Jesus said, "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).
Dying does not end a person's life. Jesus said that the person, who believes in Him, even though he died, would continue to live.
What does this mean? Man is not just a physical, fleshly being. Man is a spiritual, eternal being also. At the moment someone dies, we see their physical body dead. But the spiritual person who lived inside the body is no longer dwelling in the body.
The spirit of a person who knows Jesus goes directly to heaven when the physical body dies.
"For we walk by faith, not by sight: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:7-8).
In writing this, Paul was saying that he was willing or ready to die. He knew if he died, his spirit would leave his body and he would go to be with Jesus. Your spirit is the real you. It is eternal, though invisible. The Bible refers to the spirit as the inner man, hidden man of the heart, and the heart.
Where is Thy Sting?
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:55-57).
Death has no sting for the Christian. The sting of death is sin. Jesus bore the sins of the world when He died on the cross. "He personally bore our sins in His (own) body to the tree (as to an altar and offered Himself on it) that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24 AMP).
Since Jesus paid for your sins, then you are free from them. "Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). Sin has no right to dominate the life of a Christian. The believer is free to serve God and not sin.
The Sting of Death is Sin
What does this mean: "The sting of death is sin"? Sin produces death. It is a sting that will result in death if it is not removed. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).
Every human being would have no hope had it not been for Jesus. He paid the wages of sin. He died that you might live!
The moment you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, you receive God's forgiveness. Your sins are cleansed! The sting is removed! Your spirit receives the gift of eternal life, and you become a brand new person.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). The old nature of sin is gone, and the new nature of God enters.
Right With God
You are in right standing with God by faith in Jesus Christ. Unrighteousness brings fear, inferiority, and condemnation. But righteousness produces faith, courage, and freedom from guilt. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
The gift of righteousness is available to all who will call upon the name of Jesus in faith. It is as close as your heart and mouth.
"The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:8-10).
Death Has No Sting For You! Since Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, you have received the gift of eternal life. Right now you are the Kingdom of God!
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Billy Joe Daugherty was founder and pastor of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was also the founder of Victory Christian School, Victory Bible Institute and Victory World Missions Training Center.
