1 Corinthians 15:13 (DRB)

Passage

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen again.

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 15:11 For whether I or they, so we preach: and so you have believed.

1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ be preached, that he arose again from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

1 Corinthians 15:13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen again.

1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ be not risen again, then is our preaching vain: and your faith is also vain.

1 Corinthians 15:15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God: because we have given testimony against God, that he hath raised up Christ, whom he hath not raised up, if the dead rise not again.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "resurrection", "dead", "christ", "risen", and "again". 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 be preached that he..." into verse 14's "And if Christ be not risen again...", 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.