1 Corinthians 15:13 (ASV)

Passage

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised:

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 15:11 Whether then [it be] I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

1 Corinthians 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised:

1 Corinthians 15:14 and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your faith also is vain.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "resurrection", "dead", "neither", "hath", "christ", "been", and "raised". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "resurrection" and "dead", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Now if Christ is preached that he..." into verse 14's "and if Christ hath not been raised...", so "resurrection" and "dead" 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 "resurrection" and "dead" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.