1 Corinthians 15:56 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

NIV: The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

NASB: The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law;

CSB: The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

NLT: For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.

KJV: The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

NKJV: The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

The previous few verses described the moment when death will be swallowed up in victory as the dead in Christ are resurrected with new, glorified bodies. At that same moment, those in Christ who are still living will be changed, as well. All will be translated into eternal, powerful, imperishable new bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42–44). Paul has even used Hosea's words to taunt death, saying "O death, where is your sting?" (Hosea 13:14).

He now follows this train of thought to show what is ultimately responsible for human death. It is not God or Satan. It is sin. "Death spread to all men because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). Sin is the bringer of death.

How did sin become so powerful? Paul is clear: The power of sin—it's ability to bring death—comes from the law. By the law, Paul is referring both to the Law of Moses given to Israel, but also to the nature of humanity to rebel against God that revealed itself for the first time when Adam and Eve sinned against God's command in the garden (Genesis 3:17–19).

It's not that the law creates sin in people. The law reveals sin by demonstrating that humans are not capable of obeying God. Given any command from God, our nature is to rebel, to sin. In this way, all are shown to be sinful (Romans 3:23), and all are shown to deserve death (Romans 6:23). Praise God that is not the end of the story, as the following verse reveals.

First Corinthians 15:50–58 powerfully concludes Paul's teaching on the resurrection of Christians: when the last trumpet blasts and Christ returns for those who belong to Him. In that moment, all believers in Jesus, living and dead, will be transformed into the glorified, eternal bodies God has promised us. Death will be defeated forever, never to hurt anyone again. Sin brings death, and the law is the power of sin, but God has given us the victory over death by forgiving our sin through faith in Jesus and by His grace.

Paul provides thorough teaching about the resurrection of Christians from the dead. This is a direct counter to some group of Corinthians who did not believe in such a resurrection. He shows that natural death is not the end of life for Christians; it is the last step before receiving a glorified, resurrected body like that of the risen Christ. That ''spiritual'' body will be as different from our current bodies as a star is from a fish. In that moment, for all who have believed in Christ, living and dead, death will be defeated for good.

In chapters 12, 13, and 14, Scripture focused on the concept of spiritual gifts and how best to use them. This follows several other ideas where Paul corrected errors in the Corinthians' thinking. Chapter 15 contains extensive teaching on one last issue about which some Corinthians were confused or misled. Apparently, they harbored some doubts about the physical resurrection of Christians from the dead. After clearing up these confusions, Paul will address various other items, of a less doctrinal nature, and close out his letter.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.