1 Corinthians 15:18 (ASV)

Passage

Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 15:16 For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised:

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

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

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

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "and if Christ hath not been raised..." into verse 19's "If we have only hoped in Christ...", so "fallen" and "asleep" 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 "fallen" and "asleep" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.