miscarries. Since he calls himself unworthy of the apostolic calling and a rejected man (1 Cor. 15:9), he called himself an "untimely birth," as one not yet mature with respect to apostolic dignity. Some, however, understood "untimely birth" as a late birth, since Paul is the last of the apostles. But it does not diminish Paul that he was the last to see the Lord. For neither is James inferior to the other five hundred because he saw the Lord later than they did.
1 Cor. 15:9. For I am the least of the Apostles, and am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
He pronounces judgment on himself: I, he says, am the least not only of the twelve, but of all the rest as well. Look, here he recalls those sins from which he was delivered through baptism, in order to show what grace he received from God. Why then, while presenting himself as a witness of Christ's Resurrection, since He appeared to him as well, does he enumerate his own shortcomings? In order to earn greater trust. For he who in all fairness has laid out his own unworthiness will not speak in vain on behalf of another.
1 Cor. 15:10. But by the grace of God I am what I am.
Shortcomings he ascribes to himself, while perfections he attributes to the grace of God.
1 Cor. 15:10. And His grace in me was not in vain, but I labored more than all of them.
And he said this with humility, for he did not say: I did something worthy of grace, but: the grace of God, which is in me, proved not to be in vain. How? Because I labored more than all the apostles. And he did not say: I was exposed to dangers, but limited his boast to the modest name of labor. He says this about himself in order to appear worthy of trust. For a teacher must be worthy of trust.
1 Cor. 15:10. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
And the very fact that I labored is not my own achievement, but the work of the grace of God.
1 Cor. 15:11. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
Whether I labored more or they did, yet in preaching, he says, we are all in agreement. And he did not say: if you do not believe me, then believe them, for he would have demeaned himself and would have appeared a witness of truth not worthy of belief; but he says that he himself is a sufficient witness on his own, and they themselves are sufficient on their own. With the word "we preach" he also confirms the truth of his words. For we speak not in secret, but openly, and not at some time, but even now. "And so you believed." He did not say: you now believe, because they were already wavering. But along with the others, he calls their faith too a witness of the truth. You, he says, would not have believed in vain false and deceitful words if you had not been convinced of the truth of what was preached.
1 Cor. 15:12. Now 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?
He reasons beautifully. First he proved that Christ rose and that he and the apostles preach this. And then by His resurrection he confirms the general resurrection, since after the head the other parts of the body follow. He does not extend the accusation to all, lest he make them more shameless, but says: "some say."
1 Cor. 15:13. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen either.
Lest they say that although Christ rose, yet there will be no general resurrection, he confirms the latter, and says: if there is no resurrection, then Christ has not risen either. For the one confirms the other. For why did He rise, if not to be our firstfruits?
1 Cor. 15:14. And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain.
For if He, having died, could not rise again, then neither has sin been destroyed, nor death abolished; and finally, we have preached in vain, and you have believed in vain.
1 Cor. 15:15. And moreover we would be found false witnesses of God, because we would have testified of God that He raised up Christ, Whom He did not raise up, if, that is, the dead are not raised.
We, he says, turn out to be wrong, because we falsely testified about God that He raised the One whom He did not raise. Such a consequence follows if the dead do not rise. But if such a consequence is absurd, then it is also absurd to believe that the dead do not rise.
1 Cor. 15:16-17. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain: you are still in your sins.
Again he defends the same proposition. For He rose for the purpose of bringing about the universal resurrection. But if there is no resurrection, then He too has not risen; if this is admitted, then your faith is in vain: which is absurd. "You are still in your sins." If He has not risen, then He did not die, and if He did not die, then He did not destroy sin either: for His death is for the destruction of sin. For it is said: "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1:29). He called Him a Lamb, without a doubt, on account of the slaughter. But if sin has not been destroyed, then you certainly remain in it. How then did you come to believe that you have been delivered from it?
1 Cor. 15:18. Therefore those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
That is, those who died for Christ and bore witness to Him have perished, if there is no resurrection. And in general, all who died in the faith of Christ and in a life of hardship and affliction have perished, because they were deprived of worldly pleasures, and after this will receive no good thing, if there is no resurrection.
1 Cor. 15:19. And if we have hope in Christ only in this life, then we are more miserable than all men.
If, he says, all that is ours is limited to this present life and we who hope in Christ, that is, who have our hope in Christ, exist only in it, and there is no other life beyond, then we are more miserable than all, since we have neither enjoyed the good things of this life, as was said above, nor shall we receive the future ones, because we shall not even rise again, as some say. Perhaps someone will say: the soul alone will enjoy them. But why so? It was not the soul alone that labored, but the body too. Where then is the justice, if the body, which bore the greater part of the hardships, shall be turned to nothing and receive no good, while the soul alone shall be crowned?
1 Cor. 15:20. But Christ is risen from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Having shown how many absurdities arise from disbelief in the resurrection, he repeats the point and speaks as follows: this is what follows if there is no general resurrection—then Christ is not risen either. But Christ is risen. Therefore there will also be a general resurrection, and these absurdities will not occur. He constantly adds "from the dead" in order to shut the mouths of the Manichaeans. If He is the firstfruits from the dead, then without doubt they too must rise. For "firstfruits" implies those who follow after, as when one among many does something first, having begun it, and the rest continue it.
1 Cor. 15:21-22. For since death came through a man, through a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
He adds the reason by which what was said is confirmed. It was necessary, he says, that the very nature which was defeated should itself be victorious, and that the very one who was cast down should himself overcome. For just as "in Adam," that is, through Adam's fall, all die, so "in Christ" all shall be made alive, that is, because Christ proved to be sinless and not subject to death, and although He died voluntarily, He rose again, because corruption could not hold Him, the Author of life (Acts 2:24). And all this is directed against the Manicheans.
1 Cor. 15:23. Each in his own order.
Lest, having heard that all shall be made alive, you should suppose that sinners also will be saved, he added: as far as the resurrection is concerned, all shall be made alive; but each will be "in his own order" and in that of which he is worthy.
1 Cor. 15:23-24. The firstfruits is Christ, then those who are Christ's, at His coming. And then the end.
Christ became the firstfruits and the path of resurrection. After Him, those who belong to Him, that is, the faithful and pleasing to Him, will rise before the rest, when He descends from heaven (this is what "at His coming" means), for it is just that the righteous have some precedence even in the resurrection itself. Since they will be caught up in the air to meet the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17), they will rise first. Meanwhile, sinners, as the condemned, will wait below for the Judge. Then comes the end of all things, and of the resurrection itself, because all without exception will rise. For now only Christ alone has risen, while human bodies have remained in their condition. But then it will not be so, but everything will reach its end.
1 Cor. 15:24. When He shall deliver the Kingdom to God and the Father.
Scripture knows two kingdoms: one by right of adoption, the other by right of creation. By right of creation He reigns over all, over Greeks, Jews, and over the demons themselves, and over those who do not wish it. By right of adoption He reigns over the faithful and the saints, who submit voluntarily. Of this kingdom it is said: "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance" (Ps. 2:8) and: "All authority has been given to Me" (Matt. 28:18); this is the kingdom He will deliver to the Father, that is, He will arrange it, bring it to completion. Let us imagine that some king entrusted his son with waging war against nations that had revolted from him; when the son has carried out the war and subdued those nations, then he can say that he has delivered the war to his father, that is, he has shown that the task entrusted to him is finished. So Paul says that when the Son has subdued all things, then the end will come. For Christ will fully reign over us when we are no longer divided between God and the prince of this world; He will, as it were, take back the kingdom seized by the tyrant and present it to the Father free.
1 Cor. 15:24. When He shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power.
That is, when He conquers and subdues the evil powers. For now they act very much, but then they will cease to act.
