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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
1 Cor C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
1 Cor 15 V1 V3 V5 V7 V9 V11 V13 V15 V19 V21 V23 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47 V49 V51 V53 V55 V57
OET (OET-LV) and if chosen_one/messiah not has_been_raised, useless the faith of_you_all, and still you_all_are in the sins of_you_all.
OET (OET-RV) but if Messiah didn’t come back to life, then your faith is wasted and you’re all still just unforgiven sinners.
In this section Paul reminded the Corinthian believers about the gospel and showed them that the resurrection from the dead was an important part of the gospel. First (15:1–11) he wrote about the evidence showing that God raised Christ from the dead. Then (15:12–34) he taught that God will raise believers from the dead. Finally (15:35–58) he taught about what the resurrection body will be like.
Here are some other possible section headings:
The resurrection
People who die will live again
Christ has risen and his people will rise also
In this paragraph Paul said that it is important to believe in the resurrection of the dead. If the dead are not raised, then Christ was not raised. If Christ was not raised, then his people are not saved.
And if Christ has not been raised,
And if Christ has not risen,
And if Christ has not become alive again,
And if Christ has not been raised: This is a repetition of the end of the previous verse. Consider whether it is natural in your language to repeat the information from 15:16b or to use a short form such as:
And if that is not so
As in 15:14a, this clause is followed by three consequences.
your faith is futile;
then your(plur) faith is meaningless.
for you to trust Christ to forgive your sins is pointless.
your faith is futile: This is the first of three consequences if Christ has not been raised. The Greek word that the BSB translates as futile has a similar meaning to the word in 15:14b that the BSB translates as “worthless.” Some commentators suggest that the word here is stronger and means “without result.”See, for example, Fee p. 743; and Thiselton p.1219–20.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
your faith is useless (NET)
your faith is pointless (NJB)
In some languages it may be natural to translate your faith as a verb phrase:
you believe for nothing
it is useless for you to believe
there is no good/benefit for you in believing in Christ
you are still in your sins.
You(plur) are still guilty of your sins.
Your sins remain unforgiven.
you are still in your sins: This is the second of three consequences if Christ has not been raised. The phrase you are still in your sins means that God still considers the believers to be guilty of their sin.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
your sins have never been forgiven (JBP)
you are still guilty of your sins (NCV)
you are still bearing your own sins
It is important that readers understand that this is not the real state of affairs. This is only what would be true if Christ had not risen from the dead.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicitinfo
Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐγήγερται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ δέ Χριστός οὐκ ἐγήγερται ματαία ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καί ἔτι ἐστέ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν)
Here, Christ has not been raised repeats words found at the end of the last verse ([15:16](../15/16.md)). Paul repeats these words to make what he is arguing very clear. If your readers do not need these words to be repeated, and if they would be confused about why Paul is repeating himself, you could refer back to the words in the previous verse with a short phrase. Alternate translation: [that were true]
Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-condition-contrary
εἰ & Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐγήγερται
if & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ δέ Χριστός οὐκ ἐγήγερται ματαία ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καί ἔτι ἐστέ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν)
Here Paul is making a conditional statement that sounds hypothetical, but he is already convinced that the condition is not true. He knows that Christ really has been raised. He uses this form to continue to show the Corinthians the implications of their claim about resurrection. Use a natural form in your language for introducing a condition that the speaker believes is not true. Alternate translation: [if Christ has not actually been raised]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐγήγερται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ δέ Χριστός οὐκ ἐγήγερται ματαία ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καί ἔτι ἐστέ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν)
If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Paul uses the passive here to focus on Christ, who has or has not been raised, rather than focusing on the one doing the “raising.” If you must state who did the action, Paul implies that “God” did it. Alternate translation: [God has not raised Christ]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ματαία ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν
useless the faith ˱of˲_you_all
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind faith, you can express the idea by using a verb such as “believe” or “trust.” Paul implies that they have faith in the gospel, in God, or in both. Alternate translation: [you are trusting in vain] or [you believed God in vain]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ματαία
useless
Here, as in [15:14](../15/14.md), in vain identifies a cause that does not have its intended effect. In this case, the Corinthians’ faith would not lead to salvation if Christ has not been raised. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express in vain with a word or phrase that identifies a cause that does not have its intended effect. Alternate translation: [is useless] or [has no meaning]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἔτι ἐστὲ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν
still (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ δέ Χριστός οὐκ ἐγήγερται ματαία ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καί ἔτι ἐστέ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν)
Here Paul speaks as if your sins were something that a person could be in. By speaking in this way, he indicates that the sins characterize the person’s life or even control the person’s life. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express in your sins with a comparable metaphor or express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [your sins still rule over you] or [you are still guilty of your sins]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἔτι ἐστὲ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν
still (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ δέ Χριστός οὐκ ἐγήγερται ματαία ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καί ἔτι ἐστέ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν)
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind sins, you can express the idea by using a verb such as “sin.” Alternate translation: [you are still people who sin]
15:1-58 Some people in the church had doubts about a future resurrection of the dead. Paul reassures them and, perhaps in response to their skeptical questions, discusses the nature of a resurrection body.
OET (OET-LV) and if chosen_one/messiah not has_been_raised, useless the faith of_you_all, and still you_all_are in the sins of_you_all.
OET (OET-RV) but if Messiah didn’t come back to life, then your faith is wasted and you’re all still just unforgiven sinners.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.