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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers 1 Corinthians 15:51–57. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
To confirm what he had said of this change,
I.He here tells them what had been concealed from or unknown to them till then - that all the saints would not die, but all would be changed.
Those that are alive at our Lord's coming will be caught up into the clouds, without dying, Th1 4:11. But it is plain from this passage that it will not be without changing from corruption to incorruption. The frame of their living bodies shall be thus altered, as well as those that are dead; and this in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, Co1 15:52. What cannot almighty power effect? That power that calls the dead into life can surely thus soon and suddenly change the living; for changed they must be as well as the dead, because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. This is the mystery which the apostle shows the Corinthians: Behold, I show you a mystery; or bring into open light a truth dark and unknown before. Note, There are many mysteries shown to us in the gospel; many truths that before were utterly unknown are there made known; many truths that were but dark and obscure before are there brought into open day, and plainly revealed; and many things are in part revealed that will never be fully known, nor perhaps clearly understood. The apostle here makes known a truth unknown before, which is that the saints living at our Lord's second coming will not die, but be changed, that this change will be made in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and at the sound of the last trump; for, as he tells us elsewhere, the Lord himself shall descend with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God (Th1 4:16), so here, the trumpet must sound. It is the loud summons of all the living and all the dead, to come and appear at the tribunal of Christ. At this summons the graves shall open, the dead saints shall rise incorruptible, and the living saints be changed to the same incorruptible state, Co1 15:52.
II.He assigns the reason of this change (Co1 15:53):
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. How otherwise could the man be a fit inhabitant of the incorruptible regions, or be fitted to possess the eternal inheritance? How can that which is corruptible and mortal enjoy what is incorruptible, permanent, and immortal? This corruptible body must be made incorruptible, this mortal body must be changed into immortal, that the man may be capable of enjoying the happiness designed for him. Note, It is this corruptible that must put on incorruption; the demolished fabric that must be reared again. What is sown must be quickened. Saints will come in their own bodies (Co1 15:38), not in other bodies.
III.He lets us know what will follow upon this change of the living and dead in Christ:
Then shall be brought to pass that saying, Death is swallowed up in victory; or, He will swallow up death in victory. Isa 25:8. For mortality shall be then swallowed up of life (Co2 5:4), and death perfectly subdued and conquered, and saints for ever delivered from its power. Such a conquest shall be obtained over it that it shall for ever disappear in those regions to which our Lord will bear his risen saints. And therefore will the saints hereupon sing their epinikion, their song of triumph. Then, when this mortal shall have put on immortality, will death be swallowed up, for ever swallowed up, eis nikos. Christ hinders it from swallowing his saints when they die; but, when they rise again, death shall, as to them, be swallowed for ever. And upon this destruction of death will they break out into a song of triumph.
1.They will glory over death as a vanquished enemy, and insult this great and terrible destroyer: "O death! where is thy sting? Where is now thy sting, thy power to hurt? What mischief hast thou done us? We are dead; but behold we live again, and shall die no more. Thou art vanquished and disarmed, and we are out of the reach of thy deadly dart. Where now is thy fatal artillery? Where are thy stores of death? We fear no further mischiefs from thee, nor heed thy weapons, but defy thy power, and despise thy wrath. And, O grave! where is thy victory? Where now is thy victory? What has become of it? Where are the spoils and trophies of it? Once we were thy prisoners, but the prison-doors are burst open, the locks and bolts have been forced to give way, our shackles are knocked off, and we are for ever released. Captivity is taken captive. The imaginary victor is conquered, and forced to resign his conquest and release his captives. Thy triumphs, grave, are at an end. The bonds of death are loosed, and we are at liberty, and are never more to be hurt by death, nor imprisoned in the grave." In a moment, the power of death, and the conquests and spoils of the grave, are gone; and, as to the saints, the very signs of them will not remain. Where are they? Thus will they raise themselves, when they become immortal, to the honour of their Saviour and the praise of divine grace: they shall glory over vanquished death.
2.The foundation for this triumph is here intimated,
(1.)In the account given whence death had its power to hurt: The sting of death is sin. This gives venom to his dart: this alone puts it into the power of death to hurt and kill. Sin unpardoned, and nothing else, can keep any under his power. And the strength of sin is the law; it is the divine threatening against the transgressors of the law, the curse there denounced, that gives power to sin. Note, Sin is the parent of death, and gives it all its hurtful power. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, Rom 5:12. It is its cursed progeny and offspring.