1 Cor. 15:25-26. For He must reign until He puts all enemies under His feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Since he said that He will abolish the opposing powers and set up trophies, and someone might doubt and say, "perhaps He will grow weak while He does all this, and will not be able to accomplish it," he says that He will not grow weak, but He must reign, that is, conduct Himself as King and as the Mighty One, until He subdues His enemies, and the last of them — death. For He who subdued the devil will obviously also subdue his work — death. And from what would it be seen that it has been subdued, if it does not give up the bodies it has seized? For then properly will it be defeated, when its spoil too has been plundered. So, having heard that He will abolish all rule and authority, do not fear that He will grow weak and not do this: He will do all things, reigning and directing the war, until He subdues all. Do you see that the word "until" is placed not to negate what comes "after" this, but for the reason that has been stated? For, he says, His kingdom abides and will not weaken until He sets all things in order. All the more will it abide after He has set all things in order, for of His Kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:33). Gregory the Theologian says that here "kingdom" refers to the fact that He brings about submission and places us under His dominion; therefore, when we submit to Him, such a kingdom of His — that is, the effort and activity of bringing us into submission to Him — will cease. For just as a builder is occupied with building until he has put on the roof, and afterward ceases the work of construction, so also the Son reigns, that is, establishes His kingdom in us, until we become His subjects.
1 Cor. 15:27. For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him.
Since he said of the Son that He will put down the enemies and raise a trophy, he feared lest they consider the Son some other unbegotten principle. Therefore he refers everything to the Father, saying that He subjected the enemies to the Son. And since he was writing to Greeks, among whom there was a tale that Zeus rose up against his Father, he says that everything is subjected to the Son, except the Father. For it is He who subjected everything else to the Son.
1 Cor. 15:28. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him.
Lest anyone say that although the Father did not subject Himself to the Son, nevertheless nothing prevents the Son from being stronger than Him, he thoroughly demolishes such a supposition and says that the Son too will be subjected to the Father, showing the complete unity of mind of the Son with the Father. Therefore know that the Father is the cause and source of this power for the Son, and that the Son is not some other power opposed to the Father. If he used an expression more humble than was fitting, do not be surprised. For Paul, when he wishes to uproot something completely, customarily uses intensified expressions. For example, wishing to prove that a believing wife, living with an unbelieving husband, suffers no harm, he said that the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife (1 Cor. 7:14); he does not mean that the husband, remaining an unbeliever, becomes holy, but by the intensified expression he shows that the believing wife suffers no harm whatsoever. So here too, by the name of subjection, the wicked thought is uprooted completely — the thought that might arise in someone that the Son is perhaps stronger than the Father, if He can accomplish so many deeds. Gregory the Theologian, however, says that the Son, appropriating everything of ours to Himself, considers our subjection as His own. Now we resist God: unbelievers by not acknowledging Him, believers by the fact that many serve the passions, and for this reason we are not yet subjected. But when some acknowledge the One whom they now reject, and others — we — depart from the passions in this life, then without doubt it can be said that the Son has been subjected. For, having taken upon Himself the person of humanity, He imputes what is ours to Himself.
1 Cor. 15:28. That God may be all in all.
That is, so that everything might depend on the Father; so that no one would think that there are two beginnings, unoriginate and separate. For when the enemies are under the feet of the Son, and the Son does not resist the Father, but, as is fitting for a Son, submits to the Father, then, of course, God and the Father will be all in all. Some, however, say that by this, that is, by the subjection of all things, is meant the cessation of evil. For when there is no sin, it is evident that God will be all in all. Then many of us will no longer give themselves over to impure impulses and passions, having nothing divine in themselves or having little of it, but we shall all be godlike, we shall all contain God within ourselves, and Him alone. For God will be everything for us: both food and drink and clothing and thought.
1 Cor. 15:29. Otherwise, what shall they do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead do not rise at all, then why are they also baptized for the dead?
The Marcionite heretics, when someone among them dies without baptism, hide a living person under the bed of the deceased, approach the bed and ask the dead man whether he wishes to be baptized; the one hidden under the bed answers from there that he does, and thus they baptize him in place of the deceased. Then, when they are accused of this, they say in their own defense that the apostle said so, and they cite, the fools, this saying. But this is not so. Then how is it? Those wishing to be baptized all recite the Creed, and in it there are also these words: "I believe in the resurrection of the dead." So he says: those who believed in the future resurrection of dead bodies and were baptized in such hope—what will they do when they have been deceived? Why, after all, do people even get baptized for the sake of the resurrection, that is, the expectation of the resurrection, if the dead do not rise?
1 Cor. 15:30. Why do we also face dangers every hour?
If you do not accept as proof of the resurrection the verbal confession which those being baptized make, then you have witness in deeds as well. For all of us, the apostles, constantly suffer afflictions. And if there were no resurrection, for what reason would we endure afflictions? For what pleasure? For if someone resolves to endure afflictions even out of vainglory, he resolves to do so once. But the hourly endurance of afflictions, as we endure, serves as the greatest proof of confidence in the resurrection.
1 Cor. 15:31. I die daily: I affirm this by the boasting in you, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In the words "we are in danger" (1 Cor. 15:30), he pointed to dangers, but here he puts forward something even greater, namely daily death. How then did he die every day? By his resolve and readiness for it, and by enduring such afflictions that brought death upon him. "I protest by your boasting," that is, I testify by your progress, in which I boast: for the progress of disciples constitutes a boast for the teacher. Then, referring this to Christ, he says: "which I have in Christ Jesus." For this is His work, not mine. Very wisely he reminds them of this: just as I boast in your progress, so I will be covered with shame if you remain in doubt to the end and do not believe in the resurrection.
1 Cor. 15:32. Speaking in human terms, when I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what advantage was it to me?
How much, he says, was possible for men, I fought with beasts; but what of it, that God snatched me out of danger? What benefit is it to me, if there is no resurrection? By fighting with beasts he means the struggle with the Jews and the silversmith Demetrius (Acts 19:23–24 and following). For how did they differ from beasts?
1 Cor. 15:32. If the dead do not rise? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!
If the dead do not rise, and there will be no blessedness there, then let us at least enjoy the good things in this present life; let us eat and drink. For in this alone is profit. He brought these words from the prophet Isaiah (Is. 22:13) in mockery of the foolishness of those who do not acknowledge the resurrection.
1 Cor. 15:33. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
He turns his speech to exhortation. Meanwhile he covertly accuses them of foolishness and frivolity; for this is what he expresses by the word: "be not deceived." By "good manners" he means manners that easily yield to deception; he shows at the same time that others are drawing them into such reasoning.
1 Cor. 15:34. Sober up, as is proper, and do not sin; for, to your shame I say, some among you do not know God.
As he speaks to drunkards: "become sober; as you ought," that is, for benefit; for one can be sober unrighteously as well, for example, for the commission of evil. "And do not sin," he says. It is from this that you do not believe in the resurrection. For those who are conscious of evil in themselves do not agree to acknowledge the resurrection out of fear of punishment. Those who do not believe in the resurrection "do not know God." For they do not know the omnipotence of God. He did not say: you do not know, but: "they do not know," in order to soften the accusation. "I speak this to your shame." Since he had reproved them for quite a long time, he now consoles them: I said this, he says, not out of enmity and not as a reproach, but for shaming, so that when you are ashamed and reason as you ought, to bring you to correction.
1 Cor. 15:35. But someone will say: how are the dead raised? and with what body do they come?
He did not say: you say, in order that the speech might be more acceptable, when he would be examining the words as if of other unbelievers. Two subjects were called into doubt: one — the manner of the resurrection, how a body that has once decayed will rise; the other — in what body they will rise, in the present one or some other. By the example of the seed he resolves both perplexities.
1 Cor. 15:36. Foolish one! What you sow is not made alive unless it dies.
The solution is borrowed from what is obvious and happens among them every day. Therefore he also calls them foolish, because they do not know such a clear matter. What, he says, "you sow," you — a corruptible being: how then do you doubt about God? "It is not made alive (ου ζωοποιεΐται)," he says, "unless it dies"; he used words applying not to seeds, but to bodies. For he did not say: otherwise it will not grow, if it is not destroyed, but: "it is not made alive," if it does not die. See how he gave the speech a reverse form. It seemed incomprehensible to them how we shall rise after death; but he, on the contrary, says that we shall rise precisely because we die. For it would have been impossible to be made alive otherwise, if there were no death.
1 Cor. 15:37. And when you sow, you do not sow the body that shall be, but a bare grain, whatever it may be, of wheat or of some other kind.
