1 Corinthians 15:16 (DRB)

Passage

For if the dead rise not again, neither is Christ risen again.

Nearby Context

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.

1 Corinthians 15:16 For if the dead rise not again, neither is Christ risen again.

1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ be not risen again, your faith is vain: for you are yet in your sins.

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

Study Lenses

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

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