1 Corinthians 15:17 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "christ", "risen", "again", "vain", and "sins". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "christ", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "For if the dead rise not again..." into verse 18's "Then they also that are fallen asleep...", so "faith" and "christ" 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 "faith" and "christ" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.