Two, it is said, were the perplexities: one — how they will rise, the other — in what body. The first, how they will rise, he resolved; namely: through death, as also a seed. Now, having explained in what body they will rise, he resolves the other perplexity as well. He says that the very same body will rise, that is, a body of the very same essence, but in a brighter and more glorious form. The heretics say that the same body will not rise, for this, they say, is what the apostle expresses when he says: "not the body that shall be." But the apostle does not say this, but what? That what you sow as a seed is not such as it will be, not bright and glorious, but bare, yet the stalk grows up in beauty; and it is not entirely the same, because what was sown was not a stalk, that is, not with a stem, but a "bare grain"; but neither is it entirely different, because this stalk is not from another grain, but from this bare one.
1 Cor. 15:38. But God gives it a body as He wills.
If God gives the body, then why do you still inquire in what body we shall be raised, and not believe in the resurrection, hearing of the power and will of God? For God will raise the destroyed body, only He will raise it more glorious and more spiritual. This can be observed also in seeds, because a germinated seed comes up better than the one that was cast into the earth.
1 Cor. 15:38. And to each seed its own (ίδιον) body.
These words irrefutably shut the mouths of heretics who say that in the resurrection the body that comes to life will not be the same, but a different one. For behold, you hear that each one is given his own body.
1 Cor. 15:39. Not all flesh is the same flesh; but there is one flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds.
Lest you, having heard about wheat, should think that just as all its ears grow alike, so too in the resurrection all will be alike, he wishes to show that there will be a difference among the risen (which he also hinted at before with the words: "each in his own order"), and he says that not all flesh is the same flesh, that is, not all will rise in one and the same dignity, but there will be a difference: first, between the righteous and sinners, as heavenly bodies differ from earthly ones; then there will be a great difference of degrees among the righteous themselves, as he will say below, and among the sinners themselves. For, he says, just as there is a difference between the flesh of men and the flesh of cattle and the rest of the animals, so too there will be a difference in the punishments of sinners. Therefore, everything that has been said was said about the difference among sinners. For about the righteous he speaks below, when he enumerates the heavenly bodies.
1 Cor. 15:40. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.
Here, as I said above, he points out the distinction between the righteous and the sinners: he calls the first heavenly bodies, and the sinners earthly ones, and says that the glory of the righteous is one thing, and that of the sinners another—no longer glory (for this should not be implied), but life.
1 Cor. 15:41. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
As a little before he spoke of the difference in the bodies of sinners, beginning with men and then mentioning birds, cattle, and fish, because sinners too, having been men at first, afterwards fell to the likeness of brute beasts (Ps. 49:20), so now he shows the differences among the righteous. All, he says, are in glory, but one light belongs to the sun, another to the moon, and to whatever body it may be; for stars also differ from stars "in glory," that is, in light; for the glory of stars consists in light. Some have understood by heavenly bodies the angels, but I think this is incorrect. And from the fact that he brought up the sun, moon, and stars, it is clear that the discourse is about them.
1 Cor. 15:42. So also is the resurrection of the dead.
How so? With much distinction, as is evident also from the examples cited above.
1 Cor. 15:42. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
Above, when speaking of seeds, he used words proper to bodies, as when, for example, he said: "it is not quickened, except it die" (1 Cor. 15:36). Now, when speaking of bodies, he uses words proper to seeds. For he says: "it is sown in corruption." By sowing he now means not our conception in the womb, but the burial of dead bodies in the earth, as if saying: the dead body is buried in the earth "in corruption," that is, in order to decay. He also well said "is raised" (ἐγείρεται), and not "springs up," lest you consider this the work of the earth.
1 Cor. 15:43. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.
For what is more abased than a dead body? But it shall rise "in glory" of incorruption, though not all shall receive one and the same portion.
1 Cor. 15:43. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
For not even five days will pass before the flesh cannot withstand corruption; but it will be raised "in power" of incorruption, no longer subject to any corruption, although for sinners incorruption will serve as a greater punishment.
1 Cor. 15:44. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
"Soulish" body is that which is governed by the powers of the soul and in which the soul has dominion and sovereignty; while "spiritual" is that which has the abundant activity of the Holy Spirit and is governed by Him in all things. For although even now the Spirit acts in us, it is not in the same way and not always; for from those who sin, He departs. Although even now the Spirit is present, the soul governs the body; but then the Spirit will continuously abide in the bodies of the righteous. Or: he simply calls "spiritual" the incorruptible body, as being most refined and light, able to be carried even through the air, only not aerial and ethereal, that is, not of the substance of air and ether, as Origen says. But if you do not believe in incorruption, then look at the heavenly bodies, which to this day do not grow old and do not weaken. He who made them such will also make our corruptible body incorruptible.
1 Cor. 15:44. There is a natural body.
That which we now have in the present life.
1 Cor. 15:44. There is also a spiritual body.
That which we shall have in the future age is essentially the same—spiritual, that is, incorruptible.
1 Cor. 15:45. So also it is written: the first man Adam became a living soul; but the last Adam is a life-giving spirit.
The first is precisely written (Gen. 2:7), while the second is not written; but since it occurred by the connection of events, he says that it is written. Similarly, the prophet (Zech. 8:3) said of Jerusalem that it would be called a city of truth; but it was not literally so called. The Gospel called the Lord Emmanuel (Matt. 1:23); yet He was not so called, but His deeds give Him such a name. So then, the first Adam was a natural man, that is, he had a body governed by natural powers of the soul; but the last Adam, the Lord, is "a life-giving spirit." He did not say "living in the Spirit," but expressed something greater: "life-giving." For the Lord had the Holy Spirit essentially co-present with Him; by Him He gave life to His own flesh; and by Him He also granted incorruption to us. Thus, in the first Adam we received the pledge of the present corruptible life, and in Christ — of the life to come.
1 Cor. 15:46. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
So that no one would say: why do we now have a natural body, an inferior one, while the spiritual one is only yet to come? he says: because the origins of the one and the other have been established in that order. Adam came first, and Christ came after. Therefore our course always moves toward the better. And be assured that what is now corruptible and inferior in you will be transformed into the incorruptible and the better.
1 Cor. 15:47. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
Lest they grow negligent regarding the beautiful life, he now wishes to persuade them toward a God-pleasing life, and says that Adam was from the earth, from which he was also so named; for Adam means earthly and dusty. But the second man was the Lord from heaven. He gives the first a name from the worse, and the second from the better, not because the man, that is, the assumed human nature, was from heaven, as the foolish Apollinarius babbled, but because there is one person in one Christ. By reason of this union it is said that He is a man from heaven; for the same reason it is said that God was crucified (1 Cor. 2:8).
1 Cor. 15:48. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy.
That is, they will also perish and die; or those who were attached to the earth will die the death of sin.
1 Cor. 15:48. And as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
That is, they will likewise be immortal and glorious. For although the second Adam also died, He died in order to destroy death. Or: those who led a godlike life will be glorified as those who set their minds on heavenly things.
1 Cor. 15:49. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Here he more clearly reveals the exhortatory tone of his discourse. By the image of the earthly he means wicked deeds, and by the image of the heavenly – good deeds. Therefore, just as before we lived in wickedness, as sons of the earthly one and being mindful of earthly things, so now we must live in virtue, in order to preserve the image and likeness of the heavenly one. The image of the earthly consists in the following: "dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19), and the image of the heavenly – in the resurrection from the dead and incorruption. Therefore, if what is said about the resurrection must be understood not as referring to a way of life, then the words "let us also bear the image of the heavenly" must be understood or written as an indication of a future event, that is, that we shall be clothed.
1 Cor. 15:50. But this I say to you, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.
Since he said: "the image of the earthy," he says as if in explanation of it that the image of the earthy is "flesh and blood," that is, fleshly deeds and those proper to the corpulence of the body, which cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.
1 Cor. 15:50. And corruption does not inherit incorruption.
That is, wickedness, which corrupts the nobility of the soul, cannot inherit that glory and incorruptible blessings. You may also understand all this as spoken not about the manner of life, but about the resurrection. For example, the words "flesh and blood" mean: in the age to come, it is not the present body, consisting of flesh and blood, that will enjoy the kingdom. For there is no food or drink there by which the present body is nourished. "And corruption," that is, the corruptible body does not inherit the incorruptible. Therefore it is necessary for our body to become spiritual and incorruptible. Nevertheless, know that Chrysostom understood these words of the apostle as an exhortation to a better life.
