1 Corinthians 15:50-56 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — 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. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 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.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We who are alive when Christ returns will be like him, for we will all be changed from perishable to imperishable in the twinkling of an eye. Our old selves will fall and our new heavenly beings shall rise to be with him forevermore. A believer's hope is not to stay in this garment of flesh, but that the new creature within us will be manifested quickly, completely, so all creation will know we are the sons and daughters of God, adopted into his family. That is our ultimate hope. Someday, we will understand completely, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Oh the joy of fully knowing the Father, our Abba Father! In his eternal existence will be our lasting inheritance. When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his death, He told them, I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3) At his ascension, Jesus blessed the disciples and his followers, bringing great joy to their hearts: When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. (Luke 24:50-53) No wonder they went to the temple and continually praised God. Because of Christ's ascension, they knew they were eternal beings, loved and accepted by the Father God. Jesus had won eternal life for them; indeed, the perishable would be swallowed up by the imperishable. Jesus Christ had completed God's plan for life everlasting for them. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. They now understood that Jesus' love for them was so great that He would either meet them again at their demise or in the air at his second coming. Jesus blessed them as He ascended, much as a person leaving on a train, looking back at his loved ones, would say, "I love you; I will see you again." That person's desire is that his loved ones remember his fervent, steadfast affection for them. He wants those he is leaving to understand that his heart, his thoughts, will never be absent from them.
Of course our fleshly bodies, these earthly shells, are perishable: we get old, we die. As the Bible says, All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall. (1 Peter 1:24) We are here today, and gone tomorrow. For a few generations, we are remembered, but eventually all that we are and all we have been is swallowed up by time. Our imprint on Earth disappears. We earthlings are definitely perishable, dust-material. But this reality is not true in the kingdom of God. Our spirits are not perishable--we will live on in eternity. In God's eternal kingdom, we who have trusted in Christ's work are the beloved treasures of our heavenly Father. In his kingdom, we are precious, always remembered, always loved. We know GOD IS LOVE, and we know God loves his Son. Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” (Mark 9:7) Because of God's love for his Son, we who are found IN CHRIST JESUS are also loved dearly. Through Jesus' work, God transformed us into new creatures, born-again sons and daughters, possessing the nature and attributes of God himself. Whosoever believes in Jesus Christ will not be perishable, but eternal, imperishable. God considers us as so precious that He knows the hairs on our heads. All creation is under his inventory, nothing escapes from his purview, his knowledge. Even when a sparrow falls to the earth, he knows. God is omniscient, magnificent, mighty, all powerful. We who are found IN CHRIST because of faith in his works are special to God because He redeemed us at a great cost. As new creatures, we have the privilege of coming boldly before the throne of the everlasting God with our concerns and with our love for him, for we are not perishable, but eternal, living before his face. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) For sure, Christ' work has won the victory over sin and death for everyone who walks in that freedom.
We are no longer forced to live with the fear of death, for we no longer abide under the auspices of sin. Definitely, the sting of death is sin. Obviously, we live in the flesh, and the flesh is inclined to sin. But Christ set us free from sin and death when He broke the power of sin, which is the law. The law reveals the nature of man and condemns man for not being perfect, as God is perfect. Only Jesus Christ was perfect, able to satisfy fully the law's demands. Because He was and is perfect, He became the perfect sacrifice for man's imperfections. Jesus destroyed the law's authority over himself, for He fulfilled the law. Anyone who places total trust in Christ's work has fulfilled the law through Christ's atoning sacrifice; consequently, the law becomes invalid, impotent, in that person's existence. The law no longer has any authority over that person. He or she will not face death because of violating God's perfect law, for Jesus has broken the power of sin by fulfilling the law. James relates a circumstance that most of us fall into in our relationships. We tend to favor people that we consider acceptable, attractive, over those we consider not very acceptable or attractive. If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. (James 2:9-11) These verses show how sensitive the seismograph of law-breaking really is. Looking at this clearly, we will understand how easily and readily we fail God's perfection meter. Outside of Christ, if we fail to fulfill the law in one point, our protection from God's judgment falls at our feet in shambles. Under that circumstance, we are open to the consequence of sin which is death. Preferring one person over another can cause just as much death as being a murderer. How can we escape this perishable condition? Only by taking on the imperishable: Christ Jesus, the perfect propitiation for our sins. He alone has broken the condemnatory power of the law. He alone represents our saving grace for all our sins, even those we do not recognize as quickly as others. God bless you today as you walk in victory through Christ our Lord!
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