1 Corinthians 15:19 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, the firstfruits of them that sleep:

1 Corinthians 15:21 For by a man came death: and by a man the resurrection of the 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 they also that are fallen asleep..." into verse 20's "But now Christ is risen from the...", 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.