1 Cor. 15:51. I tell you a mystery.
Again he returns to the teaching on the resurrection and says that he intends to tell them something fearful and hidden. By this he also shows great respect toward them, inasmuch as he shares mysteries with them.
1 Cor. 15:51. We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed.
Although, he says, not all will die, yet all will be changed, that is, even those who will not die will be clothed in incorruption. Therefore, when you are dying, do not fear that you will not be resurrected. For behold, I tell you that some will not die, and this alone is not sufficient for them for that resurrection, unless they are changed, and thus pass into immortality from that mortality of bodies which they possess. Therefore, just as it is not beneficial for them not to die, so it is not harmful for us to die. For even for them the change serves as death, because in them corruption dies, being changed into incorruption.
1 Cor. 15:52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
In the briefest and most imperceptible time, in which one can only blink one's eyelashes, so many and such great things will be accomplished. This is truly wondrous. For one must marvel not only at the fact that decayed bodies will rise again, and that each will receive his own, but also that all this will be accomplished so quickly that it cannot even be expressed. The words "at the last trumpet" some understood as referring to the one written about in the Revelation (Rev. 8–10) of the Evangelist John. He said that there are seven trumpets, the first of which bring destruction upon people, for not all die together, but in stages, and this, he says, is by God's design, so that those remaining, seeing the first ones perishing, might themselves repent. But the last trumpet will bring about the resurrection and the transformation of those already risen, swiftly, in the twinkling of an eye.
1 Cor. 15:52. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.
So that no one should doubt how these things will be accomplished in the twinkling of an eye, he confirms the trustworthiness of his word by the power of God who brings them about: and he says that "the trumpet shall sound," and it shall come to pass; similar to this: "He spoke, and it was done" (Ps. 33:9). For the trumpet signifies nothing other than the command and will of God, which precedes all things.
1 Cor. 15:52. But we shall be changed.
He says this not about himself, but about those who will then be alive.
1 Cor. 15:53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Lest anyone, having heard that flesh and blood do not inherit the Kingdom of God and that the dead will rise incorruptible, should think that bodies will not rise, since they presently consist of flesh and blood, he adds that bodies will rise, not such as are flesh and blood, but transformed into incorruption. Note these words against those who say that the bodies that will rise are not the same, but different ones; for he says of the corruptible "this" and the mortal "this" — not another, but he says demonstratively: "this." Therefore the body will remain the same (for it is that which is clothed), but mortality and corruption are destroyed, since it will be clothed in incorruption and immortality. There is a difference between death and corruption: the word "death" is used only of animate beings, while "corruption" is used also of inanimate things. We too have something resembling the inanimate, for example, hair and nails, but even these things will be clothed in incorruption.
1 Cor. 15:54. When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the word that is written: death is swallowed up in victory.
When this comes to pass, then what was written by the prophet Hosea (Hos. 13:14) will be fulfilled. Since he said something astonishing, he confirms the truth of his words with the testimony of Scripture. "In victory" (εις νίκος, unto victory), that is, completely, so that death, having been defeated, will be destroyed, and there remains for it not even the hope of ever regaining its power thereafter.
1 Cor. 15:55. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?
As if having seen this accomplished in deed, he is inspired, utters a victory cry and triumphs, as if trampling upon vanquished death and treading it underfoot. Between "hell" and "death" you can find a certain distinction, namely: "hell" holds souls, while "death" holds bodies; for souls are immortal.
1 Cor. 15:56. The sting of death is sin.
For through sin, death received its power, using sin as a weapon of sorts and a sting. For just as the scorpion itself is a small creature, but has its power in its sting, so also death received its power through sin, and otherwise it would have been ineffective. This is evident also from the example of the Lord Himself, since death did not find sin in Him, it remained powerless over Him.
1 Cor. 15:56. And the strength of sin is the law.
Why? Because when there was no law, we sinned in ignorance and were subject to a less severe condemnation, but when the law exposed sin, it subjected us to great condemnation, since we know and yet sin, and made it strong — not by its own nature, but because of our negligence, since we did not make use of the law as we should have, as a remedy, about which more has been said at greater length in the Epistle to the Romans. Therefore, O man, do not doubt the resurrection. You see that sin, which was the weapon of death, has been destroyed, and the law, which accidentally became the power of sin, has been abolished. When death has been disarmed, it is obvious that it no longer has power.
1 Cor. 15:57. Thanks be to God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
The Lord Jesus fought the contest, and to us the victory was given — not by merit, not by obligation, but by the grace and love of God the Father, Who made us victors through the contest of His Son.
1 Cor. 15:58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.
Since, he says, you have learned that there will be a resurrection and recompense for the good and the wicked, be steadfast; for they were wavering in the teaching about the resurrection. And since they were also neglecting the good life, on account of there supposedly being no resurrection, he says: "always abound in the work of the Lord"; not only do it, but do it in abundance. The "work" "of the Lord," that which the Lord loves and which He requires of us, is virtue.
1 Cor. 15:58. Knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
That is, hope that there will be a resurrection, and you will lose nothing from your labors. For previously you were not zealous for virtue because you did not believe in the resurrection and therefore did not want to labor in vain, but now you know that none of your labor will remain in vain. "In the Lord" (εν Κυρίω) means either your labor which is "in the Lord," that is, for which you had help from above, since it is directed toward God-pleasing works; or "with the Lord" your labor will not remain in vain, but you will receive recompense from Him.
1 Cor. 15:1. I remind you, brethren, of the Gospel which I preached to you.
He passes on to the teaching about the resurrection, which constitutes the foundation of our faith. For if there is no resurrection, then Christ has not risen either; and if He has not risen, then He did not become incarnate either; and thus our entire faith will vanish. Since the Corinthians had such waverings (for the worldly wise are ready to accept everything except the resurrection), Paul contends for the resurrection. Very wisely he reminds them of what they have already accepted on faith. I am telling you nothing strange, he says, but I make known (γνωρίζω) to you, that is, I remind you of what was already communicated to you but has been forgotten. By calling them "brethren," he partly humbled them and partly reminded them of that through which we became brethren, namely, the manifestation of Christ in the flesh, in which they may have ceased to believe, and baptism, which serves as an image of the burial and resurrection of the Lord. By the name "gospel" he also reminded them of those countless blessings which we received through the incarnation and resurrection of the Lord.
1 Cor. 15:1. Which you also received.
He did not say: which you heard; but: which you received; for they received it not by word only, but also by deeds and miracles. He said this also in order to persuade them to hold fast to it as something long since received.
1 Cor. 15:2. In which also you stand firm, by which also you are being saved.
Although they wavered, he nevertheless says that they stood firm in it: he deliberately presents himself as unknowing, and forewarns them so that they cannot deny it, even if they very much wished to. What then is the benefit of standing firm in it? That you are saved.
1 Cor. 15:2. If you hold fast what was delivered to you just as I preached to you.
He speaks as if to say: concerning the fact that there is a resurrection, I am not informing you of anything; for you have not doubted this truth. But perhaps you need to know in what manner the resurrection will occur, which I proclaimed to you. It is about this—that is, about how the resurrection will be—that I am now speaking to you.
1 Cor. 15:2. Unless you believed in vain.
If by the words "you are established" he should make them careless, he says: if you hold fast, if only you have not believed in vain, that is, if you are not called Christians for nothing. For the essence of Christianity consists in the teaching of the resurrection.
1 Cor. 15:3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received.
Since the teaching about the resurrection is very important, I delivered it to you first of all. For it is, as it were, the foundation of the entire faith. And I myself received it, that is, from Christ. Therefore, as I hold to it, so you also must hold to it. And since you accepted it in the beginning, you are now wrong to have doubted even for a time.
1 Cor. 15:3. That is, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scripture.
These words evidently belong to Christ Himself, who was speaking through Paul. Since the Manicheans would later say that by death Paul means sins, and by resurrection the deliverance from them, it pleased Him to refute them in advance with these words. So, Christ died. By what death? Without doubt, a bodily death, not a sinful one; for He committed no sin. But if they are not ashamed to say that He too died a sinful death, then how is it said that He died for our sins? For if He too was a sinner, how did He die for our sins? He strikes them down very clearly also with this remark: "according to the Scriptures." For the Scriptures everywhere ascribe to Christ this bodily death. Thus it is said: "they pierced my hands and my feet" (Ps. 22:16); again: "they shall look on Him whom they pierced" (Zech. 12:10); again: "He was wounded for our transgressions; for the transgression of my people He was led to death" (Isa. 53:5, 8).
