The apostle Paul asked, “O death, where is thy sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55; Hosea 13:4). What was he saying?
When the Lord comes again, notice will be given, (“the trumpet shall sound”), the dead shall be raised and the living will be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). The dead in Christ shall rise first and the righteous living “shall together with them… meet the Lord in the air… “ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). This fleshly, mortal nature must be put off in order that we might put on incorruption and immortality for eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:53).
Paul was trying to help the believer realize death no longer has a sting. Death no more has the victory. Death has no sting for the faithful believer. “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Isaiah foretold this, and the ultimate fulfillment of his prophecy will come at the end of time (Isaiah 25:8). Since Jesus was raised from the dead and we will be raised, death has been conquered (1 Corinthians 15). This victory over sin and death is through and by the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Sin is the “sting” of death (1 Corinthians 15:56), but sin has no power over the faithful in Christ. Being a faithful Christian takes away the sting of death. So, Paul asked, “O death, where is thy sting?” knowing that through Christ and His triumphant resurrection, death would have no sting! O death, where is your power now? Through Jesus, we can be free from sin. We win! In Christ, we can be victorious over sin and Satan. In Christ, there is no sting!
The primary point Paul was making in 1 Corinthians fifteen is that Christ was raised from the dead. He was victorious over death, Satan and sin. We, too, will be raised (1 Corinthians 15:23). We, too, can be victorious. We do not have to worry about dying. If any think of dying as having a sting, they should review once again the blessed reward promised for the righteous when they die (Luke 16:22-25; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Peter 1:3-5; etc.). While death is ‘‘unfamiliar territory,” Christians must keep in mind it is simply a transition into the eternal life. Have faith in God’s power to save. “…Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54b-55).
