1 Corinthians 15:51-58

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

As if to make sure no one will misunderstand and confuse his emphasis on the bodily resurrection with a notion that somehow the flesh that decays in the grave will be reinvigorated (cf. 2 Bar. 49.2; 50.2), Paul concludes his discussion on resurrection with a climactic statement on the nature of the resurrected body. Different from the body that belongs to the age of decay and death, the new body will be fit for the new age in God’s presence, where death and decay no longer exist. Paul sets the stage for his discussion with a question about the nature of the resurrection body (15:35). His answer falls into three sections, concluded by a short concluding “so what” statement (15:58). First, in what reads like an exclamation of frustration (“how foolish!”), Paul profiles the whole discussion as caused by ignorance. His objectors should realize that God always creates bodies that are fit for their purpose (15:36–41).

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