1 Corinthians 15:10 (DBY)

Passage

But by God's grace I am what I am; and his grace, which [was] towards me, has not been vain; but I have laboured more abundantly than they all, but not *I*, but the grace of God which [was] with me.

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 15:8 and last of all, as to an abortion, he appeared to *me* also.

1 Corinthians 15:9 For *I* am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called apostle, because I have persecuted the assembly of God.

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by God's grace I am what I am; and his grace, which [was] towards me, has not been vain; but I have laboured more abundantly than they all, but not *I*, but the grace of God which [was] with me.

1 Corinthians 15:11 Whether, therefore, I or they, thus we preach, and thus ye have believed.

1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ is preached that he is raised from among [the] dead, how say some among you that there is not a resurrection of [those that are] dead?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grace", "god's", "towards", "been", "vain", "laboured", and "abundantly". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grace" and "god's", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "For I am the least of the..." into verse 11's "Whether therefore I or they thus we...", so "grace" and "god's" 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 "grace" and "god's" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.