(2.)In the account given of the victory saints obtain over it through Jesus Christ, Co1 15:56. The sting of death is sin; but Christ, by dying, has taken out this sting. He has made atonement for sin; he has obtained remission of it. It may hiss therefore, but it cannot hurt. The strength of sin is the law; but the curse of the law is removed by our Redeemer's becoming a curse for us. So that sin is deprived of its strength and sting, through Christ, that is, by his incarnation, suffering, and death. Death may seize a believer, but cannot sting him, cannot hold him in his power. There is a day coming when the grave shall open, the bands of death be loosed, the dead saints revive, and become incorruptible and immortal, and put out of the reach of death for ever. And then will it plainly appear that, as to them, death will have lost its strength and sting; and all by the mediation of Christ, by his dying in their room. By dying, he conquered death, and spoiled the grave; and, through faith in him, believers become sharers in his conquests. They often rejoice beforehand, in the hope of this victory; and, when they arise glorious from the grave, they will boldly triumph over death. Note, It is altogether owing to the grace of God in Christ that sin is pardoned and death disarmed. The law puts arms into the hand of death, to destroy the sinner; but pardon of sin takes away this power from the law, and deprives death of its strength and sting. It is by the grace of God, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, that we are freely justified, Rom 3:24. It is no wonder, therefore,
(3.)If this triumph of the saints over death should issue in thanksgiving to God: Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through Christ Jesus, our Lord, Co1 15:57. The way to sanctify all our joy is to make it tributary to the praise of God. Then only do we enjoy our blessings and honours in a holy manner when God has his revenue of glory out of it, and we are free to pay it to him. And this really improves and exalts our satisfaction. We are conscious at once of having done our duty and enjoyed our pleasure. And what can be more joyous in itself than the saints' triumph over death, when they shall rise again? And shall they not then rejoice in the Lord, and be glad in the God of their salvation? Shall not their souls magnify the Lord? When he shows such wonders to the dead, shall they not arise and praise him? Psa 88:10. Those who remain under the power of death can have no heart to praise; but such conquests and triumphs will certainly tune the tongues of the saints to thankfulness and praise - praise for the victory (it is great and glorious in itself), and for the means whereby it is obtained (it is given of God through Christ Jesus), a victory obtained not by our power, but the power of God; not given because we are worthy, but because Christ is so, and has by dying obtained this conquest for us. Must not this circumstance endear the victory to us, and heighten our praise to God? Note, How many springs of joy to the saints and thanksgiving to God are opened by the death and resurrection, the sufferings and conquests, of our Redeemer! With what acclamations will saints rising from the dead applaud him! How will the heaven of heavens resound his praises for ever! Thanks be to God will be the burden of their song; and angels will join the chorus, and declare their consent with a loud Amen, Hallelujah.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
8 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Baptism destroys the sting of death. For you descend into the water laden with your sins. But the invocation of grace causes your soul to receive this seal, and after that it does not lead you to be swallowed up by the dread dragon. You go down “deadly indeed in sin,” and you come up “alive unto righteousness.”
"Now the sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law."
Seest thou how the discourse is of the death of the body? therefore also of the resurrection of the body. For if these bodies do not rise again, how is death "swallowed up?" And not this only, but how is "the law the power of sin?" For that "sin" indeed is "the sting of death," and more bitter than it, and by it hath its power, is evident; but how is "the law also the power" thereof? Because without the law sin was weak, being practised indeed, but not able so entirely to condemn: since although the evil took place, it was not so clearly pointed out. So that it was no small change which the law brought in, first causing us to know sin better, and then enhancing the punishment. And if meaning to check sin it did but develop it more fearfully, this is no charge against the physician, but against the abuse of the remedy. Since even the presence of Christ made the Jews' burden heavier, yet must we not therefore blame it, but while we the more admire it, we must hate them the more, for having been injured by things which ought to have profited them? Yea, to show that it was not the law of itself which gives strength to sin, Christ Himself fulfilled it all and was without sin.
But I would have thee consider how from this topic also he confirms the resurrection. For if this were the cause of death, viz. our committing sin, and if Christ came and took away sin, and delivered us from it through baptism, and together with sin put an end also to the law in the transgression of which sin consists, why doubtest thou any more of the resurrection? For whence, after all this, is death to prevail? Through the law? Nay, it is done away. Through sin? Nay, it is clean destroyed.
By “law” here Paul simply means either what inheres in the flesh or what is added to it. His point is that sin is taken away along with death and that the law ceases to exist once we have become immortal and are governed by the grace of the Spirit.