1 Cor. 15:4. And that He was buried.
So, He also had a body. For it is the body that is buried. And he did not add the words "according to the Scriptures" either because the tomb was known to all, or because the phrase "according to the Scriptures" refers to everything in general.
1 Cor. 15:4. And that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Where then do the Scriptures say that He rose on the third day? In the type of Jonah, and before this in Isaac, who in three days was preserved alive for his mother and was not slain, and in very many other types; also in the words of Isaiah: "The Lord wills to cleanse him from his wound, to show him light"; in the words of David: "Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell" (Ps. 16:10).
1 Cor. 15:5. And that He appeared to Cephas.
First he puts forward the most trustworthy witness of all. Although the Gospel says that the Lord appeared first to Mary (Mark 16:9), yet among men He appeared first to Peter, as the chief of the disciples. For it was fitting that he who first confessed Him as the Christ should also be the first to see the Resurrection; and He appears to him before the others also on account of his denial, in order to show him that he was not rejected.
1 Cor. 15:5. Then to the Twelve (τοῖς δώδεκα).
Matthias was numbered among them in place of Judas after the Lord's Ascension. How then does Paul say, "then to the twelve"? We answer: most likely, He appeared to Matthias after the Ascension, just as He also appeared to Paul, who was called after the Ascension. For this reason he did not specify the time, but expressed himself indefinitely. Some, however, say that this is a copyist's error; or: the Lord, knowing and foreseeing in advance that Matthias would be numbered among the eleven, appeared to him as well, so that in this respect too he would not be inferior to the rest of the apostles. John expresses something similar when he says: "Thomas..., one of the twelve" (Jn. 20:24). For anyone would sooner say that He numbered Matthias among the rest of the apostles by foreknowledge than Judas after his betrayal and suicide.
1 Cor. 15:6. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time.
After the proof from the Scriptures, he brings as witnesses the apostles and other faithful people. The word "more" (επάνω) some explain thus: "from above," from heaven; that He appeared to them on high and overhead in order to confirm the truth of the Ascension. Others, however, understood it thus: more than five hundred.
1 Cor. 15:6. Of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
I, he says, have living witnesses. By the expression "have fallen asleep" he prepares the beginning of the resurrection. For he who sleeps also rises.
1 Cor. 15:7. Then He appeared to James.
The Brother of the Lord, appointed by Him as the first bishop in Jerusalem.
1 Cor. 15:7. Then to all the Apostles.
For there were other apostles as well, such as the seventy disciples.
1 Cor. 15:8. And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one born out of due time.
This is a word of humility. And he employed this humility prudently, so that when he says something lofty about himself — "I labored more than all of them" (1 Cor. 15:10) — they would not refuse to believe him as a boaster. An "untimely birth" in the proper sense refers to a premature child that a woman miscarries. Since he calls himself unworthy of the apostolic calling and a rejected man (1 Cor. 15:9), he called himself an "untimely birth," as one not yet mature with respect to apostolic dignity. Some, however, understood "untimely birth" as a late birth, since Paul is the last of the apostles. But it does not diminish Paul that he was the last to see the Lord. For neither is James inferior to the other five hundred because he saw the Lord later than they did.
1 Cor. 15:9. For I am the least of the Apostles, and am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
He pronounces judgment on himself: I, he says, am the least not only of the twelve, but of all the rest as well. Look, here he recalls those sins from which he was delivered through baptism, in order to show what grace he received from God. Why then, while presenting himself as a witness of Christ's Resurrection, since He appeared to him as well, does he enumerate his own shortcomings? In order to earn greater trust. For he who in all fairness has laid out his own unworthiness will not speak in vain on behalf of another.
1 Cor. 15:10. But by the grace of God I am what I am.
Shortcomings he ascribes to himself, while perfections he attributes to the grace of God.
1 Cor. 15:10. And His grace in me was not in vain, but I labored more than all of them.
And he said this with humility, for he did not say: I did something worthy of grace, but: the grace of God, which is in me, proved not to be in vain. How? Because I labored more than all the apostles. And he did not say: I was exposed to dangers, but limited his boast to the modest name of labor. He says this about himself in order to appear worthy of trust. For a teacher must be worthy of trust.
1 Cor. 15:10. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
And the very fact that I labored is not my own achievement, but the work of the grace of God.
1 Cor. 15:11. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
Whether I labored more or they did, yet in preaching, he says, we are all in agreement. And he did not say: if you do not believe me, then believe them, for he would have demeaned himself and would have appeared a witness of truth not worthy of belief; but he says that he himself is a sufficient witness on his own, and they themselves are sufficient on their own. With the word "we preach" he also confirms the truth of his words. For we speak not in secret, but openly, and not at some time, but even now. "And so you believed." He did not say: you now believe, because they were already wavering. But along with the others, he calls their faith too a witness of the truth. You, he says, would not have believed in vain false and deceitful words if you had not been convinced of the truth of what was preached.
1 Cor. 15:12. Now 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?
He reasons beautifully. First he proved that Christ rose and that he and the apostles preach this. And then by His resurrection he confirms the general resurrection, since after the head the other parts of the body follow. He does not extend the accusation to all, lest he make them more shameless, but says: "some say."
1 Cor. 15:13. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen either.
Lest they say that although Christ rose, yet there will be no general resurrection, he confirms the latter, and says: if there is no resurrection, then Christ has not risen either. For the one confirms the other. For why did He rise, if not to be our firstfruits?
1 Cor. 15:14. And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain.
For if He, having died, could not rise again, then neither has sin been destroyed, nor death abolished; and finally, we have preached in vain, and you have believed in vain.
1 Cor. 15:15. And moreover we would be found false witnesses of God, because we would have testified of God that He raised up Christ, Whom He did not raise up, if, that is, the dead are not raised.
We, he says, turn out to be wrong, because we falsely testified about God that He raised the One whom He did not raise. Such a consequence follows if the dead do not rise. But if such a consequence is absurd, then it is also absurd to believe that the dead do not rise.
1 Cor. 15:16-17. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain: you are still in your sins.
Again he defends the same proposition. For He rose for the purpose of bringing about the universal resurrection. But if there is no resurrection, then He too has not risen; if this is admitted, then your faith is in vain: which is absurd. "You are still in your sins." If He has not risen, then He did not die, and if He did not die, then He did not destroy sin either: for His death is for the destruction of sin. For it is said: "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1:29). He called Him a Lamb, without a doubt, on account of the slaughter. But if sin has not been destroyed, then you certainly remain in it. How then did you come to believe that you have been delivered from it?
1 Cor. 15:18. Therefore those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
That is, those who died for Christ and bore witness to Him have perished, if there is no resurrection. And in general, all who died in the faith of Christ and in a life of hardship and affliction have perished, because they were deprived of worldly pleasures, and after this will receive no good thing, if there is no resurrection.
1 Cor. 15:19. And if we have hope in Christ only in this life, then we are more miserable than all men.
If, he says, all that is ours is limited to this present life and we who hope in Christ, that is, who have our hope in Christ, exist only in it, and there is no other life beyond, then we are more miserable than all, since we have neither enjoyed the good things of this life, as was said above, nor shall we receive the future ones, because we shall not even rise again, as some say. Perhaps someone will say: the soul alone will enjoy them. But why so? It was not the soul alone that labored, but the body too. Where then is the justice, if the body, which bore the greater part of the hardships, shall be turned to nothing and receive no good, while the soul alone shall be crowned?
1 Cor. 15:20. But Christ is risen from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Having shown how many absurdities arise from disbelief in the resurrection, he repeats the point and speaks as follows: this is what follows if there is no general resurrection—then Christ is not risen either. But Christ is risen. Therefore there will also be a general resurrection, and these absurdities will not occur. He constantly adds "from the dead" in order to shut the mouths of the Manichaeans. If He is the firstfruits from the dead, then without doubt they too must rise. For "firstfruits" implies those who follow after, as when one among many does something first, having begun it, and the rest continue it.
