1 Corinthians 15:51 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

NIV: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—

NASB: Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

CSB: Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed,

NLT: But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!

KJV: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

NKJV: Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—

Some in Corinth claimed there was no resurrection from the dead for Christians. Paul has disputed that almost entirely, though he has agreed on at least one point. Namely, that there's no way corrupt, dying "flesh and blood" bodies can possibly inherit the kingdom of God. Put another way, our naturally-born bodies cannot exist in God's presence in heaven for eternity. What the confused Corinthians don't understand is the mystery Paul reveals in this verse. It's the mystery he has been revealing throughout chapter 15. In a word, this is "transformation." God will, in fact, transform the "natural" bodies of Christians into glorified, or "spiritual" bodies (1 Corinthians 15:44) that will inherit God's kingdom, after all.

Paul begins here by announcing, "Behold!" to indicate what he says has great meaning. The mystery is revealed in this and the following verse. Paul has already said that the resurrection of the dead will take place when Christ comes back for those who belong to Him (1 Corinthians 15:23), as Jesus said He would do (John 14:2–3).

However, some believers will not yet have died when Christ returns. How will they step into eternity if they are still in their sin-stained "natural" bodies? Paul's answer is that whether a person dies and their body is "sown," (1 Corinthians 15:37), or they are taken in the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17), all born-again believers will experience change when they step into eternity. The living will be transformed, along with those who are resurrected from the dead. All believers will be physically remade into their glorified bodies at the return of Christ (1 John 3:2).

First Corinthians 15:50–58 powerfully concludes Paul's teaching on the resurrection of Christians: when the last trumpet blasts and Christ returns for those who belong to Him. In that moment, all believers in Jesus, living and dead, will be transformed into the glorified, eternal bodies God has promised us. Death will be defeated forever, never to hurt anyone again. Sin brings death, and the law is the power of sin, but God has given us the victory over death by forgiving our sin through faith in Jesus and by His grace.

Paul provides thorough teaching about the resurrection of Christians from the dead. This is a direct counter to some group of Corinthians who did not believe in such a resurrection. He shows that natural death is not the end of life for Christians; it is the last step before receiving a glorified, resurrected body like that of the risen Christ. That ''spiritual'' body will be as different from our current bodies as a star is from a fish. In that moment, for all who have believed in Christ, living and dead, death will be defeated for good.

In chapters 12, 13, and 14, Scripture focused on the concept of spiritual gifts and how best to use them. This follows several other ideas where Paul corrected errors in the Corinthians' thinking. Chapter 15 contains extensive teaching on one last issue about which some Corinthians were confused or misled. Apparently, they harbored some doubts about the physical resurrection of Christians from the dead. After clearing up these confusions, Paul will address various other items, of a less doctrinal nature, and close out his letter.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.