1 Corinthians 15:55 – “O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?” (NKJV)
This morning, I feel the sting of death.
I write this having just returned from a memorial service for a former student of mine. The memorial service was beautifully God-glorifying and Christ-centered, with a very clear presentation of the gospel message. I am grateful that my former student is with his Lord and Savior, and will no longer have any struggles or pain. But I am not there yet; I still live on this curse-inflicted earth, and today the reality of his death stings me.
I find myself wrestling with many different emotions. I rejoice in God’s providence, trust in His perfect timing, and am confident that this will work out for good to those that love God (Romans 8:28); I also hurt deeply for the student’s family, knowing they are experiencing indescribable grief even as I type these words.
For me personally, some deaths have stung more than others. Several people come to mind right now who I know were ready to pass away. Like the Apostle Paul, they knew their time was coming to an end, and they were at peace with finishing their race and entering eternity with the Lord (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Although those deaths hurt, and I still miss many of those people, there was a sense of peace associated with their passing. People also come to mind who passed away unexpectedly; I think those deaths tend to sting more, and if I’m being honest, many of them continue to sting at times.
In 1 Corinthians 15:55, Paul writes, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (NKJV). This is a paraphrase from Hosea 13:14, which used in the context of 1 Corinthians 15, speaks of the blessed reality that believers in Christ will not be conquered by death, but will be victoriously resurrected through the Lord Jesus Christ. This powerful truth should give all believers hope, knowing that eternal peace and everlasting life with Christ await them after passing on from this mortal life.
This beautiful passage from 1 Corinthians 15 gives me great hope that the sting of my death will be quickly vanquished, but the sting I am feeling today is not from my death, but the death of someone I love. The phrase that has been flowing through my mind today is: “If I die, I’m good. If you die, I’m not.”
If I had my preference, I would live long enough to see my kids marry and have kids of their own. But at this stage in my life, I can agree with Paul’s statement that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NKJV). I know if God were to call me home to eternity today, that it would be God’s perfect timing, and that I would experience nothing but peace and joy.
On the other hand, if my wife or one of my kids were to pass away, I can only imagine how much their death would sting me. I would be grateful knowing any of them to be in the perfect presence of our Lord, but I also know that I would miss them immensely. My wife and I lost a baby to miscarriage several years ago, and we still often feel the sting of that loss. We have joy and contentment, but the sting is still very real.
There is also the sting of the death of those near me who were unredeemed. The sting involved with their passing is not just the hurt that comes from missing their company, but also the reality that they are suffering—suffering in a way we all deserve, except for the amazing grace of God.
At certain dates and events, the sting of others’ deaths might hurt more deeply. The sting can be felt during certain holidays. There are many people who I wish my kids could have met. Sometimes I wish I could share a meal one more time with people who have passed away, receive their wisdom which I feel like I am desperately lacking, or even just to hear their laughter and feel their hugs again.
It is times like this that I am grateful for the stability of the unchanging truths of our unchanging God. I feel like the flow of my words is as unfocused and sporadic as my thoughts and emotions in this time of grief. God’s truth brings comfort and assurance in the midst of my turbulent emotions. It is reassuring that the death of God’s saints is precious in His sight (Psalm 116:15); that for the child of God, when we pass away from this life we will be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23); that there is a place that awaits God’s redeemed children where there are no more tears or sorrow (Revelation 21:4).
It is also comforting to know that it is normal, and even appropriate, for me to feel the sting of others’ deaths. The Israelites had times of mourning when people passed away (e.g., Numbers 20:29; 2 Samuel 1:12), and Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35)—even though He knew He was going to bring Lazarus back to life (John 11:11-15).
Being completely transparent, these truths do not always take away the sting of others’ deaths in my soul, at least not right away. But they help. They give me hope when the sting of death hurts. And God uses these passages to remind me that He is in control, that He is good, and that victory is assured in Him.
Some reading this today might feel the sting of a loved one’s death. Others might dread the sting of their own impending death. May God use His word to draw us to Himself, and to bring comfort and assurance to His children feeling the sting of death.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51-57, NKJV)