The Defeat of Death
Read the Text: 1 Corinthians 15
Memorize the Text:
Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love – but the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:13, CSB)
Consider the Text: 1 Corinthians 15:56-57
For centuries, people have sought to find victory over physical death. They have attempted to find new cures to diseases, life-sustaining technology, and the Fountain of Youth. However, physical death can occupy minds and come as an enemy. The reason death exists comes from the existence of sin. This death extends beyond the physical and includes the spiritual. The apostle Paul addressed the reality of the victory over spiritual death that comes through Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15. The apostle noted three essential truths about sin, death, and the victorious life.
THE STING OF DEATH IS SIN
Sin possesses the poisonous sting that leads to death. Sin is like a toxic stinger on a bee to someone highly allergic. The sting enters the body and causes great harm and distress. Sin is a poisonous stinger that infects the soul and causes damage. The presence of sin separates people from the Lord and demands a reaction. The allergic response to the stinger of sin is spiritual death.
Death is often misunderstood. People view death as the ceasing of existence. This mentality devalues individuals and assesses them as nothing more than flesh and blood. The reality is that death is not ceasing to exist; instead, death is the eternal separation from the Lord and facing the eternal wrath of God. Thus, the allergic reaction to the stinger of sin is death that exists as the eternal torment from experiencing the wrath of God because of sin.
THE POWER OF SIN IS IN THE LAW
The venom of sin comes with the law. The law defines the difference between right and wrong and identifies how people should live. The law provides sin power because it allows people to know what is right, providing the needed insight to determine what is wrong. The presence of sin gains power because it is a rebellion against the law and ways of the Lord.
Partaking in the garden of Eden fruit was a sin because God had given them a directive (law), and they disobeyed. So likewise, the power of sin at the moment came because Adam and Eve knew what was correct and chose to live in disobedience. The same is true today. People know what is right and yet decide to allow the venom of sin to sting them.
VICTORY COMES THROUGH THE REDEEMER OUR LORD, JESUS CHRIST
Victory comes as Christ fulfills the law. Jesus declared this truth in Matthew 5:17-20. Jesus fulfills the law for us through His death, burial, and resurrection and extends this fulfillment to use through faith. This fulfillment occurs as people can never keep the letter of the law in their strength. Christ is the fulfillment of the law as the one who paid the required payment of sin. Thus, Christ claimed victory over death by defeating death in the resurrection.
When people receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, they must receive Him as both. This means that Jesus must be the Master of one’s life. Thus, believers surrender all they are to the Lord and follow His leading every moment. At the same time, people must receive Jesus as Savior because He alone is the needed rescuer from the punishment of sin. Thus, we have victory over the poisonous sting of sin, which leads to death through a personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