1 Cor. 15:21-22. For since death came through a man, through a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
He adds the reason by which what was said is confirmed. It was necessary, he says, that the very nature which was defeated should itself be victorious, and that the very one who was cast down should himself overcome. For just as "in Adam," that is, through Adam's fall, all die, so "in Christ" all shall be made alive, that is, because Christ proved to be sinless and not subject to death, and although He died voluntarily, He rose again, because corruption could not hold Him, the Author of life (Acts 2:24). And all this is directed against the Manicheans.
1 Cor. 15:23. Each in his own order.
Lest, having heard that all shall be made alive, you should suppose that sinners also will be saved, he added: as far as the resurrection is concerned, all shall be made alive; but each will be "in his own order" and in that of which he is worthy.
1 Cor. 15:23-24. The firstfruits is Christ, then those who are Christ's, at His coming. And then the end.
Christ became the firstfruits and the path of resurrection. After Him, those who belong to Him, that is, the faithful and pleasing to Him, will rise before the rest, when He descends from heaven (this is what "at His coming" means), for it is just that the righteous have some precedence even in the resurrection itself. Since they will be caught up in the air to meet the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17), they will rise first. Meanwhile, sinners, as the condemned, will wait below for the Judge. Then comes the end of all things, and of the resurrection itself, because all without exception will rise. For now only Christ alone has risen, while human bodies have remained in their condition. But then it will not be so, but everything will reach its end.
1 Cor. 15:24. When He shall deliver the Kingdom to God and the Father.
Scripture knows two kingdoms: one by right of adoption, the other by right of creation. By right of creation He reigns over all, over Greeks, Jews, and over the demons themselves, and over those who do not wish it. By right of adoption He reigns over the faithful and the saints, who submit voluntarily. Of this kingdom it is said: "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance" (Ps. 2:8) and: "All authority has been given to Me" (Matt. 28:18); this is the kingdom He will deliver to the Father, that is, He will arrange it, bring it to completion. Let us imagine that some king entrusted his son with waging war against nations that had revolted from him; when the son has carried out the war and subdued those nations, then he can say that he has delivered the war to his father, that is, he has shown that the task entrusted to him is finished. So Paul says that when the Son has subdued all things, then the end will come. For Christ will fully reign over us when we are no longer divided between God and the prince of this world; He will, as it were, take back the kingdom seized by the tyrant and present it to the Father free.
1 Cor. 15:24. When He shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power.
That is, when He conquers and subdues the evil powers. For now they act very much, but then they will cease to act.
1 Cor. 15:25-26. For He must reign until He puts all enemies under His feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Since he said that He will abolish the opposing powers and set up trophies, and someone might doubt and say, "perhaps He will grow weak while He does all this, and will not be able to accomplish it," he says that He will not grow weak, but He must reign, that is, conduct Himself as King and as the Mighty One, until He subdues His enemies, and the last of them — death. For He who subdued the devil will obviously also subdue his work — death. And from what would it be seen that it has been subdued, if it does not give up the bodies it has seized? For then properly will it be defeated, when its spoil too has been plundered. So, having heard that He will abolish all rule and authority, do not fear that He will grow weak and not do this: He will do all things, reigning and directing the war, until He subdues all. Do you see that the word "until" is placed not to negate what comes "after" this, but for the reason that has been stated? For, he says, His kingdom abides and will not weaken until He sets all things in order. All the more will it abide after He has set all things in order, for of His Kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:33). Gregory the Theologian says that here "kingdom" refers to the fact that He brings about submission and places us under His dominion; therefore, when we submit to Him, such a kingdom of His — that is, the effort and activity of bringing us into submission to Him — will cease. For just as a builder is occupied with building until he has put on the roof, and afterward ceases the work of construction, so also the Son reigns, that is, establishes His kingdom in us, until we become His subjects.
1 Cor. 15:27. For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him.
Since he said of the Son that He will put down the enemies and raise a trophy, he feared lest they consider the Son some other unbegotten principle. Therefore he refers everything to the Father, saying that He subjected the enemies to the Son. And since he was writing to Greeks, among whom there was a tale that Zeus rose up against his Father, he says that everything is subjected to the Son, except the Father. For it is He who subjected everything else to the Son.
1 Cor. 15:28. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him.
Lest anyone say that although the Father did not subject Himself to the Son, nevertheless nothing prevents the Son from being stronger than Him, he thoroughly demolishes such a supposition and says that the Son too will be subjected to the Father, showing the complete unity of mind of the Son with the Father. Therefore know that the Father is the cause and source of this power for the Son, and that the Son is not some other power opposed to the Father. If he used an expression more humble than was fitting, do not be surprised. For Paul, when he wishes to uproot something completely, customarily uses intensified expressions. For example, wishing to prove that a believing wife, living with an unbelieving husband, suffers no harm, he said that the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife (1 Cor. 7:14); he does not mean that the husband, remaining an unbeliever, becomes holy, but by the intensified expression he shows that the believing wife suffers no harm whatsoever. So here too, by the name of subjection, the wicked thought is uprooted completely — the thought that might arise in someone that the Son is perhaps stronger than the Father, if He can accomplish so many deeds. Gregory the Theologian, however, says that the Son, appropriating everything of ours to Himself, considers our subjection as His own. Now we resist God: unbelievers by not acknowledging Him, believers by the fact that many serve the passions, and for this reason we are not yet subjected. But when some acknowledge the One whom they now reject, and others — we — depart from the passions in this life, then without doubt it can be said that the Son has been subjected. For, having taken upon Himself the person of humanity, He imputes what is ours to Himself.
1 Cor. 15:28. That God may be all in all.
That is, so that everything might depend on the Father; so that no one would think that there are two beginnings, unoriginate and separate. For when the enemies are under the feet of the Son, and the Son does not resist the Father, but, as is fitting for a Son, submits to the Father, then, of course, God and the Father will be all in all. Some, however, say that by this, that is, by the subjection of all things, is meant the cessation of evil. For when there is no sin, it is evident that God will be all in all. Then many of us will no longer give themselves over to impure impulses and passions, having nothing divine in themselves or having little of it, but we shall all be godlike, we shall all contain God within ourselves, and Him alone. For God will be everything for us: both food and drink and clothing and thought.
1 Cor. 15:29. Otherwise, what shall they do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead do not rise at all, then why are they also baptized for the dead?
The Marcionite heretics, when someone among them dies without baptism, hide a living person under the bed of the deceased, approach the bed and ask the dead man whether he wishes to be baptized; the one hidden under the bed answers from there that he does, and thus they baptize him in place of the deceased. Then, when they are accused of this, they say in their own defense that the apostle said so, and they cite, the fools, this saying. But this is not so. Then how is it? Those wishing to be baptized all recite the Creed, and in it there are also these words: "I believe in the resurrection of the dead." So he says: those who believed in the future resurrection of dead bodies and were baptized in such hope—what will they do when they have been deceived? Why, after all, do people even get baptized for the sake of the resurrection, that is, the expectation of the resurrection, if the dead do not rise?
1 Cor. 15:30. Why do we also face dangers every hour?
If you do not accept as proof of the resurrection the verbal confession which those being baptized make, then you have witness in deeds as well. For all of us, the apostles, constantly suffer afflictions. And if there were no resurrection, for what reason would we endure afflictions? For what pleasure? For if someone resolves to endure afflictions even out of vainglory, he resolves to do so once. But the hourly endurance of afflictions, as we endure, serves as the greatest proof of confidence in the resurrection.
1 Cor. 15:31. I die daily: I affirm this by the boasting in you, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In the words "we are in danger" (1 Cor. 15:30), he pointed to dangers, but here he puts forward something even greater, namely daily death. How then did he die every day? By his resolve and readiness for it, and by enduring such afflictions that brought death upon him. "I protest by your boasting," that is, I testify by your progress, in which I boast: for the progress of disciples constitutes a boast for the teacher. Then, referring this to Christ, he says: "which I have in Christ Jesus." For this is His work, not mine. Very wisely he reminds them of this: just as I boast in your progress, so I will be covered with shame if you remain in doubt to the end and do not believe in the resurrection.
1 Cor. 15:32. Speaking in human terms, when I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what advantage was it to me?
How much, he says, was possible for men, I fought with beasts; but what of it, that God snatched me out of danger? What benefit is it to me, if there is no resurrection? By fighting with beasts he means the struggle with the Jews and the silversmith Demetrius (Acts 19:23–24 and following). For how did they differ from beasts?
