1 Corinthians 15:16 (DBY)

Passage

For if [those that are] dead are not raised, neither is Christ raised;

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 15:14 but if Christ is not raised, then, indeed, vain also [is] our preaching, and vain also your faith.

1 Corinthians 15:15 And we are found also false witnesses of God; for we have witnessed concerning God that he raised the Christ, whom he has not raised if indeed [those that are] dead are not raised.

1 Corinthians 15:16 For if [those that are] dead are not raised, neither is Christ raised;

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

1 Corinthians 15:18 Then indeed also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And we are found also false witnesses..." into verse 17's "but if Christ be not raised your...", so "dead" and "raised" 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 "dead" and "raised" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.