Based on a series of sermons preached in PCC Prayer Meetings in 2023-2024
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord
1 Corinthians 15:55-58
Death can be frightening. The apostle to the Hebrews reminds us that many in the world are throughout their lifetime subject to bondage because of a fear of death (Heb 2:15). Thus, many people, including Christians, tend to tiptoe around the subject of death when around someone who is dying, whether due to illness, accident or old age.
But that ought not to be the case for believers. Indeed, we can look forward to death with confidence and wait for it with purpose once we have a proper understanding of what death is for us. Let us consider, therefore, what the apostle Paul has to say about the subject. Our text is found right at the end of Paul’s famous treatise on the doctrine of resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. What is resurrection but anti-death! The resurrection of Christ and believers united to Him is so crucial to Christianity that Paul reminds the Corinthians and us that if Christ did not rise from the dead, then Christianity is a hoax, and Christians are, of all men, most miserable. But Christ did rise! Many who saw Him after His resurrection were still alive and could bear witness to the fact at the time when Paul wrote to the Corinthians. Thus, Paul ends the long chapter by encouraging us vis-à-vis the death that will confront all of us. He says three things.
1. Death Is a Passage
This is implied in our text. The apostle has earlier spoken of death as a sleep, and how “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump… the dead shall be raised incorruptible” (1 Cor 15:52- 53). “O grave, where is thy victory?” asks Paul in our text.
By these words, Paul is suggesting that death is not final. It is like sleep in terms of the body. The body will be raised at the Last Day when Christ comes again. What about the soul? Well, the Lord Jesus said to the penitent thief on the cross, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Lk 23:43). Thus, Paul says, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (1 Cor 5:3).
It is with explicit biblical authority, therefore, that our Shorter Catechism teaches us, “The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection” (WSC 37).
Death, in other words, is a transition to a different stage in our existence. It is not final. It is not the end, neither for believers nor for unbelievers. For unbelievers, it is the beginning of eternal, unmitigated torment. However, for believers, it is the door to glory.
2. Death Has Lost Its Sting
Yes, death can be scary. Most Christians are not afraid to die. But dying can be very traumatic. Nevertheless, every Christian must recognise death has lost its sting. It has lost its sting because Christ died to pay for the penalty of the sin of His people. Thus, death for the believer is not a punishment. It is stingless.
It is like a large, scary bumble bee, but it is a bee that has lost its sting. It can be perplexing and frightening as it hovers near you, but it is harmless.
Yes, the door of death can be scary. Nevertheless, let us remember that however foreboding and terrifying it may appear, it is, in reality, a door into glory for believers. It has to remain scary to remind us that it came about because of sin, but it must no longer trouble us the way that it should trouble those who remain outside Christ. Instead…
3. Death Is an Opportunity and Reminder to Serve God
Notice the “therefore” in verse 58. This is a therefore for all of us regardless of whether we are at the moment staring at the door of death, or troubled by the fuzzy bee, or not.Yes, we should abound in the work of the Lord before that time come. But, no, we should not cease to labour even when we are on the brink of death. There is much we can do, even on our deathbed.
We can seek to bear forth a godly testimony for Christ by meekly submitting to His will without any murmuring. We can write to encourage those who will remain. We can also pray. We must not underestimate the value and power of prayer! Let us, therefore, do so, being assured that our labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Conclusion
Death is not final. It is a transition. Death has lost its sting. Death presents a unique opportunity and a poignant reminder to serve the Lord. Therefore, let us not allow death or the experience of dying to rob us of our joy or make our final hours fruitless.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Amen.
—JJ Lim