1 Cor. 15:32. If the dead do not rise? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!
If the dead do not rise, and there will be no blessedness there, then let us at least enjoy the good things in this present life; let us eat and drink. For in this alone is profit. He brought these words from the prophet Isaiah (Is. 22:13) in mockery of the foolishness of those who do not acknowledge the resurrection.
1 Cor. 15:33. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
He turns his speech to exhortation. Meanwhile he covertly accuses them of foolishness and frivolity; for this is what he expresses by the word: "be not deceived." By "good manners" he means manners that easily yield to deception; he shows at the same time that others are drawing them into such reasoning.
1 Cor. 15:34. Sober up, as is proper, and do not sin; for, to your shame I say, some among you do not know God.
As he speaks to drunkards: "become sober; as you ought," that is, for benefit; for one can be sober unrighteously as well, for example, for the commission of evil. "And do not sin," he says. It is from this that you do not believe in the resurrection. For those who are conscious of evil in themselves do not agree to acknowledge the resurrection out of fear of punishment. Those who do not believe in the resurrection "do not know God." For they do not know the omnipotence of God. He did not say: you do not know, but: "they do not know," in order to soften the accusation. "I speak this to your shame." Since he had reproved them for quite a long time, he now consoles them: I said this, he says, not out of enmity and not as a reproach, but for shaming, so that when you are ashamed and reason as you ought, to bring you to correction.
1 Cor. 15:35. But someone will say: how are the dead raised? and with what body do they come?
He did not say: you say, in order that the speech might be more acceptable, when he would be examining the words as if of other unbelievers. Two subjects were called into doubt: one — the manner of the resurrection, how a body that has once decayed will rise; the other — in what body they will rise, in the present one or some other. By the example of the seed he resolves both perplexities.
1 Cor. 15:36. Foolish one! What you sow is not made alive unless it dies.
The solution is borrowed from what is obvious and happens among them every day. Therefore he also calls them foolish, because they do not know such a clear matter. What, he says, "you sow," you — a corruptible being: how then do you doubt about God? "It is not made alive (ου ζωοποιεΐται)," he says, "unless it dies"; he used words applying not to seeds, but to bodies. For he did not say: otherwise it will not grow, if it is not destroyed, but: "it is not made alive," if it does not die. See how he gave the speech a reverse form. It seemed incomprehensible to them how we shall rise after death; but he, on the contrary, says that we shall rise precisely because we die. For it would have been impossible to be made alive otherwise, if there were no death.
1 Cor. 15:37. And when you sow, you do not sow the body that shall be, but a bare grain, whatever it may be, of wheat or of some other kind.
Two, it is said, were the perplexities: one — how they will rise, the other — in what body. The first, how they will rise, he resolved; namely: through death, as also a seed. Now, having explained in what body they will rise, he resolves the other perplexity as well. He says that the very same body will rise, that is, a body of the very same essence, but in a brighter and more glorious form. The heretics say that the same body will not rise, for this, they say, is what the apostle expresses when he says: "not the body that shall be." But the apostle does not say this, but what? That what you sow as a seed is not such as it will be, not bright and glorious, but bare, yet the stalk grows up in beauty; and it is not entirely the same, because what was sown was not a stalk, that is, not with a stem, but a "bare grain"; but neither is it entirely different, because this stalk is not from another grain, but from this bare one.
1 Cor. 15:38. But God gives it a body as He wills.
If God gives the body, then why do you still inquire in what body we shall be raised, and not believe in the resurrection, hearing of the power and will of God? For God will raise the destroyed body, only He will raise it more glorious and more spiritual. This can be observed also in seeds, because a germinated seed comes up better than the one that was cast into the earth.
1 Cor. 15:38. And to each seed its own (ίδιον) body.
These words irrefutably shut the mouths of heretics who say that in the resurrection the body that comes to life will not be the same, but a different one. For behold, you hear that each one is given his own body.
1 Cor. 15:39. Not all flesh is the same flesh; but there is one flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds.
Lest you, having heard about wheat, should think that just as all its ears grow alike, so too in the resurrection all will be alike, he wishes to show that there will be a difference among the risen (which he also hinted at before with the words: "each in his own order"), and he says that not all flesh is the same flesh, that is, not all will rise in one and the same dignity, but there will be a difference: first, between the righteous and sinners, as heavenly bodies differ from earthly ones; then there will be a great difference of degrees among the righteous themselves, as he will say below, and among the sinners themselves. For, he says, just as there is a difference between the flesh of men and the flesh of cattle and the rest of the animals, so too there will be a difference in the punishments of sinners. Therefore, everything that has been said was said about the difference among sinners. For about the righteous he speaks below, when he enumerates the heavenly bodies.
1 Cor. 15:40. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.
Here, as I said above, he points out the distinction between the righteous and the sinners: he calls the first heavenly bodies, and the sinners earthly ones, and says that the glory of the righteous is one thing, and that of the sinners another—no longer glory (for this should not be implied), but life.
1 Cor. 15:41. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
As a little before he spoke of the difference in the bodies of sinners, beginning with men and then mentioning birds, cattle, and fish, because sinners too, having been men at first, afterwards fell to the likeness of brute beasts (Ps. 49:20), so now he shows the differences among the righteous. All, he says, are in glory, but one light belongs to the sun, another to the moon, and to whatever body it may be; for stars also differ from stars "in glory," that is, in light; for the glory of stars consists in light. Some have understood by heavenly bodies the angels, but I think this is incorrect. And from the fact that he brought up the sun, moon, and stars, it is clear that the discourse is about them.
1 Cor. 15:42. So also is the resurrection of the dead.
How so? With much distinction, as is evident also from the examples cited above.
1 Cor. 15:42. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
Above, when speaking of seeds, he used words proper to bodies, as when, for example, he said: "it is not quickened, except it die" (1 Cor. 15:36). Now, when speaking of bodies, he uses words proper to seeds. For he says: "it is sown in corruption." By sowing he now means not our conception in the womb, but the burial of dead bodies in the earth, as if saying: the dead body is buried in the earth "in corruption," that is, in order to decay. He also well said "is raised" (ἐγείρεται), and not "springs up," lest you consider this the work of the earth.
1 Cor. 15:43. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.
For what is more abased than a dead body? But it shall rise "in glory" of incorruption, though not all shall receive one and the same portion.
1 Cor. 15:43. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
For not even five days will pass before the flesh cannot withstand corruption; but it will be raised "in power" of incorruption, no longer subject to any corruption, although for sinners incorruption will serve as a greater punishment.
1 Cor. 15:44. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
"Soulish" body is that which is governed by the powers of the soul and in which the soul has dominion and sovereignty; while "spiritual" is that which has the abundant activity of the Holy Spirit and is governed by Him in all things. For although even now the Spirit acts in us, it is not in the same way and not always; for from those who sin, He departs. Although even now the Spirit is present, the soul governs the body; but then the Spirit will continuously abide in the bodies of the righteous. Or: he simply calls "spiritual" the incorruptible body, as being most refined and light, able to be carried even through the air, only not aerial and ethereal, that is, not of the substance of air and ether, as Origen says. But if you do not believe in incorruption, then look at the heavenly bodies, which to this day do not grow old and do not weaken. He who made them such will also make our corruptible body incorruptible.
1 Cor. 15:44. There is a natural body.
That which we now have in the present life.
1 Cor. 15:44. There is also a spiritual body.
That which we shall have in the future age is essentially the same—spiritual, that is, incorruptible.
1 Cor. 15:45. So also it is written: the first man Adam became a living soul; but the last Adam is a life-giving spirit.
The first is precisely written (Gen. 2:7), while the second is not written; but since it occurred by the connection of events, he says that it is written. Similarly, the prophet (Zech. 8:3) said of Jerusalem that it would be called a city of truth; but it was not literally so called. The Gospel called the Lord Emmanuel (Matt. 1:23); yet He was not so called, but His deeds give Him such a name. So then, the first Adam was a natural man, that is, he had a body governed by natural powers of the soul; but the last Adam, the Lord, is "a life-giving spirit." He did not say "living in the Spirit," but expressed something greater: "life-giving." For the Lord had the Holy Spirit essentially co-present with Him; by Him He gave life to His own flesh; and by Him He also granted incorruption to us. Thus, in the first Adam we received the pledge of the present corruptible life, and in Christ — of the life to come.
