Death and Victory

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes,

"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, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, beasue you know that in the Lord your labor in not in vain." (54b-58)

Eugene Peterson words the above passage this way:

"Death swallowed by triumphant Life! Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who's afraid of you now? It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three--sin, guilt, death--are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God! With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw youselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort."


The last few months have been deadly. I've had an older family member die after battling health problems. A family friend shot himself in the head. Another family of a friend killed himself too. A classmate of mine drowned in a river. Another died serving his country while abroad. A friend's great-grandmother lost her fight with cancer.

Life is deadly. There's no escape from death. Death can come accidentally, expectedly, unfortunately, and tragically. Death stems from broken bodies, broken relationships, broken foreign policies. Death stems, essentially from life. Because in life there is sin. Our world is a sinful and broken place, made even more frightening by the idea that death is bad. Death can be a beautiful gift, when it occurs in the natural, peaceful setting it was designed for. How else are we to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but through our death and the resurrection of the body?! Mere mortals cannot enter into Heaven; the perishable cannot enter into the imperishable.

So why are we afraid and upset by death? We mourn the loss of friends, family, loved ones. Certainly this is true, however, we also must rejoice in the life that was lived, however short it seems to have been. But for God, the Giver of Life, our mortal existance is all but a blink in God's eye, yet a near eternity as well. God is with us in every moment of life and at the moment of death.

And though I know God is with me and those whom I know and love in death, it is still a terrifying, saddening, and mournful event. The sin in the world that leads to premature and unnatural death, through war, accidents, cancer, illness, lonliness, it is a frightening and painful thing. But with a return to Christ, we can overcome the terrifying sin that we see as death, for Christ is victorious over death and brings His followers into communion with God the Life Giver. Eternal Life, life without sin and estrangement and brokenness, comes with our death.

So I fear death not. Yes, I fear the pain and sin that comes with my mortal, temporal, earthly death. But as long as my life is lived in Christ, I am convicted that my death will not be my Death, but rather my Life. By living my life in Christ, I hope and trust in my Life with God.

And really, selfishly, I hope my last words on this earth will echo the words of Rich Mullins, "What a ride. What a ride."