1 Corinthians 15:56 kjv
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1 Corinthians 15:56 nkjv
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
1 Corinthians 15:56 niv
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
1 Corinthians 15:56 esv
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
1 Corinthians 15:56 nlt
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
1 Corinthians 15 56 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Romans 5:12 | Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— | Death entered via sin |
| Romans 6:23 | For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. | Sin leads to death |
| 1 Corinthians 15:54 | When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the immortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." | Victory over death |
| Romans 7:7 | What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet I would not have known sin except for the law. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." | Law reveals sin |
| Romans 7:11 | For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law, sin lies dead. | Law empowers sin |
| Genesis 3:17-19 | And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I gave you a command, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you dust, and to dust you shall return." | The origin of death and toil |
| John 8:34 | Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin." | Slavery to sin |
| Galatians 3:10 | For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." | Curse of the law |
| Hebrews 2:14-15 | Since therefore the children are inheritors of flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. | Christ's death destroys death's power |
| 1 John 3:8 | whoever makes a practice of sin is of the devil, because the devil has been plotting from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. | Christ destroys the devil's works |
| Colossians 2:13-15 | And you were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. When you were dead in trespasses, he made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them on public display, triumphing over them by the cross. | Christ nullifies legal demands |
| Revelation 20:14 | Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death. | Final judgment of death |
| Hosea 13:14 | Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your destruction? I will not exercise my compassion. | God's power over death and Sheol |
| 2 Timothy 1:10 | and which has appeared now through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, | Gospel brings life and immortality |
| Psalm 116:3 | The snares of death encompass me; the pangs of Sheol had taken hold of me; I met trouble and sorrow. | Death's grip |
| Job 7:1 | "Has not man a hard service on earth, and are not his days like the days of a soldier? | The toil of life |
| Philippians 3:10 | and to know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, | Power of His resurrection |
| 1 Corinthians 1:18 | For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. | The power of the cross |
| 2 Corinthians 3:6 | who made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. | Letter vs. Spirit |
| Romans 4:15 | because the law brings wrath, and where there is no law there is no transgression. | Law brings wrath |
1 Corinthians 15 verses
1 Corinthians 15 56 Meaning
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. This verse highlights the fundamental components that have historically given death its formidable hold over humanity. Sin is identified as the source of death's power to hurt or wound. The law is revealed as the mechanism that sin exploits to exert its dominion and demonstrate its strength. Together, sin and the law forge the formidable grip of death on mortal existence.
1 Corinthians 15 56 Context
This verse is part of Paul's extensive discourse on the resurrection of believers in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. He addresses skepticism about the resurrection, explains its nature, and assures believers of their future glorious state. He systematically refutes the idea that there is no resurrection of the dead, grounding his argument in the resurrection of Christ as the firstfruits. The chapter culminates in describing the transformed, immortal bodies believers will receive, free from death's dominion. Verse 56 serves as a crucial summary statement within this larger argument, identifying the underlying sources of death's historical power, which the resurrection ultimately overcomes. This is directly tied to the hope of overcoming death that is central to the Christian message.
1 Corinthians 15 56 Word Analysis
Hustereo (κέντρον - kentron): Sting. Literally, a sharp point or goad. Figuratively, it refers to the painful, wounding, or provocative element of something. In this context, it is the painful or injurious capacity of death.
Hoi amartia (ἡ ἁμαρτία - hē hamartia): Sin. The action or state of sinning; moral failing; transgression against divine law. It is presented as the source of death’s "sting."
Kai ten dynamen (δύναμις - dynamis): Power. Strength, might, ability, capacity. It refers to the inherent strength or potency of sin.
Hoi nomos (ὁ νόμος - ho nomos): Law. This primarily refers to the Mosaic Law or the concept of divine command and regulation. It is the means by which sin exerts its power and becomes fully manifest and damning.
Kenton tes thanatou: Sting of death. This phrasing personifies death, giving it a stinging or piercing quality. The sting signifies the hurt and suffering death brings, which stems from sin.
Dynamis tes hamartias: Power of sin. Sin possesses an active force, a potency that drives its destructive work. This power is not intrinsic but is mediated or amplified by the law.
Hamartia dunamis ho nomos: Sin power the law. This compact statement places the law as the enabling force behind sin’s oppressive power. Without the law, sin would not have the clear standard to violate, nor the legal force to condemn.
1 Corinthians 15 56 Bonus Section
This verse can be understood in conjunction with Romans 7:5, where Paul states, "For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were producing fruit that led to death." This clearly shows the Law as an instigator, making sin more potent rather than curing it. The victory spoken of in verse 54, and achieved through Christ’s resurrection, is a triumph over this sin-powered, law-backed death. The resurrection of believers means they are liberated from death’s sting and sin’s dominion, as well as the curse of the law.
1 Corinthians 15 56 Commentary
The verse functions as an eschatological explanation of why death has held sway over humanity. The "sting" implies pain and harm, directly linked to sin, the act of missing the mark of God's will. Death’s power to inflict this sting is amplified by the Law. The Law defines what sin is, and by revealing sin, it also activates God’s judgment upon it, thereby giving death its formidable strength and claim. In essence, sin is the fundamental cause, and the Law is the operative agent that makes sin’s consequence – death – so powerfully effective and inescapable for fallen humanity. This theological understanding underscores the necessity and efficacy of Christ’s redemptive work, which breaks the power of both sin and the law for believers, leading to resurrection life.