Why, if the law is good, is it the power of sin? Because sin wrought death by that which is good, that it might become exceedingly sinful, that is, might acquire greater powers by becoming also transgression. Why, if the law is good, are we “dead to the law by the body of Christ”? Because we are dead to the law’s condemnation, being set free from the disposition which the law condemned and punishes.… So the same precept, which is law to those who fear it, is grace to those who love it.
Indeed, by sinning we slip down into death. For where the law forbids, we sin more seriously than if we were not forbidden by the law. However, when grace is added, we then fulfill without difficulty and most willingly that very thing which the law had oppressively commanded. We are no longer slaves of the law through fear but friends through love and slaves of the righteousness which was the very source of the law’s promulgation. Accordingly the law of sin and death, that is, the law imposed upon sinning and dying men, merely commands that we do not covet. Nonetheless, we do covet. However, the law of the spirit of life—the law which belongs to grace and sets us free from the law of sin and death—causes us not to covet. It causes us to fulfill the commands of law.
Nothing could be truer. For a prohibition always increases an illicit desire so long as the love of and joy in holiness is too weak to conquer the inclination to sin. So without the aid of divine grace it is impossible for man to love and delight in sanctity.
The prohibition increased the concupiscence. It rendered it unconquered. So transgression was added, which did not exist without the law, although there was sin.… It is not to be wondered at that human infirmity has added the strength even from a good law to evil, since in the fulfilling of that very law it trusted in its own strength.
By that sting, the human race first wounded itself unto death in such a way that he made death also pass to and through his offspring.
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Summary
1 Corinthians 15:56 serves as a profound theological explanation within Paul's discourse on the resurrection, clarifying the nature of death's power and sin's dominion. It asserts that death's ability to inflict its fatal wound (its "sting") is derived from sin, and further, that sin itself draws its formidable power ("strength") from the Law. This verse succinctly encapsulates the human predicament under the old covenant, highlighting the interconnectedness of sin, death, and the Law, thereby setting the stage for the triumphant declaration of Christ's victory over all three.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is strategically placed at the climax of Paul's extended argument for the bodily resurrection of believers in 1 Corinthians 15. Having meticulously laid out the historical evidence for Christ's resurrection and its implications for believers, Paul shifts to a triumphant declaration of victory over death. The preceding verse, 1 Corinthians 15:55, rhetorically challenges death and the grave, echoing prophetic language from Hosea 13:14. Verse 56 then immediately provides the theological rationale for why death had a "sting" and how sin wielded its power, thus explaining the very problem that Christ's resurrection addresses. It functions as a crucial explanatory bridge between the triumphant challenge to death and the subsequent declaration of God's victory through Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:57.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Corinthian church was grappling with various theological and practical issues, including some members denying the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12). Paul's lengthy exposition in 1 Corinthians 15 directly counters this skepticism by grounding the Christian hope in the historical reality of Christ's resurrection and its future implications for believers. Culturally, death was a pervasive and often terrifying reality in the ancient world, often associated with the unknown, the underworld, and the cessation of all existence. Paul's assertion that death's power is rooted in sin would have resonated with Jewish understandings of sin's consequences (e.g., Genesis 2:17) and offered a unique Christian perspective on overcoming this ultimate enemy.
Key Themes
1 Corinthians 15 is dominated by the theme of resurrection, specifically the bodily resurrection of Christ and its guarantee for believers. Verse 56 contributes to this by explaining the power of sin and its inextricable link to death. Paul consistently argues throughout his epistles that sin brought death into the world (Romans 5:12), and that the Law, while holy and good, served to expose and amplify sin, not to provide salvation (Romans 7:7-13). This verse underscores the necessity of Christ's victory over both sin and death, which is the central message of the chapter. It highlights the profound human predicament under the Law and the triumphant liberation offered through the gospel.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word refers to a sharp point, specifically the sting of a scorpion or a venomous serpent, or even a goad used to drive animals. In this context, it vividly portrays death not as a gentle sleep but as a formidable, painful, and ultimately fatal adversary that injects poison into its victim, leading to spiritual and physical demise. It emphasizes the destructive, injurious power of death.
This term denotes a "missing of the mark," a transgression, or an offense against God's law. Here, it is identified as the very source and essence of death's "sting." It is not merely an action but a pervasive spiritual condition that separates humanity from God and brings about the consequence of death, both spiritual and physical.
This word signifies inherent power, force, or ability, often implying miraculous power. In this verse, it highlights the formidable power and dominion that sin wields over humanity. It is the effective force by which sin operates and achieves its destructive ends, leading to death.
This refers to a prescriptive usage or regulation, specifically the Mosaic Law. Paul clarifies that the Law, though holy and good, does not cause sin but rather defines it, exposes it, and makes transgression evident. By setting righteous standards, the Law reveals humanity's inability to meet them, thereby amplifying sin's condemning power and strengthening its hold, leading to guilt and death.
