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.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:54–55)
The Merchants of Death
Christianity is a message about life. On the other hand, Christianity is also a message about death. Now, it should be noted that Christianity is not about harming or killing people who do not convert. Undoubtedly Christianity is a religion of peace in that we seek to help and not harm people. I witnessed to one man several years ago and his complaint was that he didn’t understand why Christianity was so bloody, and why there is so much talk about blood and death. It was as if I was a merchant of death, trying to sell him a message about death. The more I have thought about it, I have come to the realization that Christianity does not cower in the face of death. Instead it is through the reality of death that we can have hope, which is probably a strange conundrum.
The Paradise
The first mention of death is in the creation of Adam, the first man. God creates man in His own image, places him in the midst of paradise and tells Adam that if he eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that he will “surely die” (Gen. 2:17). The first mention of death, is by God, the Life-Giver. Surely Adam had no idea what the word “die” meant. Perhaps Adam did not completely understand the conclusiveness of which death meant. Because the word “die” reeks of finality.
Death is not only found on the lips of a creating God, it is wrapped up in the doubts of a subtle serpent. “You will not surely die” was part of the last statement made to Eve before she bit into that fateful fruit (Gen. 2:1-5). The juices had not reached her digestive system before the effects of death began to corrode her spirit and body. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and death spread to all men” (Rom. 5:12) and “For as by a man came death” (1 Cor. 15:21). Death spread like a disease through Adam and his decedents, for as in Adam all die (1 Cor. 15:22).
When God came looking for Adam and Eve in the cool of the day, He found them and gave them the promise of redemption, but His message to the serpent was flavored with death: “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15b). It would be death that would deliver the final blow to the serpent that would eventually grow into a dragon (Rev. 20:2). How would God bring life to Adam and Eve again? An innocent animal gave its life so they could be clothed in coats of animals skins. Death brought them life. Something paid the debt of sin, so the dividend of life could be given. So it was death that brought them life, and gave them hope.
Though Adam and Eve did not physcially die that day, they died spiritually. Though Adam lived 930 years, death paid him a visit. For the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).
The Passover
The children of Israel were in bondage to Pharaoh and Egypt for 430 years. When God heard their awful cries as their children were being slaughtered He raised up a man by the name of Moses. God would work miracles through Moses. Miracles such as plagues of drought, pestilence and disaster. However the final plague would visit everyone, including the Israelites who dwelt in Goshen (Ex. 11:4-9). The angel of death would come and kill all the firstborn in the land. God gave Moses the plan that every man would have to take a lamb and kill it (Ex. 12:1-12). The shed blood would be painted on the doors posts. Where there was blood applied the angel of death would “passover” that home (Ex. 12:13). Before the death angel visited, there needed to be death in the home. Again death was going to bring life. The death angel needed to see the sign of death applied to the home. It wasn’t enough to just believe the lamb had to be killed, it had to be applied. Again, something innocent took the place for the demise of sin.
The Children of Israel escaped bondage and death through death. God offered them a way of escape through death.
The Priesthood
If God was going to have a people who were set apart and distinguishable from the rest of the Ancient Near East, then they would have to have a different set of rules to live by, and place of worship. The Law was given as a standard of living that met the demands of a Holy God. The Tabernacle in the wilderness was a place of holy worship to a Holy God. Worship was shrouded in sacrifice. A holy people must have holy worship, but they cannot be holy unless their sins are atoned for. Sacrifices and offerings were to be made on a altar of fire. Lambs, goats, oxen, and bulls, were to be offered. They would pay the debt of sin, though they were blameless. The Tabernacle with all of its gold and silver and beautiful tapestry smelled of death. The Tabernacle smelled like a crematory, yet it was a sweet savor unto God (Ex. 29:18). If the people wanted to approach God it had to be through the means of blood and death. And if it wasn’t done correctly, that meant death. Forgiveness of sins, worship, service and offerings were through the smoke clouds of death. Shed blood would bring life. Death offered hope. The conundrum continues: to avoid death, you needed to offer death.
