1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-58 - WEEK 5 - VICTORY OVER DEATH

WEEK 5 - VICTORY OVER DEATH

Thursday

1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-58

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

VICTORY OVER DEATH

Paul is setting the record straight concerning our resurrected bodies and what will happen when Christ comes to those bodies. While there is some level of mystery about our eternal future, there are some things we do know: Jesus Christ is the sole source and hope of transformation in this life. It is part of God’s mysterious plan to redeem creation, not to reject it. And on the last day, when Christ returns, the enemy of death will finally and totally be defeated. It is in this that Paul charges his listeners – stand firm and let nothing move you from these truths of the gospel.

QUESTIONS

When will we all be changed?

Explain the phrase “Death has been swallowed up in victory”. Use the text to answer (15:53-55)

What does it mean to “give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord”? Is there anything the Lord might be leading you to do to see that happen more fully in your life?