Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54)
How does death get swallowed up? What is the victory that the apostle Paul is talking about here?
1. Christ lived a perfect life, completely fulfilling the law of God.
Everything God calls a man or a woman to be, Christ was. Everything God calls a man or a woman to do, Christ did. He fulfilled the law.
2. Christ laid down his perfect life as a sacrifice for others’ sins.
Jesus gave his life for us. At the cross, the sins of others were laid on him and he came under a terrible curse. Christ died for the ungodly—the people who have not fulfilled the law; those who know that they have many sins. He died for sins.
3. Christ went into death itself.
The eyes of Jesus closed in death. Then they took his body from the cross and laid it in a tomb. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. It was impossible for death to hold him! He went into death, swept through it, and came out of it. Christ swallowed up death in victory!
If you are in Christ, you will still die, but death’s sting is gone for you. You will stand before God, not in the rags of your own half-hearted righteousness, but in the white robes of Jesus’ perfect righteousness. Then, when Jesus comes in glory, you will come with him and he will give you a resurrected body. Death will be swallowed up in victory for you. No wonder Paul says, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (15:57).
Does Christ’s victory feel like a win for you? Why or why not?