The Prophets
The prophets of the Old Testament were merchants of death. The Israelites failed to practice justice, live faithfully, and keep the Law and the sacrifices. Canaan was vomiting the Israelites out of the land because they did not keep the covenant with Jehovah (Lev. 18:25). Israel’s problem is our problem too. We cannot keep the Law perfectly. Like Israel, we are hopeless to carry out justice, live holy, or be committed to God. Sin’s hold keeps us in darkness. So what was the Lord going to do? He was not going to send a warrior-king to correct Israel and re-establish the kingdom of Israel. No, He was going to send a Suffering-Servant to die. The Root of Jesse, the Son of David, Immanuel-God with us (Is. 7:14; 8:8; Mt. 1:23). He did not come wielding a sword. He was not going to overthrow Egypt, Babylon or Rome. No, He was coming to overthrow the kingdom of darkness. And how would he set captives to darkness free? Through rejection and through death. The Suffering-Servant would bear our griefs, and carry our sorrows. He would be smitten and stricken of God. The Son of David would be pierced for our transgressions, and would be crushed for our iniquities. Why? Because we, like sheep, have gone astray and we have gone our own way (Isa. 53:3-7). Death will bring life. Shed blood will offer salvation. The price of death would be paid with death.
The Promised Messiah
When the Son of God had come His message was like that which was before him: death. “Except you believe not that I am [he], you shall DIE in your sins” (Jn. 8:24). “Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Mt. 16:28). “He that hears my word and believes on Him that sent me, shall not be condemned but is passed from death unto life” (Jn. 5:24). “If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (Jn. 8:51). “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said signifying what death he should die” (Jn. 12:32-33). “And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer…and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mk. 8:31). “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn. 2:19). “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you…whoso eats my flesh and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (Jn. 6:53-54)
Christ came to save sinners, but he was going to accomplish it through giving His life (1 Tim. 1:15). How could those who were dead in sin be resurrected back to life? The answer is Christ would die for the ungodly (Rom. 5:6). For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; perhaps for a good man some would even dare die. But God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6-8). Death for death. Death for life.
Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Nevertheless, Jesus Christ, the sinless Lamb of God, died for sinners that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). We were reconciled, made righteous, and redeemed through the death of Jesus Christ. His blood justified us, sanctified us, and will glorify us (Rom. 5:9; 8:30; 1 Cor. 6:11).
What could stop the reign of death? The death of Jesus Christ! We cry with the Puritan writer, John Owen, “The death of death in the death of Jesus Christ!”
Christ not only died, he was resurrected from the dead. Death does not have dominion over him (Rom. 6:9) Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). Death was arrested and defeated by Jesus Christ. The resurrection signified the abolishment of death (2 Tim. 1:10).
The People of God
How can you buy the merchandise of death? How can you get new life? You must die. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ can be applied to your life. How? Through death. The Apostle Paul was certain of the unity that exists between Jesus Christ and believers through the imagery of baptism. You and I can participate in Christ’s death and resurrection. “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3–4). Having been buried with Jesus in baptism, we were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:12). You can walk in new life, having old things passed away, by crucifying the old way of life (Gal. 5:24). If you walk according to the flesh, which is the old life, then you will die. But if you walk according to the new Spirit living in you, then you will have everlasting life (Rom. 8:13). We no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died for us (2 Cor. 5:15). Therefore, set your affections on things above, because you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Col. 3:2-3).
Death to sin, and to the old life. But our hope lies in future death. Unlike unbelievers who fear death (Heb. 2:15), we have the hope that if we die we will be with Jesus! With Paul we faithfully say, better to be absent from the body to be with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Death is gain for the believer (Phil. 1:21). The righteous have hope in death (Pro. 14:32). Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints (Ps. 116:15). Not only that, we have the promise that the dead in Christ will rise first at the Second Coming of Jesus (1 Thess. 4:16). Where the mortal will be clothed with immortality and will receive the crown of life on their heads (1 Cor. 15:54; Rev. 2:10).
Brothers, and sisters, we have hope today! The last enemy to be defeated by Jesus Christ is death (1 Cor. 15:26). Death is swallowed up in victory! O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death has been swallowed up in Christ’s death at calvary, and the victory of the grave has been overthrown by the empty tomb of a resurrected Savior!