Death Becomes Subdued – 1 Corinthians 15:50-53

Everybody faces death, which is why people avoid thinking of death or even despise death. Whether we are young or old, we realize this inevitable truth that death has power over us and there is no escape. Death is the cause of such great sorrow and consuming fear. However, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a believer no longer needs to fear death because death has been defeated by Christ.

Man’s attempts at defeating death
There are three ways people try to confront death but fail.

The Bible explains the reason why all human attempts cannot overcome death is because death is the result of sin (Rom. 6:23). Though, Christians will also die, their death is not defeat but it is victory in Christ. Instead of death being loss, to die is to gain (Romans 8:18, Phil 1:21-22). By the death and resurrection of Jesus, sin and death have been defeated.

Death has been defeated by the death of Christ. (v. 50)
Death is necessary because the flesh cannot inherit the heavenly. Christ also came and died in the flesh in order to defeat death (Heb 2:14). The death of our earthly bodies is necessary because we cannot enter heaven in our current flesh. While alive, we cannot be with Jesus in His heavenly kingdom. Therefore, our death in Christ is not to be avoided, but desired as the means to enter heaven.

Do you identify with Christ and His death (1 Cor 15:3-4)? Only by dying with Christ, can death be defeated (Gal 2:20).

Death has been been defeated by the resurrection of Christ (v51-52)
Before Christ’s death and resurrection, what happened after death was a mystery. No one knew what came after death except for the unavoidable decomposing of the body. Just as everyone dies, everyone decomposes. Contrastingly, in Christ’s resurrection, the fate of the believer is not decomposition but glorious transformation.

The absolute power of Christ’s resurrection over death is demonstrated by how quickly this transformation will take place. Death is not able to resist or delay it’s defeat but Christ’s victory in instantaneous (smallest amount of time).

This change is also at God’s appointed time, at the last trumpet. God has complete authority over death and it’s timing. Death is completely obedient to God’s will. (1 Thess 4:16-17)

Conclusion (v53)
Death has already been defeated by the work of Jesus, and the promise of the gospel is the future resurrection. To defeat death, we must put on Christ. Jesus Himself is the means and the prize for the defeat of death. He is the clothing of the resurrection. Therefore, we are to live by faith, and not by sight.