Bible Reading Challenge #54

1 Corinthians 15:50–58

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

This chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, can be quite challenging to understand, but as we conclude it today, I want to bring one thing to mind: Resurrection.

The fact of the resurrection is exactly what Paul has been teaching throughout this discussion. Jesus was raised from the dead. Many saw Him die on the cross, and many saw Him alive again. The resurrection of Jesus is a truth that must be embraced by all who believe, for without it, we would be utterly hopeless.

The fact that Jesus has been raised gives us the hope that we, too, will be raised. Most simply, this means that death is not the end of our existence. We live now in a perishable state—our bodies fail, and we all will die. However, the hope (and promise) of the resurrection is that we will be raised with imperishable bodies that will never fail.

The quotation from Paul in verses 54–55 celebrates this truth: while death may have once stung, the stinger has been removed—its power is gone, and it is no longer to be feared.

Today, I encourage you to rest in the reality of the resurrection. Though we worry and carry burdens in this life, we can hold fast to the promise of eternal life with God—life free from the pain, sorrow, and struggles of this world.