Verse Breakdown
"The sting of death is sin"
This clause reveals the fundamental connection between death and sin. Death is not merely a natural biological process but an enemy whose power to inflict a fatal, poisonous wound (its "sting") is derived directly from sin. It is sin that gives death its destructive force and its ability to separate humanity from God, as the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
"and the strength of sin is the law"
This second clause explains how sin gains its formidable power. The Law, by clearly defining what is right and wrong, makes transgression evident and brings about the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). It does not cause sin, but by exposing humanity's inability to perfectly fulfill its righteous demands, the Law empowers sin's condemning force, making humanity accountable and strengthening sin's dominion over them, ultimately leading to death.
Literary Devices
Paul masterfully employs Personification in this verse, portraying "death" as an adversary with a "sting" and "sin" as an entity possessing "strength." This vivid imagery allows the reader to grasp the formidable nature of these spiritual realities. The "sting" is a powerful Metaphor for death's fatal, poisonous effect, drawing on the common experience of venomous creatures. Furthermore, the verse presents a clear Causal Chain or Logical Progression: the Law empowers sin, and sin empowers death. This logical structure underscores the depth of the human predicament before Christ and sets the stage for the ultimate solution found in His resurrection.
Theological and Thematic Connections
This verse profoundly articulates the biblical understanding of humanity's fallen state and the interconnectedness of sin, death, and the Law. It reveals that death is not merely a biological endpoint but a consequence and manifestation of sin's reign. Moreover, the Law, though given by God and holy, good, and just (Romans 7:12), paradoxically serves to strengthen sin's power by exposing human transgression and bringing condemnation. This theological framework highlights the utter inability of humanity to save itself and underscores the absolute necessity of divine intervention to break this cycle of sin and death. It sets the stage for the gospel, where Christ's work provides the only true remedy.
Reflection and Application
1 Corinthians 15:56 forces us to confront the gravity of sin and its ultimate consequence: death. It dismantles any notion that death is merely a natural part of life, revealing it as a formidable enemy empowered by our rebellion against God. It also clarifies the Law's role, not as a means of salvation, but as a mirror reflecting our brokenness and amplifying sin's condemning power. This understanding should lead to profound humility and a deep appreciation for the gospel. We recognize that left to ourselves, we are trapped in a cycle where our sin leads to death, and the very standards meant to guide us only serve to highlight our inability to escape. This verse compels us to look beyond our own efforts and find our hope in the one who conquered both sin and death. It transforms our view of mortality, shifting it from a terrifying unknown to a conquered adversary for those in Christ.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does this verse mean the Law is bad or causes sin?
No, this verse does not mean the Law is bad or that it causes sin. Paul is clear elsewhere that "the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Romans 7:12). The Law's purpose was to reveal God's righteous standards and expose humanity's inability to meet them. By defining sin, the Law makes transgression evident and brings about the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). In this sense, it "strengthens" sin's power not by creating sin, but by making sin's guilt and condemnation undeniable. It acts like a magnifying glass, revealing the true extent of our sinfulness and our desperate need for a Savior.
How does Christ remove the "sting of death" and break the "strength of sin"?
Christ removes the "sting of death" and breaks the "strength of sin" through His atoning sacrifice and resurrection. By dying on the cross, Jesus bore the penalty for humanity's sin, becoming "sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). His resurrection then demonstrated His complete victory over death itself. For those who believe in Him, the power of sin to condemn is broken because Christ has fulfilled the Law's demands and taken its curse. Death, therefore, loses its "sting" because it no longer leads to eternal separation from God but rather to eternal life with Him (John 11:25-26).
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
1 Corinthians 15:56 sets the stage for the glorious truth of the gospel, revealing the profound human predicament that only Christ could resolve. The "sting of death" is sin, and sin's "strength" is the Law, creating an inescapable trap for humanity. However, the New Testament proclaims that Jesus Christ, through His perfect obedience, sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection, has utterly disarmed this deadly combination. He became "a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13), fulfilling the Law's righteous demands and absorbing its condemning power. By taking the penalty of sin upon Himself, Christ removed death's venomous "sting" for all who believe, transforming it from a terrifying end into a mere passageway to eternal life. His resurrection is the ultimate proof that sin's power has been broken and death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54). Thus, in Christ, believers are no longer under the dominion of sin and death, but live by the power of the Spirit, freed from the Law's condemnation, looking forward to the ultimate and final resurrection into His glorious presence (Romans 8:1-2).