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Priscilla: I Corinthians 15:50-58
Mystery and Victory

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I humbly offer You words of praise and gratitude. I thank You for the spiritual blessings You bestow upon my daily life through Your faithful care. I beseech the Lord Jesus to grant me renewed strength. May the Holy Spirit guide me in all truth as I contemplate the Eternal Living Word of God.

Father, today I present my meditation on I Corinthians 15:50-58, regarding the transformation of our mortal bodies.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Verse 50: I understand that the words of the Apostle Paul imply that those who have not been born again, who have not been newly created in Christ, still live according to the reasoning of their old human nature, in sin. They will not be able to share in the inheritance of the saints in the heavenly realms, nor will they have authority and kingship with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I understand that the term “corruption” refers to the earthly, mortal bodies of human beings that belong to the earth and are subject to decay. This perishable nature is a consequence of humanity’s sinful condition, which causes them to lack the glory originally intended in God’s creation. It is natural that the perishable cannot inherit the imperishable. How can people enjoy anything when they are in a state of decay? The mortal bodies of human beings must be resurrected or transformed into spiritual, glorious, and immortal bodies that cannot perish. It is through these spiritual bodies that the people of God can enter the Kingdom of Heaven and share in the authority of Christ, ruling in the eternal Kingdom of God. This is referred to in the Scriptures as an imperishable inheritance: ““Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (I Peter 1:3-5).

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Verse 51: I understand that on the day when Christ comes to take the Church out of the world, the mortal bodies of all the saints who have passed away during the Church age will be resurrected, and the mortal bodies of the living saints will be transformed. Both will have spiritual, glorious, and immortal bodies, similar to the resurrected body of Christ.

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Verse 52: I understand that the coming of Christ will be very swift. He will descend from Heaven, appearing in the midst of the clouds. There will be a loud command, the voice of the Archangel, and the trumpet-call of God. The mortal bodies of those who have died in Christ will be resurrected, and the mortal bodies of those who belong to Christ and are still alive will be transformed in a brief moment of time. Each person will be given a spiritual body that is imperishable.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Verses 53 and 54: I understand that through the redemptive death of the Lord Jesus Christ, He has saved humanity from the punishment of sin. He has triumphed over the power of sin and death on the mortal bodies of human beings. Therefore, the bodies of God’s people are resurrected after death or transformed while still alive into glory and immortality. The Word of God affirms that the people of God have been “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (I Peter 1:23).

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

Verses 55 and 56: I understand that “the sting” refers to the venomous part of certain animals, such as the poisonous venom in the fangs of a snake, which is highly toxic and causes death. In the past, the ancestors of humanity were tempted by a serpent, leading them to sin and bringing sin into the world. Satan used the venom of suffering and death, which is sin, to harm humanity.

The law of God causes those who sin to lose the glory and eternal happiness that God has bestowed upon them. It also causes humanity to lose intimate fellowship with God. Therefore, the law becomes the power of sin.

However, after the mortal body of Christ is resurrected and victorious over death, the sting of death, which is sin, no longer has dominion over those who believe in His redemptive sacrifice. All their sins and punishments have been borne by Christ. Even the gates of Hades have no authority over the souls belonging to Christ.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 57: I understand that God has granted the people of God the victory over sin and death through Christ. For Christ died in place of the sins of the people of God so that they may be declared righteous and grafted into the Church. Through true repentance of sin and complete faith in the redemptive death of Jesus Christ, the people of God triumph over sin and death. Death cannot hold the mortal bodies of the people of God in the dust. Christ bestows upon the people of God eternal life and everlasting happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3).

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Verse 58: I understand that the Apostle Paul exhorts the people of God to stand firm in faith and in the knowledge of God’s Word, without worry or fear when facing adversities in life. These adversities may include persecution for the sake of faith, suffering and deprivation for the glory of God, and even death. The people of God need to be fervent in their devotion, living according to God’s Word, and abundantly serving the Lord. Everything the people of God do should be motivated by love for God and for others, glorifying the name of God. All the toil and hardships endured by the people of God are not in vain or futile! For Christ has promised that when He comes to bring the Church out of this world, He will reward each person according to their deservings, based on the good works they have done in His name. They will receive an everlasting inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Father, I thank You for Your instruction in this passage of Scripture. I pray that You would help each one of Your people in the Church to live a holy and reverent life, loving and honoring God. May everyone be ready for the coming of our beloved Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Priscilla Christian Huynh
06/06/2023