1 Cor. 15:46. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
So that no one would say: why do we now have a natural body, an inferior one, while the spiritual one is only yet to come? he says: because the origins of the one and the other have been established in that order. Adam came first, and Christ came after. Therefore our course always moves toward the better. And be assured that what is now corruptible and inferior in you will be transformed into the incorruptible and the better.
1 Cor. 15:47. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
Lest they grow negligent regarding the beautiful life, he now wishes to persuade them toward a God-pleasing life, and says that Adam was from the earth, from which he was also so named; for Adam means earthly and dusty. But the second man was the Lord from heaven. He gives the first a name from the worse, and the second from the better, not because the man, that is, the assumed human nature, was from heaven, as the foolish Apollinarius babbled, but because there is one person in one Christ. By reason of this union it is said that He is a man from heaven; for the same reason it is said that God was crucified (1 Cor. 2:8).
1 Cor. 15:48. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy.
That is, they will also perish and die; or those who were attached to the earth will die the death of sin.
1 Cor. 15:48. And as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
That is, they will likewise be immortal and glorious. For although the second Adam also died, He died in order to destroy death. Or: those who led a godlike life will be glorified as those who set their minds on heavenly things.
1 Cor. 15:49. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Here he more clearly reveals the exhortatory tone of his discourse. By the image of the earthly he means wicked deeds, and by the image of the heavenly – good deeds. Therefore, just as before we lived in wickedness, as sons of the earthly one and being mindful of earthly things, so now we must live in virtue, in order to preserve the image and likeness of the heavenly one. The image of the earthly consists in the following: "dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19), and the image of the heavenly – in the resurrection from the dead and incorruption. Therefore, if what is said about the resurrection must be understood not as referring to a way of life, then the words "let us also bear the image of the heavenly" must be understood or written as an indication of a future event, that is, that we shall be clothed.
1 Cor. 15:50. But this I say to you, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.
Since he said: "the image of the earthy," he says as if in explanation of it that the image of the earthy is "flesh and blood," that is, fleshly deeds and those proper to the corpulence of the body, which cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.
1 Cor. 15:50. And corruption does not inherit incorruption.
That is, wickedness, which corrupts the nobility of the soul, cannot inherit that glory and incorruptible blessings. You may also understand all this as spoken not about the manner of life, but about the resurrection. For example, the words "flesh and blood" mean: in the age to come, it is not the present body, consisting of flesh and blood, that will enjoy the kingdom. For there is no food or drink there by which the present body is nourished. "And corruption," that is, the corruptible body does not inherit the incorruptible. Therefore it is necessary for our body to become spiritual and incorruptible. Nevertheless, know that Chrysostom understood these words of the apostle as an exhortation to a better life.
1 Cor. 15:51. I tell you a mystery.
Again he returns to the teaching on the resurrection and says that he intends to tell them something fearful and hidden. By this he also shows great respect toward them, inasmuch as he shares mysteries with them.
1 Cor. 15:51. We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed.
Although, he says, not all will die, yet all will be changed, that is, even those who will not die will be clothed in incorruption. Therefore, when you are dying, do not fear that you will not be resurrected. For behold, I tell you that some will not die, and this alone is not sufficient for them for that resurrection, unless they are changed, and thus pass into immortality from that mortality of bodies which they possess. Therefore, just as it is not beneficial for them not to die, so it is not harmful for us to die. For even for them the change serves as death, because in them corruption dies, being changed into incorruption.
1 Cor. 15:52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
In the briefest and most imperceptible time, in which one can only blink one's eyelashes, so many and such great things will be accomplished. This is truly wondrous. For one must marvel not only at the fact that decayed bodies will rise again, and that each will receive his own, but also that all this will be accomplished so quickly that it cannot even be expressed. The words "at the last trumpet" some understood as referring to the one written about in the Revelation (Rev. 8–10) of the Evangelist John. He said that there are seven trumpets, the first of which bring destruction upon people, for not all die together, but in stages, and this, he says, is by God's design, so that those remaining, seeing the first ones perishing, might themselves repent. But the last trumpet will bring about the resurrection and the transformation of those already risen, swiftly, in the twinkling of an eye.
1 Cor. 15:52. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.
So that no one should doubt how these things will be accomplished in the twinkling of an eye, he confirms the trustworthiness of his word by the power of God who brings them about: and he says that "the trumpet shall sound," and it shall come to pass; similar to this: "He spoke, and it was done" (Ps. 33:9). For the trumpet signifies nothing other than the command and will of God, which precedes all things.
1 Cor. 15:52. But we shall be changed.
He says this not about himself, but about those who will then be alive.
1 Cor. 15:53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Lest anyone, having heard that flesh and blood do not inherit the Kingdom of God and that the dead will rise incorruptible, should think that bodies will not rise, since they presently consist of flesh and blood, he adds that bodies will rise, not such as are flesh and blood, but transformed into incorruption. Note these words against those who say that the bodies that will rise are not the same, but different ones; for he says of the corruptible "this" and the mortal "this" — not another, but he says demonstratively: "this." Therefore the body will remain the same (for it is that which is clothed), but mortality and corruption are destroyed, since it will be clothed in incorruption and immortality. There is a difference between death and corruption: the word "death" is used only of animate beings, while "corruption" is used also of inanimate things. We too have something resembling the inanimate, for example, hair and nails, but even these things will be clothed in incorruption.
1 Cor. 15:54. When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the word that is written: death is swallowed up in victory.
When this comes to pass, then what was written by the prophet Hosea (Hos. 13:14) will be fulfilled. Since he said something astonishing, he confirms the truth of his words with the testimony of Scripture. "In victory" (εις νίκος, unto victory), that is, completely, so that death, having been defeated, will be destroyed, and there remains for it not even the hope of ever regaining its power thereafter.
1 Cor. 15:55. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?
As if having seen this accomplished in deed, he is inspired, utters a victory cry and triumphs, as if trampling upon vanquished death and treading it underfoot. Between "hell" and "death" you can find a certain distinction, namely: "hell" holds souls, while "death" holds bodies; for souls are immortal.
1 Cor. 15:56. The sting of death is sin.
For through sin, death received its power, using sin as a weapon of sorts and a sting. For just as the scorpion itself is a small creature, but has its power in its sting, so also death received its power through sin, and otherwise it would have been ineffective. This is evident also from the example of the Lord Himself, since death did not find sin in Him, it remained powerless over Him.
1 Cor. 15:56. And the strength of sin is the law.
Why? Because when there was no law, we sinned in ignorance and were subject to a less severe condemnation, but when the law exposed sin, it subjected us to great condemnation, since we know and yet sin, and made it strong — not by its own nature, but because of our negligence, since we did not make use of the law as we should have, as a remedy, about which more has been said at greater length in the Epistle to the Romans. Therefore, O man, do not doubt the resurrection. You see that sin, which was the weapon of death, has been destroyed, and the law, which accidentally became the power of sin, has been abolished. When death has been disarmed, it is obvious that it no longer has power.
1 Cor. 15:57. Thanks be to God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
The Lord Jesus fought the contest, and to us the victory was given — not by merit, not by obligation, but by the grace and love of God the Father, Who made us victors through the contest of His Son.
1 Cor. 15:58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.
Since, he says, you have learned that there will be a resurrection and recompense for the good and the wicked, be steadfast; for they were wavering in the teaching about the resurrection. And since they were also neglecting the good life, on account of there supposedly being no resurrection, he says: "always abound in the work of the Lord"; not only do it, but do it in abundance. The "work" "of the Lord," that which the Lord loves and which He requires of us, is virtue.
1 Cor. 15:58. Knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
That is, hope that there will be a resurrection, and you will lose nothing from your labors. For previously you were not zealous for virtue because you did not believe in the resurrection and therefore did not want to labor in vain, but now you know that none of your labor will remain in vain. "In the Lord" (εν Κυρίω) means either your labor which is "in the Lord," that is, for which you had help from above, since it is directed toward God-pleasing works; or "with the Lord" your labor will not remain in vain, but you will receive recompense from Him.