“Oh Death, Where Is Your Sting?”

“Oh grave, where is your victory?”

“Oh death, where is your sting….” (1 Corinthians 15.55a).

The answer to the question our title poses is sin. We have a fallen nature that we were born into. We are unable to lift ourselves out of this fallen state. We are unable to save ourselves. When we come to the Lord: the sting, or fear, of death, is removed because Jesus paid the sin debt owed, and that took away the sting of death. We have been forgiven and can look forward to spending eternity with the Lord.

“Oh grave, where is your victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55b)

Those that do not know the Lord have a fear of death. Just as Adam and Eve feared and hid from the Lord after they sinned against Him, those that do not know the Lord live in fear. They know they are guilty of sin. The only remedy is the forgiveness and grace of God. Sin is the sting of death. The Lord is offering mercy and grace today to whosoever will come to Him. Should they choose not to come, eternal death will surely be their end.

“The sting of death is sin….” 1 Corinthians 15:56a).

Jesus conquered death on the Cross. Death came as a result of original sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, it resulted in a fallen nature, the sin nature, and all those that came after them were born in this fallen state. As believers, we no longer fear death because we know that we have a bright future, all because of what Christ accomplished on the Cross. When we die we will immediately be in the presence of the Lord.

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

We love the life the Lord has given us here, but we know that it will end at some point and look forward to being in the presence of the Lord when our time here ends. The sin nature was the consequence of the Fall in the Garden. The final effect of the sin nature left on its own is death. The Lord, seeing our fallen condition, left His home in glory and died on the Cross to pay the sin debt and save us from the sin nature that kept us in bondage. When we place our faith in Christ and Him crucified, we are dead to the sin nature.

“Likewise reckon (account) yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin (the sin nature), but alive unto God (Resurrection Life) through Jesus Christ our Lord (by what Christ accomplished at the Cross) (Romans 6:11).

Should we not go the Lord’s way the end result will be death and separation from the Lord for all eternity. The sin nature is empowered by the Law. The Law shows us what is right and what we should do, but gives us no power to obey it. We are also talking about laws we make up to make ourselves acceptable to God. This results in self-righteousness which is wholly unacceptable to God.

“…..and the strength of sin is the Law” (1 Corinthians 15:56b)

By our faith in Christ and Him crucified, the Lord imputes to us His Righteousness which makes us right with God. The Lord saw our helpless condition and reached down in His love and provided our Salvation to us as a gift. We are saved by grace, not by any works we might do. Salvation is completely of the Lord. We can now say “Oh death, where is your sting.”

“But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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HereI Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2023