1 Corinthians 15:2by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.
The setting
Corinth, Greece, ~55 AD. Paul addresses Corinthians who are abandoning belief in bodily resurrection while still claiming to be Christians. He's saying: 'Your salvation depends on the full gospel, not a partial version you've created.'
The emotion here: deeply concerned, like a doctor explaining that half-doses of medicine won't cure the disease
The original word
katechō (κατέχετε) — to hold down firmly, like gripping something in a storm
Why it matters
Some Corinthians were keeping the spiritual parts of Christianity while discarding the physical resurrection
Read with care
What most readers miss in 1 Corinthians 15:2
'Unless you believed in vain' isn't about losing salvation — it's about whether you truly believed the complete gospel
Common misconceptionMany read this as threatening salvation loss, but Paul is questioning whether they truly understood and believed the complete gospel from the beginning.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 1 Corinthians 15:2
Bible Genome reading
1 Corinthians 15:2 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
1 Corinthians 15:2 comes from the book of 1 Corinthians, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to Paul. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 50% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the law genre of biblical literature. Key themes include salvation, perseverance. Notable phrases: you are saved, if you hold firmly. This verse contains a promise of God.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does 1 Corinthians 15:2 mean to you, today?
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