VICTORY IN JESUS

1 Corinthians 15:54-58 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

The entire fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians is devoted to the apostle Paul's inspired teaching of God's word, concerning the resurrection of the dead, with Jesus Christ being the divine example. Resurrection is necessary in order for God to bestow His righteous judgment on, both the faithful and the sinner. The resurrected body must be changed in order for the soul of mankind to inherit their eternal destiny. The earthly body Jesus received when He was born into the world was that of a mortal man. After His life on earth was completed, which culminated in His death, burial, and resurrection, He ascended into heaven in a glorious body suitable for eternity. Paul said that the vile bodies of all human beings would also be changed and fashioned like His (Jesus) glorious body (Phil. 3:21).

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption (Vs. 50 above). (W)e shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (Vs. 51-53). Complete knowledge of this inspirational fact was a mystery from the beginning of the world, which is now fully revealed and understood, from the teaching of the apostle Paul and all other inspired messengers of God. What was previously unknown, was now known. The bodies of those that are alive at the second coming of our Lord, at the last trump, will be changed because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Likewise, those that have perished will come forth from their graves and shall be raised incorruptible.

Thus, on the Day of Judgment, all mortal (beings) must put on immortality - bodies suitable for eternity. The mortal body must be changed to one that is immortal in order for the faithful Christian to truly enjoy the beauty and bliss that awaits in heaven, and for the unfaithful to feel the pain and suffering prepared for them in hell. At this point in the study of the lesson text, it seems appropriate to consider this quotation from the book of Hebrews which says, Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (Heb. 2:14-15).

With attention now turned toward the obedient Christian, Paul says that when this human body is changed from mortal to immortal, then, and only then, will the scripture be filled that says, Death is swallowed up in victory. This is the meaning found in Isaiah 25:8, which says, He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces. When the saints of earth are transported into heaven, human death becomes victory in heaven, and all tears of sorrow will be removed from off all faces. God's will, as revealed through Jesus Christ, to His servant John, says this about the Christian's entry into heaven: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Rev. 21:4).

The pain and suffering of death is real, but it is not everlasting. Death stings, but finally gives way to subdued bliss. The grave is the final resting place for the human body, but the victorious soul lives on. The sting of death is sin. Unpardoned sin, that is the broken law of God for which repentance was not made, gives death the power to destroy the soul eternally. Only God's children, through Jesus, find forgiveness of sin. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.