1 Corinthians 15:19 (DBY)

Passage

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are [the] most miserable of all men.

Nearby Context

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.

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

1 Corinthians 15:20 (But now Christ is raised from among [the] dead, first-fruits of those fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man [came] death, by man also resurrection of [those that are] dead.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "life", "only", "hope", "christ", "most", and "miserable". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "life" and "only", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Then indeed also those who have fallen..." into verse 20's "But now Christ is raised from among...", so "life" and "only" 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 "life" and "only" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.