Pastor Scott Purkey
Bay Summit Church
1 Corinthians 15:54b-58 – “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
What a statement! This was perhaps the first declaration of independence ever recorded. But it wasn’t independence from people or another nation but from the greatest bondage of all time, sin. Up until Christ, sin had no antidote. Nothing could reverse its effects on the human race. But the Apostle Paul is making it very clear in the above passage this was no longer true. Death, sin’s greatest travesty, has already been defeated.
Since Adam’s one act of disobedience, sin and death had ruled the destiny and purpose of man. Paul is declaring, through the act of the second Adam, we are free from the fruit of the first Adam’s actions! As a result of Jesus’ selfless death and His resurrection, we now have the ability to live strong and confident in everything we do. This victory at the cross enables us to freely carry on the life Jesus started for us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, whatever we are adversely facing today, we know the outcome has already been determined. Help us to make our own declaration of independence from sin, disease, depression and lack! By doing so, we will align ourselves with Your will and become a very useful instrument in Your hands. Amen.