1 Corinthians 15:17 (KJV)

Passage

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 15:15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

1 Corinthians 15:16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

1 Corinthians 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "christ", "raised", "vain", and "sins". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "christ", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "For if the dead rise not then..." into verse 18's "Then they also which are fallen asleep...", so "faith" and "christ" belong inside that flow. In 1 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "christ" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.