17. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is mere delusion [futile, fruitless], and you are still in your sins [under the control and penalty of sin];
18. And further, those who have died in [spiritual fellowship and union with] Christ have perished (are lost)!
19. If we who are [abiding] in Christ have hope only in this life and that is all, then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied.
20. But the fact is that Christ (the Messiah) has been raised from the dead, and He became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [in death].