Now let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, F76 of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message.
But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me – and not without results. For I have worked harder than all the other apostles, yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.
And we apostles would all be lying about God, for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave, but that can't be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.
For the Scriptures say, "God has given him authority over all things." F80 (Of course, when it says "authority over all things," it does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)
Then, when he has conquered all things, the Son will present himself to God, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.
If the dead will not be raised, then what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?
And what value was there in fighting wild beasts – those men of Ephesus F81 – if there will be no resurrection from the dead? If there is no resurrection, "Let's feast and get drunk, for tomorrow we die!" F82
The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their beauty and brightness.
It is the same way for the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies, which die and decay, will be different when they are resurrected, for they will never die.
Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory. They are weak now, but when they are raised, they will be full of power.
They are natural human bodies now, but when they are raised, they will be spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, so also there are spiritual bodies.
What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These perishable bodies of ours are not able to live forever.
It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died F84 will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die.
When this happens – when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die – then at last the Scriptures will come true: "Death is swallowed up in victory. F85
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
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